26/09/24
Unit 11 - Aggregators
What are aggregators?
Aggregators in terms of music are distributers that allow you give out your music globally through their digital service providing access to applications such as Spotify and Apple Music. So today I'm going to be researching different aggregators and their benefits as I unfortunately missed a session where this was completed in class.
CD Baby
CD Baby is a music aggregator which allows you to provide your music on over 150 of their supported digital applications. CD Baby asks for a one time payment per release of $9.99 which keeps your music up year after year. Once the music is released, CD Baby only earns money when you do, plus you also earn over 90% of the profits. It's one of the largest music distributers in the world and have over 2 million users. Once you upload your track it then gets inspected to ensure it's release-ready by CD Baby employees. The website gives advice on what to do pre-release and advises you on everything you'll need to make your music release as perfect as can be. It seems to have a lot of information on what to do to ensure your music succeeds also such as how to promote it on different digital applications. They also seem to have a rather easy and quick way of getting your songs onto platforms where you just have to take five steps.
Pros:
- Simple and easy to follow instructions on how to upload your music.
- Internal checks to ensure your music is platform ready
- Lots of advice for artists who aren't sure how to promote and gain traction.
Con:
- You have to pay for each release instead of an overall annual fee.
DistroKid
The second Aggregator i'll be looking into is DistroKid. As soon as I enter the website I'm met with the usual "Get Started" and some quotes. As I strolled down I noticed DistroKid appears to offer three different plans, Musician, Musician Plus and Ultimate. As the tiers go up in price they of course offer different things but each price is for monthly. This means that even the cheapest option, at $1.92, if paid in one annual payment (which is cheaper) would still be $22.99. Whilst being more expensive than CD Baby, this payment doesn't appear to be per track, simply this set price for all the music you produce in that year. The website seems to mostly be set up on one continuous page unless you click to get started or a payment plan. If you go down to frequently asked questions they state the different platforms they can release your music onto so it's all rather clear. However, after looking at reviews, it seems that although the company states you keep 100% of your earnings, once you begin reading the actual contract etc, it states the DistroKid will take 30% of the earnings as federal tax so this could be rather misleading. I would recommend scrolling to the bottom of the page and looking into their terms before making any decisions.
Pros:
- Different payment plans for different artists.
- Unlimited track releases.
- A well known service used by many.
Con:
- Not always clear on costs, will have to read terms and conditions closely.