We’ve written before about the importance of independent distribution companies Tunecore and CDBaby, and how these are key to an independent artist getting their music on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and nearly all other major players in the digital music game. We've also previously loved how transparent Tunecore is about sharing the amount it has pays to artists that use the service, as it gives us a good indication of the state of the digital music industry for independent artists.
Well, Tunecore is taking advantage of this openness again, and recently revealed that the company has paid more than $300 million to its artists since its inception in 2005.
“Hitting this $300 million earnings milestone is something to be celebrated, and we congratulate all our TuneCore Artists," TuneCore COO Scott Ackerman said in a statement. "TuneCore's mission has always been about giving all artists the opportunity to easily and affordably get their music heard anywhere in the world and receive 100% of the revenue from the downloads and streams of that music."
Additionally, the company pointed out the significant growth in digital music streaming and downloading, reporting that more than 3 billion units are now being streamed and downloaded, compared to 1.8 billion through the end of December 2012. This is all obviously good news for independent artists, particularly as the debate rages on about how positive downloading and streaming is for the bottom line of artists.
Though it’s primarily already established artists that are complaining about royalty rates and compensation from downloading and streaming, since these rates can be lower than radio and physical sales, depending on the service. But independent musicians tend to find digital as a great way to not only create income they wouldn't otherwise have, but also a way to increase their visibility.
As mentioned, Tunecore is a great way for artists to get their music on all the major services through a very easy process. For album distribution, the service charges $29.99 for the first year and then $49.99 for every year after that. Single distribution is $9.99 for every year. However, after these fees are paid, Tunecore pays everything it collects from each service to the artist (minus fees from each individual service).
This is compared to CDBaby, which offers essentially the same digital distribution service, but charges a one-time fee rather than an annual fee and then collects a percentage of net earnings. The amount the service has paid to artist is similar to Tunecore, and CDBaby reports paying out $250 million to artists since it began in 1998.
Since both companies provide essentially the same service, it really comes down to which best fits with the current needs of an artist as to which will be best (and pay the most) for the artist. Both services also have publishing divisions available, though artists are not required to use the publishing services along with distribution.
Make Pro Songs
There are 8 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
2. 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
- Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
- Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
4. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)
- SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
- SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
- Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions
- Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
- This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.
6. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
7. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
8. 700+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
