Mastering your Music Before you Release it
Before releasing your music to the world through digital & physical distribution, it is highly recommended that artists get their music professionally mastered.
There are two parts to the mastering process. The first step, which is the one artists tend to be most familiar with, is taking their mixes to the next level by making them sound fuller and making sure that the project sounds great in its entirety.
The second part of the mastering process is preparing the project for both physical and digital distribution. This step requires creating specific versions of the project for different mediums and release formats such as high-resolution release, iTunes, CD duplication/replication and any other form of digital release.
Click here for more information on the mastering services and rates we offer at So Amazin' Studios
Digital & Physical Music Distribution
Physical Distribution
For physical distribution, a CD first has to be encoded as whole with a product UPC code. Each song and CD text is then individually given an ISRC code.
UPC codes are the barcodes that you find on any product and are used to track sales
- ISRC codes are used to keep track of royalties collection
- CD text is the information (such as song name and artist name) that you see pop up on your CD player
These UPC/ISRC codes are also necessary to upload music for online distribution on platforms such as iTunes, Spotify etc.
Clickhere to read a more in-depth breakdown on UPC/Barcodes, ISRC codes and CD-Text.
Digital Distribution
When looking for a digital distributor, many musicians feel lost when thinking about getting their music on iTunes, Spotify or any digital retail store
The only problem is that none of these digital retail stores will let you upload your music directly. You will either need to be signed to a major (or big indie) record label or use a Digital Music Distributor to get there.
Some of the most popular digital music distributors, also know as "aggregators," are TuneCore, CDBaby, and ReverbNation.
Choosing a digital music distributor can sometimes be tricky because of how they price everything. Below is a chart of a few digital music distributors and how their pricing is laid out. Hopefully, this will help you choose the one that fits best for you
Top 3 Digital Music Distributors, Key Differences and LINKS
The video below has further information on couple of these digital music distributers such as what services they provide and their differences.
In conclusion...
- Artist's need UPC/ISRC codes, which are given or purchased from music aggregators, in order to distribute their music both physically or online.
- Artist's can obtain their UPC/ISRC codes from their music distributor/aggregator before they actually upload their music.
- Once artist's obtain their UPC/ISRC codes, they should be given to their mastering engineer, if they plan on distributing their music physically.