How Do I Sell Music on iTunes? Follow This Simple 5-Step Guide to Get Your Music on iTunes, Spotify and Other Major Online Music Retailers or Streaming Sites...
So, you want to sell music on iTunes and other retailers and haven't a clue where to get started? Fear not! I'll make it easy for you with the step-by-step guide below.
There are many services you can use which offer you online music distribution.
See further below for a list of a few music distribution companies you can use.
So, let's get right to it!
Here are the 5 steps to upload and sell music on iTunes...
1. Have your track, EP or album mastered...
... because you want it to be ready for commercial use.
Ask your mastering engineer for a .wav file at 44.1 khz sample rate, 16 bit sample size and specify that you want it mastered for iTunes or the specific retailer or streaming site you plan to upload to.
I've written a little guide for the mastering process a while back if you need help with this part of the music production process.
2. Get your single, EP or album design and artwork ready...
... because your buyers need to see an image so this will be required as part of the submission of your tracks.
Create
a JPG, GIF or PNG image with a size of 1600 x 1600 pixels. Make it best
quality RGB Color with a minimum resolution of 72dpi.
Include only your artist or band name to the image and no other text.
3. Sign up for Distrokid (recommended) or another digital aggregator...
I recommend you use Distrokid. You'll find that, in addition to helping you sell music on iTunes, these types of services can also get your tracks or albums into other major online music retailers, streaming services and marketplaces like Amazon, Tidal, Youtube and Spotify.
Services similar to Distrokid include Tunecore, Ditto Music, CD Baby and a whole slew of others. The payment options these services offer vary quite a bit so it pays to compare these to ensure you use an option that suits your business and release plans.
(P.S. I have no relationship to Distrokid other than using the service for my own music.)
4. Upload your tracks, data and artwork...
Follow the simple process to upload your track with Distrokid. Be
sure you want to upload the tracks you upload because there can be a
take-down fee should you want to remove track later. Careful planning pays
off!
So, now you know how to sell music on iTunes and other online retailers and you're selling like hotcakes.
Crack open a bottle of bubbl... huh? what's that you say? Not selling anything?
Why not?
You need one more step to actually sell music on iTunes ...
5. Promote! Promote! Promote!
Your music on iTunes or any other digital music marketplace is just that, it's on the site and available.
You now have to make sure people are aware of it and go there to buy it. If you've got an ongoing marketing plan in place for your music and business that's a great start as you'll probably have some attention you can tap into straight away.
Your
best option is to start a bit of buzz about the album 1 to 3 months
before the launch via your web site and social networks. This gives you
time to slowly but surely get attention ready for when the album hits
the market.
You may even want to leak a sample track before the
album release to help build interest in the release. This may even
increase your sales of the album as people might feel indebted to
purchase your music after you've given them something for free.
So, plan ahead and start to promote and publicize your album early and continue to do so as long as possible.
Remember,
not all your potential fans will user the same networks and services
online to communicate or buy music. You therefore want to go where your
potential fans are. Use your web site, use Twitter, use
Facebook. Communicate with and engage people and guide them to where
they can buy your music.
If you want to, and should your budget allow, you could also use a marketing & promotion company to help you get the campaign rolled out.
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