All the Smoke But No Flames: How to Properly Release a Single

Markell Holland • April 21, 2023

As an independent artist, releasing a single can be a thrilling but nerve-wracking experience. You've put in countless hours of hard work, creativity, and dedication into creating your music, and now it's time to get it out into the world. But how do you ensure that your music reaches the right audience, gets the recognition it deserves, and generates revenue for you? In this blog post, we'll discuss how to properly release a single using some essential tools for independent artists - DistroKid, Songtrust, SoundExchange, and BMI.

DistroKid - Getting Your Music on Streaming Platforms

DistroKid is a popular digital distribution service that allows independent artists to get their music on streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and many more. With DistroKid, you can upload your music and artwork, choose your release date, and get your music distributed to over 150 platforms worldwide.

But getting your music on streaming platforms is just the first step. You need to make sure that your music stands out and reaches the right audience. Here are some tips for making the most of your DistroKid release:

Choose the Right Release Date - Choose a release date that gives you enough time to promote your music and build hype around your release. Don't rush your release just because you're excited to get your music out there.

Create a Strong Visual Identity - Your music needs to have a strong visual identity to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Make sure that your album art and promotional materials reflect your music and style.

Promote Your Release - Use social media, email newsletters, and other channels to promote your release and build buzz around it. Encourage your fans to pre-save or pre-order your music to help boost your first-day sales and chart position.

Songtrust - Collecting Your Royalties

Once your music is out in the world, you need to make sure that you're collecting all the royalties you're entitled to. This is where Songtrust comes in - a music publishing administration platform that helps independent artists collect royalties from their music. Songtrust is a one-stop-shop for registering your music, collecting your royalties, and monitoring your performance.

Here's how to make the most of Songtrust:

Register Your Music - Songtrust allows you to register your music with hundreds of music publishing societies worldwide. This ensures that you're collecting all the royalties you're entitled to, no matter where your music is being played.

Monitor Your Performance - Songtrust provides you with detailed analytics about how your music is performing, where it's being played, and how much money you're earning. This information can help you make informed decisions about your career and your music.

SoundExchange - Collecting Your Digital Performance Royalties

SoundExchange is a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes digital performance royalties for sound recordings. If your music is being played on satellite radio, internet radio, or other digital platforms, you need to be registered with SoundExchange to collect your digital performance royalties.

Here's how to get started with SoundExchange:

Register Your Music - Register your music with SoundExchange to ensure that you're collecting all the digital performance royalties you're entitled to.

Keep Your Information Up to Date - Make sure that your contact and payment information is up to date with SoundExchange. This ensures that you receive your royalties on time and don't miss out on any payments.

BMI - Protecting Your Songwriting Rights

Finally, you need to make sure that your songwriting rights are protected. BMI is one of the two major performing rights organizations (PROs) in the United States, and it exists to protect the rights of songwriters, composers, and music publishers. BMI collects licensing fees on behalf of its members when their music is played in public, and distributes the royalties to the rightful owners.

Here's how BMI can help protect your songwriting rights:

Join BMI - Joining BMI is a necessary step in protecting your songwriting rights. BMI offers membership to songwriters, composers, and music publishers, and once you join, you'll have access to BMI's resources and services.

Register Your Songs - Once you're a member of BMI, you can register your songs with the organization to ensure that you're collecting all the performance royalties you're entitled to.

Track Your Performance - BMI provides its members with detailed reports on where their music is being played and how much they're earning. This information can help you make informed decisions about your career and your music.

Releasing a single as an independent artist can be a daunting task, but with the right tools and strategies, it can also be a rewarding and successful experience. DistroKid can help you get your music on streaming platforms, Songtrust can help you collect your royalties, SoundExchange can help you collect your digital performance royalties, and BMI can help protect your songwriting rights. By using these essential tools, you can give your music the best chance to reach the right audience, generate revenue, and achieve success.

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