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It’s at all times a shock after I hear it.
It shouldn’t be, as a result of I’ve heard it a whole lot of occasions.
Nevertheless it surprises me all the identical, at any time when I ask an artist if their music is on Spotify they usually say, “No, I’m solely on Bandcamp.”
Or “I’m solely on SoundCloud.”
Or sound.xyz, BandLab, Beatport,…
Solely this, or solely that.
The issue isn’t these platforms. They’re all nice and have unbelievable music communities with distinct habits, cultures, and alternatives.
The issue is that phrase: ONLY!
After years within the enterprise, I can assure one factor: whereas YOU would possibly ONLY be in a single place, your potential followers are NOT.
I get it although. It might really feel extra manageable, streamlined, and connective to pay attention fully on a single platform and user-base. You would possibly assume it’s saner and extra community-minded. Which might be why it’s such a typical mistake artists make.
Now, let me caveat this argument by saying the plain: It’s your music, and it is best to do no matter is finest for you, your creativity, and your followers. Nevertheless, when your music is accessible in ONLY one place, you’re not accounting for three fixed challenges within the digital age:
1. The fragmentation of listenership
We used to solely have a handful of choices:
- Radio
- CD or cassette or vinyl (relying on the period)
- Stay reveals
- After which (following the Napster years) “obtain” principally implied a single dominant platform — iTunes
Right now listening is unfold out throughout:
- Dozens of DSPs
- Livestreaming platforms like Twitch
- Video platforms like YouTube and TikTok
- Video video games
- Digital AND terrestrial radio
- Artist and label web sites
- Music blogs
- And sure, music providers like Bandcamp and Soundcloud
However even diehard followers of a specific style aren’t all loyal to the identical platforms and apps. And amongst a single class equivalent to DSPs, completely different platforms are dominant in several international locations.
You need to NOT assume all of your potential followers desire what you favor. You can also’t assume they’ll change their habits or subscriptions to satisfy you the place YOU are at.
The world is stuffed with an excessive amount of music, and too many competing types of leisure. Your music must be available within the locations they ALREADY spend their time.
Correct music distribution solves this, by releasing your music all over the place that issues.
2. The altering of phrases & options
One other downside with placing your eggs in a single basket? It assumes issues will keep the identical (or enhance) on the subject of your potential to develop and nurture an viewers on that platform.
However how usually has that occurred for the reason that days of MySpace?
Eventual platform dangers embrace:
- Your natural attain will get throttled
- The rev-share percentages tilt in direction of the platform
- Employees will get laid off and the tech suffers
- The algorithm begins recommending other forms of issues
- You’re requested to subscribe for instruments you used to take without any consideration
- It’s important to pay advert prices to compensate for misplaced consideration
That’s not even meant as a knock towards corporations that must monetize. In fact they do! They’re companies. However you’ll be able to’t depend on the phrases remaining the identical. As a result of you aren’t in cost, and the viewers you construct on any platform is barely partially your personal.
I’m additionally not arguing that such platforms received’t be helpful to you as soon as they alter. META, for example, is now an absolute knowledgeable at taking cash from labels and artists in trade for attain and conversions. I’d nonetheless argue it’s the most effective methods you’ll be able to spend cash as a musician.
But when ALL your exercise is remoted to a single platform, the dangers to you’re all of the larger, if and when the platform evolves.
Correct music distribution helps restrict these dangers, as a result of your music has already been despatched to many competing platforms. And by extension, meaning it’s possible you’ll have already got audiences on these different platforms too.
3. Platforms aren’t endlessly
Not like diamonds, platforms don’t final.
Consideration shifts. Habits change. Codecs die. Corporations merge, or go extinct.
And whereas it might sound absurd to you immediately to contemplate that (insert your favourite music or social platform) will probably be out of enterprise tomorrow, it’s occurred earlier than. And it’ll occur once more. Time and again.
Music distribution future-proofs you towards this danger. As a result of whereas any distributed catalog will doubtless go down with the ship on these dimming or lifeless platforms, who cares? As a result of those self same songs will ALSO be delivered to all the brand new upstarts who stand to switch the previous giants.
Conclusion
Retaining your music and your group engagement restricted to at least one platform might sound like the best, most targeted, and even hippest path ahead.
Nevertheless it’s shortsighted.
You need your music to final a very long time, proper? Then don’t depend on ONLY Bandcamp, or SoundCloud, or another single platform.
Correct music distribution is likely one of the finest methods to outmaneuver these three huge challenges talked about above. And fortunately, it’s fairly simple immediately to launch your music the fitting method.
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