TuneCore, pretty much the best thing going for Artists to digitally distribute their music through iTunes (globally) and other major digital stores (Rhapsody, Amazon, eMusic, MediaNet Digital, etc.), will now branch out into physical CD distribution on April 1, giving artists another way to sell their music.
Artists will pay an undisclosed “low” fee for the first year of distribution, and some other amount after that (a company representative says the fee will be on par with what it charges for digital distribution — in other words, next to nothing). In return, TuneCore will create a flash store that can be embedded on the Artist’s websites in order to sell the physical discs.
Artists will still manufacture their own CDs, set their own prices, and design their own cover art and liner notes. Going forward, there will also be an option to pay for CD manufacture with revenue from digital sales. TuneCore will process the orders and ship the CDs, giving 100 percent of sales revenue to the Artist.
I have used TuneCore and it is the real deal. Super easy, great accounting reports and a non-exclusive agreement of which you can opt-out at any time. Last year when I began looking for a digital aggregator to distribute an album for a band I represent, I first contacted IODA and The Orchard. They both wouldn’t deal with an Artist / Label with only one catalog release. So I found TuneCore and I am glad I did. It is truly a ‘no-brainer’. Their model is based on that of FedEx, whereas all delivery fees are paid upfront. Here is an example of how the math breaks down to distribute digital music via TuneCore:
| iTunes US Store | $0.99 |
| iTunes Canada Store | $0.99 |
| iTunes UK/Europe (many stores) | $0.99 |
| iTunes Australia/New Zealand | $0.99 |
| iTunes Japan Store | $0.99 |
| Rhapsody Service | $0.99 |
| Amazon MP3 | $0.99 |
| GroupieTunes/Music.com | $0.99 |
| eMusic Store | $0.99 |
| Napster Store | $0.99 |
| Ten Songs @ $0.99 each | $9.90 |
| First Year's Maintenance (increased from $9.98) | $19.98 |
| Grand Total (for first year) | $39.78 |
UPDATE/CORRECTION from Peter Wells of TuneCore in the comments: MediaNet Digital doesn’t accept content from anyone anymore, so they had to pull it. Same with Sony Connect. They have added GroupieTunes, which goes to Music.com and does ringtones! Songs are still $0.99 each, but the yearly maintenance fee has increased and is now $19.98.
Dirt-Cheap Digital Distribution | Listening Post from Wired.com
TuneCore Will Help Bands Sell CDs on the Cheap | Listening Post from Wired.com
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Now playing: Coconut Records - Nighttiming
via FoxyTunes
Rob, thanks so much for your kind words about us! I’ve got just a few corrections. You’ve got our old pricing model, which is ALMOST the same, just a couple of changes:
Stores are still $0.99 per album, but MediaNet doesn’t accept content from anyone anymore, so we had to pull it. Same with Sony. But we added GroupieTunes, which goes to Music.com and does ringtones!
Songs are still $0.99 each!
The yearly fee is now $19.98.
Everything else is the same, including the 100% take-home that is our pride and joy.
Thanks again, holler if you or any of your readers have any questions!
–Peter
peter@tunecore.com