Examples

Here are some scenarios in which an artist might want to reach out to DistroHelp.

These are scenarios where the questions or issues are more general in nature and usually don't involve hands-on assistance or a walkthrough via screenshare.

Example 1

Jason is releasing an album but wants to release a few singles first. He's not sure exactly how to go about this and has a few questions. How many submissions does he need? What's required for each submission's artwork? What kind of timeline and submission order is necessary for best results? What about pre-sales, pre-saves and playlist pitching? What's a waterfall release? DistroHelp can answer these questions and provide guidance.

Example 2

Keisha just distributed her self-written music through an independent aggregator and they are only collecting the royalties for her audio directly from each DSP. She wants to make sure that she's collecting all the royalties due to her as both an artist AND writer but isn't sure where to start. Where does she need to register? Does she need a publisher? How long does it take to get paid? What royalties are generated by which formats and DSP(s)? DistroHelp can answer these questions and provide guidance.

Example 3

Will and his band just distributed their music using an independent distributor. They own the copyrights to all of their songs. However, now whenever they post videos on YouTube containing their distributed music, they receive copyright claims and it would appear as if their distributor owns their copyright. Why did this happen? Did they sign up for this? Is this related to YouTube Music, or YouTube Monetization? Is their aggregator really claiming rights? Should they dispute this claim or leave it? DistroHelp can answer these questions and provide guidance.

Example 4

Jackie has released music under two different artist names, but wants them to appear on the same artist page on each DSP. However, she can't seem to make this happen. Why is this? Can she fix this? How do artist pages work? How does metadata affect this? DistroHelp can answer these questions and provide guidance.

Example 5

Nadia has a similar but different problem. She only performs under one artist name, but her music is located across multiple artist pages and mixed up with another artist of the same name. Which of these pages is actually hers? How does she remove unwanted music from her page or move music from another page to her own? How long does this take? Should she change her name? DistroHelp can answer these questions and provide guidance.

Example 6

Devin wants to distribute his music but isn't sure which distributor to use. Their prices and plans are all so different and he's not really sure which service is the best option for what he needs. DistroHelp can assist in pointing out the differences and similarities between different services, with an emphasis on one time charges, subscription fees, included services and add-ons/upgrades.

These are only a few examples. If you have unique scenario, let me know! If I can't help you won't be billed.

These are scenarios where things get a bit more technical and hands on. They mostly involve guiding a client through the process of uploading files and filling out forms on an aggregator's website or troubleshooting an issue that needs to be looked into visually. This would usually involve a screenshare via video chat to see where the issue is and give guidance in real time.

Example 1

Eris is trying to upload his music to his distributor's website but is having a hard time. Are his files formatted correctly? Does the file title matter? What are the time and track number limitations? What about his embedded metadata? DistroHelp can address these questions and assist in fixing issues.

Example 2

Rose is attempting to fill out all of the information her distributor needs in order to move forward. However, it's a bit overwhelming and she's not sure what some of it means or how she should fill it out. What's an ISRC code? What's an Artist ID? How would she license and properly credit a Cover Song? DistroHelp can address these questions and assist in fixing issues.

Example 3

Paul submitted a project to his distributor but they sent him an email regarding an issue discovered during inspection. Based on the vague nature of the information he was given, he's not sure exactly what the issue is pertaining to HIS release. Why was his artwork not accepted? What's an info mismatch? Why was his audio flagged as copyright match? DistroHelp can address these questions and assist in fixing issues.

Example 4

Theo's band has music on the DSP(s) and they are starting to see sales reports via their distributor, however they're not seeing payments from all of the DSP(s) and the ones they are seeing don't seem to make sense. Why aren't all DSP(s) sending payments? Why are the streaming rates so inconsistent? Why are some of the streams for $0? DistroHelp can take a look at their reports and address these questions.

Example 5

Kristel is about to submit her project to a distributor but wants to make sure that everything is filled out correctly, formatted well, and within the DSP guidelines. Essentially she'd like to avoid any potential issues so that things go smoothly. DistroHelp can take a look, point out any potential issues and help solve most issues before they happen.

Example 6

Azim submitted his music to a distributor and it's status is "delivered". However, he's having a hard time finding it at some or all DSP(s). DistroHelp can do some digging to help him find it, as long as it's had ample time to be processed by each platform.

These are only a few examples. If you have unique scenario, let me know! If I can't help you won't be billed.

These are scenarios where things are completely hands on. These require access to the client's online account(s) in order to undertake the entire process of uploading their files and/or filling out the information their distributor or collection society requires. Privacy and Security is of the utmost importance in these scenarios and a work for hire agreement is always in place to protect both parties.

Example 1

Dalia is an extremely busy musician. She's performing live, doing interviews, recording new material and on top of that, trying to maintain a work/life balance. Instead of spending her free time uploading her new material and dealing with any potential issues that arise, DistroHelp can take on these tasks so she can enjoy her weekend.

Example 2

Zach is a musician who is visually impaired. His new album is ready to go, but he needs a helping hand getting everything to his distributor. DistroHelp can collaborate with his engineer and art designer to obtain the media files and then provide a phone or zoom call to run through all the forms in real time so that Zach can relay all the necessary information.

Example 3

Susan is top-notch musician who's been in the game for decades. She can write and perform with the best of them, but she's not the most technically savvy person when it comes to computers and websites. She'd like someone to take the task of distributing her music off of her hands to avoid frustration and/or delays. DistroHelp can do the heavy lifting so she can get back to making music.

Example 4

Fabian just distributed his new album and wants to make sure all of the songs are registered properly with all of the collection societies he belongs to. However, this process is super time consuming and he's currently spending the majority of his time promoting his new release. DistroHelp can take on the tedious task of entering all of that repetitive information on each collection site.

These are only a few examples. If you have unique scenario, let me know! If I can't help you won't be billed.

Below is a list of Keywords related to the concepts and tasks that DistroHelp can assist with.

Distribution

Barcode

ISRC

Release Date

Single

Album

Metadata

Album Title

Track Title

Tracklist

Record Label

Artist Name

Artist Role

Primary Artist

Feature Artist

Producer

Remixer

Artist ID

Spotify URI

Artist Profile

Artist Page

Various Artists

Compilations

Cover Art

Audio File

WAV

FLAC

Apple Digital Masters

Atmos

Territory Restrictions

Streaming

Downloads

Physical Distribution

Royalty Collection

Performing Rights

P.R.O.

Performance Royalties

Mechanical Royalties

Publishing Royalties

Songwriters

Composers

Publishers

Royalty Splits

Writer's Share

Publisher's Share

ISWC

Public Domain

Cover Songs

Parodies

Derivatives

Samples

Remixes

YouTube Content ID

YouTube CMS Royalties

Social Video Monetization

Sync Licensing

Radio

BDS

Mediabase

Sales Reports

Streaming Rates

Playlist Pitching

Pre-Saves

Pre-Adds

Pre-Orders

Extended Tracks

Album Only Tracks

Artist Separation

Inspection Issue

Partner Guidelines

Art Resolution

Blurry Image

Copyrighted Image

URL on Cover

Barcode on Cover

Info Mismatch

Medley Formatting

Audio Match

Artist Name Change

Rebranding

Release Hidden

Release Removed

Release not appearing

Streaming Abuse

Artificial Streaming

YouTube Copyright Claim

YouTube Copyright Strike

YouTube Official Artist Page

YouTube Topic Channel

YouTube Art Track

Art Track Replacement

Facebook Monetization

Facebook Muting

Instagram Monetization

Monetization Eligibility

Curated DSP(s)

Spoken Word

Transfer to new Distributor

Registration Help

Uploading Help

Metadata Help

Classical Formatting

CD Baby

DistroKid

TuneCore

Ditto Music

ONErpm

United Masters

Amuse

BMI

ASCAP

SESAC

SongTrust

SoundExchange

Audiam

Spotify

Apple Music

Tidal

Amazon Music
YouTube Music

Deezer

Pandora

iHeartRadio

TikTok

Instagram

Facebook

MusixMatch

AllMusic

MusicBrainz

Vevo

HearNow

Show.co

Spotify for Artists

Apple Music for Artists

Amazon Music for Artists

Bandcamp

Patreon

Not an exhaustive list.