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It’s at all times a shock once I hear it.
It shouldn’t be, as a result of I’ve heard it lots of of instances.
Nevertheless it surprises me all the identical, at any time when I ask an artist if their music is on Spotify or Apple Music, and so they say, “No, I’m solely on Bandcamp.”
Or “I’m solely on SoundCloud.”
Or sound.xyz, or BandLab, or Beatport…
Solely this. Or solely that.
The issue isn’t these platforms. They’re all nice and have unimaginable music communities with distinct habits, cultures, and alternatives.
The issue is that phrase “ONLY!”
I’ve been round lengthy sufficient to ensure one factor: YOU may solely be in a single place, however your potential followers are NOT.
I get it although. It could really feel extra manageable, streamlined, and connective to focus on a single platform and user-base. You may 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 apparent: It’s your music, and it’s best to do no matter is finest for you, your creativity, and your followers. Nonetheless, when your music is obtainable 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)
- Dwell reveals
- After which (following the Napster years) “obtain” largely implied a single dominant platform — iTunes
In the present day 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 resembling DSPs, completely different platforms are dominant in numerous nations.
It’s best to NOT assume all of your potential followers favor what you favor. You can also’t assume they’ll change their habits or subscriptions to fulfill 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 in all places that issues.
2. The altering of phrases & options
One other drawback with placing your eggs in a single basket? It assumes issues will keep the identical (or enhance) relating to your capability to develop and nurture an viewers on that platform.
However how typically has that occurred because the days of MySpace?
Eventual platform dangers embody:
- Your natural attain will get throttled
- The rev-share percentages tilt in the direction of the platform
- Employees will get laid off and the tech suffers
- The algorithm begins recommending different kinds of issues
- You’re requested to subscribe for instruments you used to take with no consideration
- It’s important to pay advert prices to compensate for misplaced consideration
That’s not even meant as a knock towards corporations that have to monetize. In fact they do! They’re companies. However you may’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 just partially your individual.
I’m additionally not arguing that such platforms gained’t be precious to you as soon as they modify. META, for example, is now an absolute skilled at taking cash from labels and artists in change for attain and conversions. I’d nonetheless argue it’s among the best methods you may spend cash as a musician.
But when ALL your exercise is remoted to a single platform, the dangers to you might be all of the better, 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, which means you could have already got audiences on these different platforms too.
3. Platforms aren’t eternally
Not like diamonds, platforms don’t final.
Consideration shifts. Habits change. Codecs die. Firms merge, or go extinct.
And whereas it could sound absurd to you at present to contemplate that (insert your favourite music or social platform) can 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 possible go down with the ship on these dimming or useless platforms, who cares? As a result of those self same songs will ALSO be delivered to all the brand new upstarts who stand to exchange the previous giants.
Conclusion
Protecting your music and your group engagement restricted to at least one platform might sound like the best, most centered, 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 without doubt one of the finest methods to outmaneuver these three huge challenges talked about above. And fortunately, it’s fairly simple at present to launch your music the fitting manner.
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