Tunecore
Advantages:
Tunecore is by far the most common tool for a band with no label looking to get their music to all of the Digital Media Retailers. Though Tunecore is the most common tool and offers many great facilities, as well as the greatest ease of use, it isn’t necessarily the right one for everybody. They will get your music to the following outlets:
- iTunes
- Rhapsody
- Napster
- MusicNet
- eMusic
- Sony Connect
- GroupieTunes
- Amazon
- Lala
- ShockHound
- Amie Street
Fees:
You can deal with Tunecore on a song ($9.99 per song) or album. If you choose to go down the album route you will need to pay on the following basis:
- $0.99 each song
- $0.99 per store per album
- $19.98 for album maintenance and storage per year
Bells and Whistles:
- UPC and ISRC codes are part of Tunecore’s fees!
- You can choose to get Mastering done through their service.
- About a million small services.
CD Baby
Advantages:
CD Baby is a long running store that has a well-established following of fans who go to it to find independent artists. They sell CDs through their own store and if you are looking for a place to also host your online CD sales they can be of great help to you. They get your music to:
- iTunes
- Rhapsody
- eMusic
- Amazon MP3
- Napster
- Verizon V-Cast
- Liquid
Digital Media - PayPlay
- AudioLunchbox
- GroupieTunes
- Ruckus
Fees:
- Setup fee: $35
- They take 9% of sales
Bells and Whistles:
- UPC codes cost $20 while ISRC codes are free
- They can get your CD into Record Stores (you know the ones in the real world)
Nimbit
Advantages:
Nimbit is unique in it’s emphasis on you promoting and selling your own merch. It works well if you are an artist that has a strong community and are getting a lot of traffic to your website and are looking to cut out the middleman and sell things mostly yourself. With all that said, they still offer the ability to get your music to:
- iTunes
- Rhapsody
- Napster
- eMusic
- CDFreedom
- LiveWire
- Groupie Tunes
Fees:
Nimbit offers two models, one with a $15/album setup charge 20% commission. You can also become a member and pay $9.95 per month and get 100% of your own royalties. A steal for artists concerned about getting the most profit!
Bells and Whistles:
- UPC and ISRC codes are both free
- They offer promotional widgets and facilities to sell your own products and marketing tools
- Ideal for bands looking to do a “Radiohead/NIN” model
ReverbNation
Advantages:
RN in many peoples eyes is just a Myspace music/Purevolume alternative. Really, ReverbNation is like a band’s best friend; they provide tons of marketing tools for bands to take advantage of. They boast the largest profitability of any site on the net for bands, though I don’t know any band who has experienced the rewards of this. They will service your music to:
- iTunes
- Amazon
- eMusic
- Napster
- Rhapsody
Fees:
$34.95 to get started and then they take no fees
Bells and Whistles:
- UPC and ISRC codes are both free
- They offer tons of free services to get your band marketed and promoted including help booking tours, widgets, mailing list and street team maintenance.
Route Note
Route Note is the baby of the bunch, we told you before, that this can be an awesome service to get release you aren’t sure will sell. Offering no up front fees, they simply taking a 10% cut. They will bring your music to:
- iTunes
- eMusic
- Snocap
- iMeem
- Last.FM
- Amazon
- DMS
The Orchard
Lastly, if you are a label or an artist with a large catalog and are planning many releases you can apply to be a part of The Orchard. They offer many benefits for labels looking to go through their Distribution, Marketing and Lisencing services.