TuneCore Online Music Distribution Service
August 5, 2007 by Jo Minor
iTunes and Rhapsody are the bigger players in the digital music delivery and distribution service, but getting listed on these stores isn’t really an easy thing to do.
As more artists started paying attention, some companies started offering services that allow musicians to distribute their music via these sites easily, but often with a big price tag.
Most of these services take a cut from each song sold, plus some one time or recurring charges.
And that’s where TuneCore is different. TuneCore charges only flat fees, and gives 100% of the wholesale price on to its customers.
The New Beginning
Jeff Price, owner of the New York independent label SpinArt, started TuneCore to provide the same services as other aggregators, but using a flat-fee model.
His pitch is simple:
For $30, the cost of a pizza and a six-pack, you can get your album on iTunes, the third-largest music store in the country. In a nutshell, TuneCore offers artists “access to the channels of music distribution without having to give up any rights, [and] 100% of the revenue generated from the sale of their music, with no contract in a non-exclusive arrangement that can be terminated whenever they like
His other ‘baby’ SpinArt Records is one of the largest and most successful independent labels, with artists as Frank Black, The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Richard Thompson, The Dears and The Pixes.
Price explains:
With TuneCore, musicians new or established gain access to all digital distribution channels while giving up none of their rights or ownership, enjoy a non-exclusive arrangement and get all of the money from the sale of their music.
What The Critics Say
TuneCore seems to be a really good deal. However some critics say it doesn’t offer everything that CD Baby has already offered for years. CD Baby currently handles about 25% of all indie music artists, but they also take more from each song / album sold.
Early Success Stories from TuneCore
It’s always good for any business to get success stories early on, and TuneCore surely did.
Ricky Skaggs and Ziggy Marley, with no label, made their music available globally via TuneCore and won GRAMMYS in 2006 for the Best Blue Grass and Best Reggae album of the
Secondhand Serenade, an unsigned artist, used TuneCore and sold over 200,000 songs in three months. MySpace and MP3 blogs drove the sales.
How TuneCore Works
At the time of writing, TuneCore has 30,000+ customers, a half million songs and have has already paid out millions to their clients. Impressive, huh?
Here’s the overall idea of how it works:
- TuneCore lets artists upload their songs, liner notes, even album cover art or design one themselves using the TuneCore Album Art Creator tool.
- Users can upload music via the website or mail a CD to TuneCore, and the company offers an online art tool to create custom album covers.
- Artists can access their account at any time and on any day, which means they can send out a check or pay themselves through PayPal at any time.
- Artists can monitor how their music is selling and get their money the moment it becomes available.
What TuneCore Does Not Not Do
- They don’t pay royalties to the music publishers who own the copyrights to songs - you’ll have to handle that part
- They do not market your music other than listing the songs in your selected stores, but they do have an interesting DIY marketing tips section where you can pick up a thing or two
- They are not a label and do not provide the service usually provided by a label
- They do not provide copyright protection, so please work that our with your local authorities
What You’ll Have to Pay
- Annual Maintenance/Storage Fee - $19.98
- Payment for Each Song Listed - $0.99
- Payment for Each Store Chosen - $0.99
You’ll be give free UPCs once you’ve paid.
The Fine Print and Important Terms
- UPCs cannot be sold or transferred
- TuneCore charges $25.00 per bar code or UPC plus any revenue made from the transfer or resale
- Term of agreement is six (6) months and will be automatically renewed on a month-to-month basis thereafter
- After 6 months, you may discontinue by providing a written request
How I Listed an Album in TuneCore
Partly as an experiment, I listed Superbar’s new album titled “Someone Open the Door and Let Me Outta Here” on TuneCore.
The entire process took some time, simply because I wasn’t fully prepared. Here’s what you need to prepare to ensure a faster process:
- Make sure you have an album cover at least 600X600 pixels in size
- Make sure the bitrate of your MP3 is at least 300kbps
- Make sure you have your band bio, byline and other information ready
Besides these things, the entire process was easy to understand, and smooth sailing. Heck they have have upload tools for your MP3 and album cover that work so well.
I checked the options to list Superbar’s songs in all available online music outlets, which at the time of writing is:
- iTunes stores which include:
- iTunes Japan
- iTunes UK/European Union
- iTunes Canada
- iTunes Australia/N.Z.
- iTunes U.S.
- Other music stores such as:
- GroupieTunes
- Sony Connect
- eMusic
- Napster
- Rhapsody
The total cost for this album was USD34.83 and I paid with Paypal. I was then given my Album Number and UPC code.
Each song was also given a ISRC number. The I was told that the album is being “shipped to your selected stores” and that if should be live by 30 September 2007. That’s about 65 days, so I surely hope it gets done before that.
I guess there’s nothing else I can write about for now while waiting for my album to go live.
IMPORTANT: You must make all changes before you make a payment. Once a payment is made, you cannot edit anything, including any typos or images you’ve used. If I had know this earlier I would have waited for a higher-res album cover.
So I’ll post updates here when there’s actually something to write about.
Comments
6 Responses to “TuneCore Online Music Distribution Service”
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Hi, I’m the marketing manager at TuneCore.
I came across your post and wanted to say thanks for this detailed blog about TuneCore! I hope you’re happy with our services.
There was one thing I wanted to add in reference to your “How TuneCore Works” section. Initially, we posed ourselves solely as a music delivery and distribution service but recently we have begun to offer marketing and promotion services as well.
In its ongoing efforts to provide marketing and promotion to our customers, we have partnered up with a number of different companies to offer contests, giveaways, radio play, live performance opportunities and assistance with album design.
Some of the recent promotions we’ve had going were:
-A full tour package giveaway including a brand new Van, $5,000 and a MacBook computer
-50 Free T-shirts from JakPrints
-Free music software downloads from Amplitube
-A publicity package from Virtual Publicist
-A live slot in the Vans Warped Tour
Many of the promotions and giveaways we offer exclusively to our TuneCore customers in order to give them the extra edge they need to make it in the industry.
You can stay abreast of all of our promotions by checking in here:
http://www.tunecore.com/index/promotions
Thanks - hope this provides some more insight into what TuneCore does for its customers!
-Mary
Hi Mary,
Thanks for the great info. Tunecore is the first online distribution service im using and it’s great to hear about the new perks offered!
I registered with Tunecore a while ago and am just wondering about the progress of my iTunes and other listings.
Hi Paul!
Please feel free to contact our Customer Support department directly at support@tunecore.com, or by phone at 646-651-1060. Our support team is on call and available to help you quickly and immediately. Feel free to contact me as well with any questions you may have about TuneCore - mary@tunecore.com.
Thanks again for using us and I hope we can get you all the info you need.
Best,
Mary
I used http://www.dittomusic.com and found them better than tunecore or CDbaby.
They provide you with over 50 sites, and not just the US based ones.
iTunes, Play, Amazon, mobile sites like Nokia and Jamster, iTunes Video, we7, HMV, Virgin and loads more
They have a 4 week turn around compared to CDbabys 6-8 week and you can specify release so that you know when it is going live.
They also register you for the UK charts.
They seem to have a wider coverage with about 700 sites including video distribution, ringtones etc
In terms of marketing they have their own TV show on the SKY network which goes out accross Europe,
Definitely one to check out
Hey guys,
I recommend you guys check out http://www.watunes.com. They are probably the cheapest to look for digital distribution. They let you sell unlimited songs & albums, you keep 100% of your money, and they help you market your music. They also have a very personal service. All for just $10 a month! Worth checking out folks!