Distribution

Distribution is how an artists music and image gets sent out to an audience. Distribution companies sign deals with record labels or very rarely the artists themselves to record stores that have also signed a deal with that distributor. The distribution company will take a cut of each album sold and the label gets paid the remaining balance. Distributors can differ from one to another, some will expect artists to provide the finished product ready to sell, whereas will do an 'm&d' deal with the label. This stands for manufacturing and distribution and means the distributor will actually pay for the manufacturing cost of the album and keep all the income from it until the investment is paid off.


Over the years, there have been increasing ways which enable the music to reach the listeners. Obviously, as mentioned there is the method of simply buying the album in a record shop. Since the internet though, there have been ever increasing methods of accessing music which has opened many doors for artists and created even wider exposure. The initial attraction for this online distribution was its direct nature, and that everything was easily accessable from home. Independant labels and artists have particularaly benefited from this method of distribution as it is cheap and can completely cut out using a company to get your music heard. Some popular artists were first heard and discovered on Youtube, an online streaming site where everyone and anyone can upload videos for the world to see. An example of this would be Esmee Denters who posted many videos of her simply singing at home and eventually the word spread and her videos got seen by the right people, eventually by Justin Timberlake whose label she got signed to.





Other than Youtube there are downloadable programmers such as Itunes and Spotify which enable you to create a library of music, hear music for free, and to purchase albums and singles. Itunes has become specifically popular because it connects with Ipods and Mp3 players for audio playback wherever, whenever. With the youth of modern society always craving the latest technology, it is a money making application that will keep on growing.

Another method of online distribution are an artists official website. These allow a greater promotional tool and a greater connection to their fans. It depends on word of mouth as not everyone will know what the website is or how to access it. It not only gives interesting general information on the artist, but can tell you events and gigs that are coming up, and sell you merchandise such as t-shirts and posters.

Amazon and Ebay are websites which not only sell music but a huge variety of products. They are distributors that provide competitive prices to those found in the shops and has many features that are desirable to a consumer. Ebay also allows anyone to open an account and sell their own products that they no longer want, and other users can bid to own it for themselves.