Getting Started with Digital Distribution

 
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To ensure your release is in line with industry standards, this guide will help you prepare your assets ready for ingestion and delivery to digital platforms.


KNOW YOUR TERMS

  • UPC

    UPC stands for Universal Product Code. It’s exactly the same as the barcode on the back of your CD or vinyl and serves the same purpose - identifying your release to any retailer/DSP in order for them to track and report back the sale or stream.

    Please note: to avoid confusion with differing territory specific terms and the feedback we’ve had from clients, Kartel uses the word barcode instead of UPC across all communication.

  • ISRC

    ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code and is a unique digital fingerprint for a track, allowing it to be recognised when streamed, sold, or played on radio.

    Tracks can be submitted through the Kartel Digital Portal without either a barcode or ISRCs, and Support will add those on set-up and delivery. However, if you have your own of either of these, please input them when creating a Product.

ASSET SPECS

  • AUDIO

    WAV 16 bit 44.1 kHz or 24 bit 96 kHz

  • ARTWORK

    Optimal size 4000x4000 px (minimum is 3000x3000 px and maximum is 8000x8000 px as per Apple Music guidelines)


HOW TO UPLOAD YOUR OWN MUSIC

Clients are able to upload their releases via the Kartel Digital Portal. Here’s a quick guide on how you can do this.

1. New releases can be created in the Kartel Digital Portal. You can login to the Digital Portal here: https://login.kartelmusicgroup.com/login/. Begin the process by clicking the button marked +CREATE in the top right of the Digital Portal dashboard.

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2. You can now create any of:

a) Product - a single, EP, album etc

b) Asset - a track (NB: a one track single will also require a Product)

c) Artist - create yourself as an Artist, either existing (where you can add live DSP profile links) or new (so the system will know to create a brand new profile on DSPs)

We advise to create a Product from the offset as you can manage the other two from this starting point.

3. Both Assets and Products have certain compulsory fields which are the minimum data required for submitting a new release. Compulsory fields are marked with an orange asterisk and any of these not filled in will show in the top left corner under DRAFT, blocking the submission of your Product or Asset for approval. Your entries will automatically save as each field is filled in.


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PRO TIP: If all assets have similar data, you can ‘copy fields’ from one asset in the top right hand corner and paste onto the others.

ISRCs (on your Asset) and barcodes (on your Product) can be left blank for our Support team to fill in.

Please note: Whilst they are not marked as compulsory fields, Kartel still requests all Contributor and Publisher fields to be completed on your Asset before submission.


4. If you are creating a Product which you wish to be available for digital pre-orders (eg. an album on iTunes with your single(s) as ‘instant grat’ tracks), please make sure the pre-order date has been checked and entered on your Product and the single in question has also been allowed for pre-order on your Asset.


5. Please allow 48 hours for your release to be approved and delivered.

SUBMIT YOUR MUSIC EARLY

We ask for all pitch information to be submitted a minimum of five (5) weeks in advance, alongside your release Product being created on your Kartel Digital Portal. For high priority releases, we advise up to 10 weeks lead time. We understand five weeks is quite a way in advance of release, but this allows us to hit deadlines for DSPs in important territories which have long lead-times and gives the best chance of playlist support.

Whilst we would very much like you to adhere to our five week best practice deadline, we can accept pitches after this. However, we always stress to clients it can compromise pitching and in turn editorial opportunities at DSPs. If your submission is too late, it could mean missing out on playlist pitching altogether.

TIMELINES

Please follow this guide for uploading content and submitting pitch details to our DSP marketing team.

STAGE 1 10 to 5 weeks from release (5 weeks at minimum)

• Build and submit your Assets and Products via the Kartel Digital Portal

• Please allow 48 hours for your releases to be approved and delivered to DSPs

STAGE 2 5 weeks from release

• Please use our New Music Submission form to provide us with everything we need to make a pitch. The form can be accessed here: http://kartel.lnk.to/submissionform (please wait 24 hours after submitting your release via the Kartel Digital Portal)

STAGE 3 2 to 3 weeks out

• If there are any promo updates, please let us know via this form: http://bit.ly/ReleaseUpdateForm

STAGE 4 Release Week

• Social Media can be used to promote music to your fans and also to acknowledge support from DSPs and further develop relationships with curators and key platforms.


VIDEO

We value quality video content as a core component of any release marketing strategy.

YOUTUBE

We deliver your audio to YouTube via YouTube Music for content ID fingerprinting at the same time as we deliver your music to all other DSPs. We default to monetising all uploads using your audio rather than blocking or issuing demands for content to be taken down.

As with other DSPs, it’s crucial to keep your YouTube profile on video platforms up to date ahead of any new release. This includes:

- Profile picture

- Banner

- Homepage video/trailer

- Featured channels

- Playlists

- About section comprised of biography & key retail links (Linkfire is best)

- Social media links


Here’s a channel of one of our artists as an example of good housekeeping: https://www.youtube.com/user/Kiesza

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APPLE MUSIC / VEVO

We deliver videos to Apple Music and Vevo upon request. These channels require higher video specifications and longer lead times for ingestion. There are also additional costs for the encoding required to publish your video on Apple Music. Please contact our Support team via support@kartelmusicgroup.com if you are interested in finding out more.

CREATIVE SERVICES

If you would like help with video content or channel branding, the Kartel Creative Services team can be hired to provide a high level of additional services in these areas. Please email support@kartelmusicgroup.com for an introduction to our team.

 
Jono Das