TuneCore Review: Music Distribution Made Easy
MUSIC DISTRIBUTION
In this article we review Tunecore, a Music Distribution and Publishing Service.
If you're an independent musician, getting your music out there and heard by the masses can be a challenging and time-consuming task.
We all know that time is a precious and limited asset, and each minute being spent on the distribution side of things, uploading songs to each platform, and making sure your collecting all the royalties, is a minute that is not spent making what really matters:
Music!
This where TuneCore comes in.
In this review, we'll take an in-depth look at TuneCore's publishing and distribution services, as well as pricing and other features.
What is Tunecore?
TuneCore is an online music distribution, publishing and licensing service that helps independent artists easilty distribute their music to various digital music stores and streaming services.
Founded in 2006, TuneCore has become one of the most popular options for musicians who want to reach a wider audience and generate revenue from their music.
The process of getting your music on major music platforms can be complex and time-consuming. It often requires working with a record label or hiring a music distributor to help get your music into many stores like iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.
TuneCore simplifies this process by allowing independent artists to just upload their music directly to TuneCore's platform, essentially acting like a "Middle Man".
From there, TuneCore takes care of the rest, distributing the music to over 150 digital music stores and streaming services worldwide.
TuneCore also offers other services to help independent artists promote and monetize their music, such as publishing administration, YouTube monetization, and many more.
By using TuneCore, independent musicians can take advantage of the same distribution channels as major record labels and reach a global audience with their music.
Let us look at the different services Tunecore provides:
Music Distribution
This is the main service of Tunecore. You can get your music onto more than 150 digital music stores and streaming services, including Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, and Google Play.
The distribution process is super easy. You upload your music to TuneCore's platform, and the service takes care of everything else, from encoding the files to delivering them to the music stores and streaming services.
TuneCore also handles all the boring stuff like reporting and accounting, so you can focus on making great music.
How to Upload a Song?
The process is very simple:
After creating your account, you will see a a big green "Add Release" button that immediately stands out.
After clicking the "Add Release" button you will be presented with 3 options:
Single
If you're just looking to release a single song, this is your go-to option.
All you need to do is filling some basic information such as:
Song Title
Artist Name
Language
Explicit Lyrics ( Yes or No?)
Song Genre
Release Date and Time
There are also some advanced fields, which are optional where you can fill your Label name, recording location as well as any UPC/EAN Code you might want to use.
Album
Basically the same information you would fill on "Single", just with the addition of:
Album Title
Main Artist
"This is a various artist album" Option
Ringtones
One of the most unique and niche services provided by Tunecore.
By filling the same information as in the options above, you are able to publish and monetize your own ringtones.
Features
Although you're paying for a "Hands off" service where you can pretty much upload your music with a few clicks to every major music platform and collect royalties, this doesn't mean you can't have any control over how things are done.
Tunecore also offers some extra features that are sure to have an impact over your decision, so here are some of the most relevant ones to take into account:
Tunecore Splits
A long waited feature that everyone was asking for, and Tunecore decided to finally add.
This is a well-known feature in other distribution services such as Distrokid, where you can add other artists you have collaborated with in any given music, and split your royalties with them.
This is highly useful, and an easy way to split any revenue that has been agreed upon for every artist involved.
There is no more need to manually split royalties after the payout, making this a fair and easy way to distribute royalties.
Money & Analytics
Having access to analytics in a service that is taking your intelectual property is essential, not only to have access to important information that could be useful for marketing and audience prospecting purposes, but also for transparency and clear communication between the artist and the service provider.
In Tunecore, you have access to every sales report generated, as well as any important artist analytics that could give you crucial information about your listeners.
Store Manager
In here, you can find all the stores available and where your releases are placed. There is also a "Store Expander" that makes sure your music gets placed in as many places as possible.
Money & Analytics
Having access to analytics in a service that is taking your intelectual property is essential, not only to have access to important information that could be useful for marketing and audience prospecting purposes, but also for transparency and clear communication between the artist and the service provider.
In Tunecore, you have access to every sales report generated, as well as any important artist analytics that could give you crucial information about your listeners.
Social Monetization
TuneCore's social monetization service allows artists to earn money from their music on social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. The service scans social media platforms for videos that use the artist's music and helps the artist earn revenue from those videos.
This is particularly useful for independent artists who may not have the resources to monitor and monetize their music on social media platforms. TuneCore's social monetization service helps artists to maximize their earning potential and get paid for their music no matter where it's being used.
Music Publishing
As an independent artist, collecting your songwriter and publisher royalties can often be a daunting task.
Luckily, TuneCore offers a publishing administration service that can help you navigate the complex world of music publishing and ensure you get paid for your hard work.
With TuneCore's publishing administration service, you can register unlimited songs worldwide and collect royalties from platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, and Facebook.
The service is also equipped to handle mechanical and performance royalties earned from every stream, as well as monetizing your compositions on YouTube. By opting in to TuneCore's sync licensing opportunities, you can be pitched by their creative team for many great opportunities in TV, film, ads, and more.
One of the most significant advantages of using TuneCore's publishing administration service is that they have direct memberships with rights collection agencies all over the world, including, for example, Sentric's Rights App Technology. This means that you can get paid faster than ever before, and with TuneCore's verified song registrations, you can generate more data, matches, and money.
TuneCore's publishing administration service allows you to keep a total of 100% of your copyrights while collecting all of your royalties. This service handles global mechanical, performance, micro-sync, and print royalties, as well as thousands of other global pay sources.
By allowing TuneCore to take care of the registration and collection processes, you can focus on creating great music without having to worry about navigating the complex world of music publishing.
TuneCore's publishing administration service is an excellent tool for independent artists who want to ensure that they collect all of the royalties they deserve. By simplifying the process of registering and collecting royalties.
Tunecore Sync
TuneCore Sync is a service available to TuneCore Publishing Administration clients who distribute music through TuneCore. It helps artists pitch and license their music to music supervisors and creatives across all media, such as movies, television, commercials, video games, and trailers.
The TuneCore Sync team has dedicated creative teams in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, and beyond who work to generate revenue for artists by licensing their music. The team pitches music directly to decision-makers in the sync world, and negotiates the best possible terms and fees for any and all sync licenses.
Artists who use TuneCore Sync are pre-approving the sync team to pitch and license their music, but they can still pitch their own music. However, they should loop in TuneCore Sync as soon as a music supervisor shows interest in a song.
To submit music to TuneCore Sync, artists can upload audio files and provide information about the songs on their Publishing Dashboard. It's highly recommended to have instrumental versions and clean versions available.
Samples of other songs can be considered for sync opportunities if they have been cleared with the original publisher and/or label. TuneCore Sync will ask for documentation showing that the sample has been cleared.
Pricing
When it comes to music distribution, TuneCore offers two different payment models: Unlimited Plans and Pay Per Release.
These plans cater to artists at different stages of their careers, providing flexibility and various features to meet their needs.
Unlimited Plans:
New Artist (FREE): This plan is designed to kick-start your career. It offers unlimited releases to all social platforms, including a YouTube Official Artist Channel. You also gain access to TuneCore Rewards Master Classes, official sales reports, and customer service support with a response time of 5 business days. Additionally, you have the freedom to use your own ISRC (International Standard Recording Code).
Rising Artist ($14.99/year): The essential distribution plan for artists ready to expand their reach. With this plan, you can release unlimited music to over 150 digital stores worldwide. You enjoy all the benefits of the New Artist plan, plus additional features such as scheduling your own release date, unlimited releases to all digital stores, 100% revenue from digital stores, Spotify Verified Artist Checkmark, Apple Music for Artists Verification, and artist revenue splits. Customer service response time is reduced to 3 business days.
Breakout Artist ($29.99/year): Designed for artists looking to take their career to the next level. This plan includes all the features of the Rising Artist plan, with the addition of advanced customization options for your releases. You gain access to the Store Automator, Cover Art Creator, and daily trend reports, empowering you to optimize your music's presentation and stay updated on its performance. Customer service response time remains at 3 business days.
Professional ($49.99/year): This premier plan provides unlimited music releases and grants access to premium products and services. In addition to the features available in the Breakout Artist plan, you can benefit from exclusive partnerships, promotional opportunities, pro panels, expert advice sessions, and the ability to release music under your own custom label name. The Professional plan also offers advanced features like release level country restrictions, recording location customization, and the option to add additional artist profiles for $14.99 each. Customer service response time is further reduced to 1 business day.
Pay Per Release:
TuneCore also offers a Pay Per Release option for artists who prefer to have more flexibility and control over their distribution.
With this model, artists can choose specific releases to distribute individually, paying a fee per release rather than an annual subscription.
You can either pay $9.99/year for a single or $29.99/year for an album. This will guarantee you will get your music release in more than 150 digital stores and keep 100% of the revenue.
You also have a free version similar to the one available on the Unlimited Plans, where you can release as many singles or albums as you want, with the caveat that they are only released on Social Platforms, with you keeping 80% of the revenue.
Publishing Pricing
As previously shown, TuneCore also offers publishing administration to help artists collect their songwriter and publisher royalties.
Here's a breakdown of the pricing for TuneCore's publishing services:
One-time Setup Fee: $75. This fee covers the initial setup and registration of your compositions with the necessary collection societies.
Commission: 15%. TuneCore takes a 15% commission on the royalties collected on your behalf, allowing you to keep 85% of the earnings.
Sync Commission (if opted-in): 20%. If you choose to opt-in for sync licensing opportunities, TuneCore will take a 20% commission on the revenue generated from those licenses, leaving you with 80% of the earnings.
By paying the one-time setup fee and the commission, TuneCore handles the complex process of publishing administration, ensuring that you receive the royalties you're entitled to for your compositions.
It's a convenient and efficient way to manage your publishing rights and monetize your music effectively.
Is Tunecore worth it?
Short answer is: Yes!
Tunecore is one of the best Music Distribution and Publishing services available in the market, with competitive prices and a huge variety of different services and features that are sure to fulfill any need an independent musician might have.
Long answer is:
TuneCore offers independent musicians a robust platform to distribute and monetize their music while providing a range of valuable services and features. Here's a summary of the benefits that TuneCore brings to aspiring artists:
Global Reach: With TuneCore's extensive network of over 150 digital music stores and streaming services, artists can reach audiences worldwide, expanding their fan base and increasing their music's exposure.
Comprehensive Distribution: TuneCore's distribution service ensures that artists' music is available on all major digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, and more. This enables artists to capitalize on the growing digital music consumption trend.
Publishing Administration: TuneCore's publishing administration service helps artists collect their songwriter and publisher royalties efficiently. By managing the complex process of royalty collection, TuneCore ensures that artists receive their rightful earnings.
Additional Features: TuneCore goes beyond distribution, offering services like YouTube monetization, educational resources, promotional opportunities, and access to exclusive partnerships. These features empower artists to enhance their careers and maximize their revenue streams.
TuneCore is definitely worth considering for independent musicians who are serious about promoting their music. With its global distribution reach, transparent royalty collection, and additional services, TuneCore provides a comprehensive platform that supports artists at various stages of their musical journey.
By choosing TuneCore, artists gain the tools and resources needed to distribute, monetize, and promote their music effectively. It's an investment in their music career, allowing them to reach a wider audience, generate revenue, and establish a professional presence in the music industry.
If you're an independent musician looking to take your music career to the next level, we encourage you to explore TuneCore's services further.
Take control of your music and unleash your creative potential with TuneCore!