# Tunecore, CDBaby, etc



## Carles (Jan 26, 2016)

Apologies if the thread already exists and I've missed it, but had anyone any experiences using this kind of publishing?

As far as I read, the income is literally laughable in 99.999% of the cases, but damn it, having freedom to write without considering N seconds cuts and specific structures/styles indeed makes the creative process much more enjoyable and never knows if people might like your music for any reason.

It's something that I'd never consider by myself (in fact I had no idea that such a thing exists) but a few people within these last months told me that I should consider it, so it comes to my mind sometimes.

It seems that one can stop the deal in any moment (quarterly or yearly) so you gain full exclusivity back when you wish (actually seems that they are never publishers but publishing administrators) It seems that the only risk would be losing the sign-up/release fees but never the tracks. 

Worth trying or just a waste of time?

Carles


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## Daryl (Jan 26, 2016)

I think it's probably worth it, but it may be that you need to start with the one that has no upfront fee. Sure, if your album is successful you'l lose money, but if you don't generate that many sales, at least you won't be out of pocket.


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## Kaufmanmoon (Jan 26, 2016)

Carles
I've had my singer-songwriter releases on Tunecore for many years, but decided to stop them this year. I just found that $50 for a renewal for each release was a bit steep, I wasn't really making that much to be honest.
Tunecore does just work though, without doubt and can put it everywhere quite quickly.
I still use Bandcamp which is great and easy.
The new one's kicking around the block that I've heard to check out are Ditto music and Distro Kid. I think they run their price structure a little differently and cheaper.
Be interesting to see if people use them on here.
Anyway, hope these leads you to search out a few things.

Edit. Looking at it a few links, Ditto seem to be about to do £50 for unlimited releases per year and Distro Kid you just pay $20 a year. Think I've got that right.
I'd certainly think very hard before going with Tunecore if those deals are correct

http://www.thediymusicguide.com/2014/04/distrokid-vs-cd-baby-which-is-better.html


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## Orchestrata (Jan 26, 2016)

I'm not sure if you're looking at these services as a way of securing placements, or simply as digital distribution (i.e. getting your music on iTunes, Google Music etc etc)?

If you just want digital distribution, then it's Distrokid, no question. 

* $19.95 a year for unlimited releases (rather than a fee per album)
* Your music submitted to all the major stores and a bunch of smaller ones
* Fastest service in terms of getting your albums in online stores, especially iTunes
* Customer support has been revamped (used to be an issue). Get responses in under 24 hours nowadays.
* You keep 100% of the revenue, after the online store (iTunes etc) takes its cut, and don't "pay to submit"

There are extras you can opt into when you submit, but I have no use for them. 

I have 2 albums, 3 singles and an EP with them, and zero complaints. There's a reason the founders of CD Baby and TuneCore endorse it over the companies they founded 

(Incidentally, I don't work for Distrokid, I just really, really love their service)


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## Orchestrata (Jan 26, 2016)

If you're looking for the all the bells and whistles, though, and live in the US, I think CD Baby Pro is likely your best bet. Their publishing options seem comparatively reasonable, and they have a good, long track record.


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## tav.one (Jan 26, 2016)

+1 for Distrokid


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## Carles (Jan 26, 2016)

Thanks guys!!
I'm not living in the US but New Zealand and also initial Daryl's point is very valid too (specially knowing that orchestral gender doesn't goes well with the word "successful"), so it seems that Distrokid is the closest to that point.
A bit scary the reader comments below Kaufmanmoon's link, but I do certainly trust more the fellas here at VIC than these.

Can you also publish on non-exclusive libraries (unless any given libraries would have a specific policy about) while using one of these distributors or only when the tracks are surely taken off the markets?
I mean are two parallel business that can work independently (i.e. via retitled tracks) or are these clashing at any point?

Carles


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## Daryl (Jan 26, 2016)

Carles, the issue about library music is specific to your contract with that library. If it also covers commercial release, you're out of luck, but if it doesn't then you should be able to do what you like with it. Obviously this only applies to stuff where you own the recordings.


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## Carles (Jan 26, 2016)

Daryl said:


> Obviously this only applies to stuff where you own the recordings


At this regard, having the (computer) project files is technically speaking owning the recordings, right? (I mean not the mere fact of having the files in your HD but also assuming that the tracks as not signed previously with anyone).


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## Orchestrata (Jan 26, 2016)

Carles said:


> A bit scary the reader comments below Kaufmanmoon's link, but I do certainly trust more the fellas here at VIC than these.
> 
> Carles



Yeah, I really wouldn't worry about those. The main issues I've seen there (which have been copy-pasted on other forums) are: 

*A user whose music was removed for copyright infringement and he tried making it Distrokid's problem. The stores banned him, not Distrokid; same thing would have happened regardless of company.
*People saying there's no option to cancel your account. Rubbish; I just clicked on settings in my account and the button is there, large as life. 
*People saying they aren't getting paid the right amount. Those people can't read a simple FAQ. Some online stores take several months to pay out to Distrokid. I got iTunes money three months after my first sale, and had to wait several more months for other stores. That's how the stores work.

And to answer your other question: if the library is non-exclusive, you should be fine. When in doubt, mail support


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## Daryl (Jan 26, 2016)

Carles said:


> At this regard, having the (computer) project files is technically speaking owning the recordings, right? (I mean not the mere fact of having the files in your HD but also assuming that the tracks as not signed previously with anyone).


The recording is usually owned by the person who paid for it. If it is using samples, and the EULA allows (which pretty much most do) it belongs to you.


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## Orchestrata (Jan 26, 2016)

Oh, and I second Kaufmanmoon's comment: Bandcamp is great, free (just a small commission) and the sales are always surprising.


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## rgames (Jan 26, 2016)

CDBaby is a one-time fee and is on sale a few times a year at $49 + $20 UPC code (necessary unless you get your own). I have a couple albums on there that generate a few sales but nothing of any consequence. 90% of the revenue is streaming. Which is also nothing of any consequence...

I don't think I've ever gotten any commercial placements through CDBaby. But I do get a lot of YouTube plays through CDBaby - at least I assume it's from CDBaby because I don't know where else they would come from (they show up on my PRO reports). Another pot of money of no consequence...

Keep in mind that CDBaby is just a way to distribute your music. You still have to market it - they're not going to do that for you. I make the occasional video and put it on YouTube that's about it.

Speaking of YouTube, one tip that took me a while to figure out: if you have a YouTube channel then let CDBaby know they need to allow your music to play there without ads (assuming you allow placements on YouTube). I didn't do that at first and my YouTube videos (which were promoting my music) then had ads on top of them...! Advertising someone else's product on the leader into your music video is no way to build a fan base... Even if you don't monetize your channel (I do not) they still place ads on it unless you tell them not to.

rgames


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## sleepy hollow (Jan 26, 2016)

Carles, I don't know anything about your plans, but if you wanna "do your own thing" then you should take a look at:

https://bandcamp.com

It's an awesome platform in my opinion.


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## Daryl (Jan 26, 2016)

rgames said:


> Advertising someone else's product on the leader into your music video is no way to build a fan base... Even if you don't monetize your channel (I do not) they still place ads on it unless you tell them not to.
> 
> rgames


I guess that you would get the money from the ads though, because Content ID would say that the content belonged to you.


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## rgames (Jan 26, 2016)

Daryl said:


> I guess that you would get the money from the ads though, because Content ID would say that the content belonged to you.


That's correct. When I upload a video it shows that it's linked to CDBaby.

I don't monetize the channel because the videos are promoting my music on CDBaby/iTunes/whatever. I don't want ads on my own ads...! Plus, I get so few plays that it's not worth it...

rgames


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## tiago (Jan 26, 2016)

I'll have to agree with the people that mentioned Bandcamp here. It's incredibly easy to use, works really well, no complications of any kind, helps giving a bit more of exposure to your work and can even give you some decent track / album sales once in a while.


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## 1982m (Jan 26, 2016)

I started with cdbaby years ago but stopped using them a few years after Derek Sivers left.. I now use Catapult & make a few $ from streaming subscription sites like Spotify et al.


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## Andrew Goodwin (Jan 27, 2016)

I am friends with this guy. It's an alternative to Tunecore and Cdbaby

For distribution to major outlets, check out "Dart" https://dartmusic.com
Their platform is specifically designed for composers, especially classical music. Of course it works fine for rock/pop etc as well. My band actually used them to distribute a comedy score to iTunes amazon etc.

and I second bandcamp!


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## Carles (Jan 27, 2016)

So, if I understand right we could say that there are three different fronts mentioned here,
1. Distributors (CD Baby, Tunecore, Distrokid, Dartmusic, etc) who put your music on multiple markets.
2. Bandcamp (a market itself?)
3. Non exclusive libraries (usually royalty free ones, some okay with distributors and some not at all)

Now how these can combine is still unclear to me.

As Daryl said, whether a library will allow you to use other platforms is up to every library, thus the Orchestrata point, if in doubt it's just a matter to email them and see what their policy.
For instance AudioSparx is very specific about other libraries (those selling too cheap, they even have a list with some of these) as well as some distributors (mentioning specifically CD Baby although it seems that the issue here is not distribution but the services provided by Rumblefish which includes YouTube's ContentID program).
So I think that's clear to me that as far as the policies are okay you can publish through several NE and also distributors when applicable.

Between several distributors, independently on their policies I find that there is no point on having more than one as they are selling to the very same markets.

But what's the point between distributors, libraries and Bandcamp, can you have your material in all three fronts?

Carles


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## 1982m (Jan 27, 2016)

Using Bandcamp you're distributing/ selling your own goods, (Bandcamp is the storefront) & not through any of the online stores or subscription services.

You can't distribute the same material to same the same stores or services using more than one distributor.
You could distribute different material (different cd's, digital files- albums, singles etc.) using different distributors.

So for example I could sell my cd's on cdbaby, digital files -one album title on Catapult & different album or version (different upc) on Tunecore.

I can sell my cd's, digital files & other merch using Bandcamp.


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## AllanH (Jan 27, 2016)

Thank you for the thread and all the answers. I've been thinking about the same issues.

Related is the question of securing copyrights, UPC bar codes etc. 

Does anyone know of a good reference regarding protecting the ownership and rights, and what is necessary before submitting to e.g. CDBaby? I'd like to make sure I've registered the ownership so I can collect (what little) there is from streaming, mechanical licenses, etc.


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## 1982m (Jan 27, 2016)

I register both SR & PA copyrights for the album or tracks. (using the online eco service)
I buy barcodes in batch quantities, much cheaper than from the distributor.
I also have my own registered ISRC code. It was free, not sure if it still is.
Look into joining a PRO- Ascap, BMI, SESAC- perhaps as both writer and publisher.


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## Orchestrata (Jan 28, 2016)

I have my music on all three (though I have very little in libraries). No problems thus far.

Bandcamp is effectively a webstore, where you have your own page (Carles.bandcamp.com, for instance), where people can buy your music for private listening (like your own private CD store). You can sell digital copies, CDs, shirts etc. A lot of bands use Bandcamp exclusively. You can set your own prices, or set it to "pay what you want." That level of control and personal connection with fans (they can 'subscribe' to you) is what makes it different, and a must-have.

Distributors (Distrokid, CD Baby etc) put your music on digital stores (iTunes, Beats, Google Music, Amazon etc.) for people to buy. Each store sets their own prices, generally, and the distributor collects the revenue from these digital stores for you, and pays it to you. Some take a commission, some don't. Some have extra features that you pay for (CD Baby can sell CDs, or can provide publishing services for a fee), some don't (Distrokid).

Libraries are different, of course, because people go to them to *license* your music.

In my experience, if you are with a non-exclusive library, the only complication comes if you opt for YouTube content ID (there's a prompt in Distrokid where you can opt out of this, I'm sure the others have it, too). If someone licenses your track from, say, Audio Jungle, for a trailer, and you have your track on YouTube's content ID system, it's going to send them a letter saying the material is copyrighted, and give them the option of putting an ad on the video, where you get paid a percentage of the ad money, or simply sending a notice to the copyright owner (you) if the video reaches a certain number of views. Obviously, if they have legally licensed the track, they'll be annoyed and mail Audio Jungle. This is, I think, why libraries sometimes have issues with distributors.

So, in short, one digital distributor + Bandcamp = everyone who wants to own your music for private listening can buy it conveniently.

Since libraries are for people looking to license your music (for trailers, games, videos etc), you might want to have your material on more than one library, if the libraries allow it. Or maybe all your epic stuff on a library that focuses on that, and all your chamber orchestra pieces on another one that focuses on that. This requires a lot of research, I'm afraid. Checking each library's 'top sellers' or 'featured artists' is a good place to start.

EDIT: this was in reply to Carles' earlier question; I didn't see the subsequent replies.


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## Orchestrata (Jan 28, 2016)

AllanH said:


> Related is the question of securing copyrights, UPC bar codes etc.
> 
> Does anyone know of a good reference regarding protecting the ownership and rights, and what is necessary before submitting to e.g. CDBaby? I'd like to make sure I've registered the ownership so I can collect (what little) there is from streaming, mechanical licenses, etc.



Distrokid generates ISRC and UPC codes for free automatically.


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