Tunecore’s Step by Step Guide to Digital Distribution

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Continuing with our quest for Digital Distribution, we find ourselves at doorstep of Tunecore. Tunecore is very well known in the music biz, and has partnered with some of the biggest labels around. The company is also responsible for helping tons of artists get their music into some of the hardest places.

Tunecore has arrangements with some of the leading digital music retailers. This allows you, the artist, to get your music into their online stores. Tunecore takes no percentages, and you get 100% of the money that your music earns digitally.

Currently, Tunecore distributes to the following stores:

• iTunes
• Amazon MP3
• emusic
• lala
• Rhapsody
• Myspace Music
• Nokia Music Store
• imvu
• Limewire Store
• and more…

How To Start

To begin, simply create a FREE account and fill in the information. Be sure to include your Band Name and/or Label Name. You will receive an email to verify you created the account, so be sure to fill out a valid address.

Next, you will be able to select to add a Single Song or Album. You will be taken to a screen to fill in the correct information about your track/album.

Once you have completed that, you will see your new Track/Album Page. Here is where you will be able to select which stores you would like your music to be in, upload you artwork, and upload your tracks. Note: each new album or single track will have its own dedicated page.

Selecting Stores

As you read above, Tunecore has some really good stores for you to submit your music to. Each store will cost you $1.98, and all stores or digital distribution. The only store that is not is Amazon On-Demand, in which a hard copy is available. Some of you may like the idea of fans being able to purchase a physical copy.

Add Album Cover

You will need at least a 1600×1600 pixel image for your artwork. Make sure you have a quality cover ready to go. There is nothing less professional that terrible artwork. You have worked hard on your music, and invested time in getting it to sound the best, please do the same with your graphics.

Your cover is like a first impression. Unfortunately, people do judge a book by its cover, so using an image of yourself taken from some cheap camera is probably not the best idea. While you may just think you are selling music, you are really selling an entire package. How would you react if you went to buy a brand new pair of Jordans and the box looked like it had been ran the hell over? See what I mean?

Adding Songs

Tunecore allows you to add as many songs as you would like to an album, and change the order in which they appear. To upload you songs, select the files off of your hard drive.

Note: the audio needs to be in a .wav format with 44.1 khz sample rate, 16 bit sample size and the channel set to stereo.

Once you have completed all these steps it is time for you to pay. On “Your Album” page , be sure to review everything and make any necessary changes, then click “checkout”. Be sure that no additional changes need to be made. Once an album has been delivered there is no automated way to make changes. Tunecore can help in making changes, but there is no guarantee that all stores will make the rewuired changes.

Once you have paid your release will be delivered to all the stores that you initially selected. Delivery and going “live” can be as fast as 72 hours with some stores.

Where is my money?

In your account you will see a “My Money” page. Tunecore has made it easy to see how many songs or albums you have sold and withdraw your money at any time. You can choose to have your money distributed through PayPal or by physical check.

Conclusion

I really like the way Tunecore has their platform setup. Aside from making it simple to get your music into stores, they also have a cool widget that allows you to add it to your website or Myspace. This custom widget can include songs, band photos, and feeds from Twitter and Youtube. Fans can listen to your songs, buy on iTunes, or even share the widget with others.