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Getting Your Band on iTunes
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Welcome to the 21st century: every kid on the street has a touch screen handheld computer and white wires coming out of their ears. Going to the store means you’ll be doing some clicking on your computer and Apple has revolutionized the music industry. In February of 2010 the technology company announced they completed 10 billion sales on iTunes alone. With this trend taking shape, it’s clear the digital music era has arrived.
The question now is: has your band arrived in the 21st century? If you want to get with the program, you’ll need to use a digital distribution company to add your music to these high profile markets. Fortunately, there are several inexpensive ways for your band to be added to the iTunes store.
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TUNECORE
TuneCore is my top choice because the company is quick and highly accurate to your release dates. Here is how Tunecore works:
1. Sign up for free on http://www.tunecore.com
2. Add your artwork and music files to your album or single
a. Singles cost $9.99 to add to most stores including iTunes & Amazon MP3 annually.
b. Albums cost around $46.99 for most stores annually.
c. You keep 100% of your profits from digital sales.
3. They will provide you with a UPC bar code if you don’t have one
4. Music shows up usually the next day on Amazon MP3 and about a couple of weeks for iTunes
5. You can also select stores like Myspace Music, Shockhound, Rhapsody, and more. If you don’t want to opt in a store, you can also deselect items.
6. Sales are tracked in a spreadsheet format
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CD BABY
Another great source for uploading your music to iTunes is CD Baby. This company requires that you send them a physical CD in order to distribute. So if you are only looking for online distribution, this may not be the best choice for you. Here is how CD Baby works:
1. Sign up on http://www.cdbaby.net
2. Register your album name and fill out the appropriate information for your band.
3. Mail them 4 copies of your CD (they rip the music files off of the physical CD and also scan the artwork.)
a. You can purchase a UPC code from them if you don’t have one
4. Cost is a one time $30 per CD with unlimited stores to access including iTunes, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, Shockhound, and more.
5. CD Baby keeps 9% of each of your sales
6. Sales are neatly tracked in a spreadsheet format
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No matter which company you chose, sales take around 3 months to post and you can withdrawal your money at any time one they are posted.
The important thing is that you get your music out to your fans and that you can get compensated for each song you upload. Happy digitalizing!
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