Label artists: Your label will handle the music delivery on your behalf to take care of your distribution needs.
Independent artists: You will need a direct partnership with an Apple-preferred distributor with the tools and resources to get you started.
The role of a distributor in the music industry is an important one. Distributors facilitate an efficient exchange of content, data, and payments between streaming services, download stores, and the millions of artists that use those services to present their music to fans. In short, distributors make it easier for artists to navigate the sometimes complex business arrangements of the industry, while still focusing most of their energy on their art. Sounds good, right?
Digital distributors can help you manage the relationship between stores and streaming services like Apple Music in three key areas:
Most distributors offer additional services such as publishing and performance rights management, promotional services, lyrics delivery, metadata translation, and more. Many distributors will also help you deliver other types of content besides music, such as music videos or even concert films. If you think these additional considerations will be important for your growth as an artist, be sure to reference our list of Apple-preferred distributors to find the right distributor for your needs.
Most importantly, if there’s ever an issue with your music reaching Apple Music and other digital platforms, your distributor will advocate on your behalf to address the problem to ensure your content always looks and sounds great.