Which music site pays the best for mp3 tracks?

[Jackalope]

I'm just asking this purely out of curiosity so I know where to buy things from so producers get the most $ out it.

How do companies like Beatport, Amazon, etc pay you guys? Is it a percentage? Do you get paid after a certain $ amount is reached?

[WAVERUNNER]

Aren't MP3's free?

[DMinus]

Aren't MP3's free?


HAAAAA!!!! its funny because its true.

[Erik Mitchell]

I'm going to go on a whim and say the hosting company usually gets like half of the money from the purchase. Then it's up to the label how much the producer will get?

I could be wrong tho

[dj vanish]

Beatport pays the best. Most sites have deals that range anywhere from 40% up to 70% going to the labels / artists.

iTunes is 60% of $.99 going to artists / labels less aggregation costs etc.

[DJ Hero]

if you just game me 2.00 directly, I'll send you the link to the MP3 and we'll just side step the system all together. It's cheaper for you (as most of the tracks signed as exclusive are 2.49 plus tax) and it's better for me.

:D

[dj vanish]

if you just game me 2.00 directly, I'll send you the link to the MP3 and we'll just side step the system all together. It's cheaper for you (as most of the tracks signed as exclusive are 2.49 plus tax) and it's better for me.

:D


Direct to the consumer. :peace:

[Mad_Cat]

just but wax then u don't have to worry about it:)

[rolfmonster]

just but wax then u don't have to worry about it:)


yeah because that would save you a shit basket bull of money

[Erik Mitchell]

just but wax then u don't have to worry about it:)

Dappa? lol :wacko:

[BeatFreq]

Dappa? lol :wacko:

it's funny 'cause it's true. :)

[Hazefire]

someone should make a site called lolvinyl.com that makes fun of vinyl djs... though there's rare wax out there that I desperately want, having crates and crates of records is a bitch

[Elwood]

having crates and crates of records is a bitch

...or a shitload of fun.

[Hazefire]

...or a shitload of fun.

well, it's quite obviously both.

[cybr]

harder to steal.

who would steal vinyl nowadays anyway? lol.

[rolfmonster]

harder to steal.

who would steal vinyl nowadays anyway? lol.


pedobear has a point

[Wreck]

harder to steal.

who would steal vinyl nowadays anyway? lol.

I would, because if have of you guys had anywhere NEAR the level of awesome MY vinyl collection has, you'd steal it too.

I have such vinyl as:
-Johnny Cashes Christmas Carols
-Surfin USA
-The Beatles
-Country Folklore Stories

Drop some johnny cash x-mas style at a show, and tell me the crowd DOESN'T get down!!

[infuzion]

Beatport pays the best. Most sites have deals that range anywhere from 40% up to 70% going to the labels / artists.

iTunes is 60% of $.99 going to artists / labels less aggregation costs etc.I think you only get a good deal with Beatport if it is exclusive. If not exclusive, after the mandatory aggregate costs, Beatport/iTunes are not so good a deal (direct-profit through them), but still great exposure & may land you gigs &/or better deals for later tracks. Some of the UNNET'ers have made their tracks exclusive for a few weeks on Beatport for the exposure + cashing in the initial rush of exclusive sexiness, then sold their tracks via several other services.

"Best" is a bit too vague, since you have to go by this formula:
$$$ =
(traffic site gets)
/ (# of buyers visiting said site who like your genera)
/ (chance your track will be findable amongst that site's 100s or 100,000s of other tracks)
* ((how much popularity you have before)*(odds you'll be "featured"))
- (IF aggregate costs EXISTS THEN lose 5-30%)
- any PR you have to do by hand

You'll have to consider how often you'll get payouts, since money sitting in their bank for months is interest you're losing. Also think about your market & their buying habbits: Beatport is massive, but if you're making say Hard Breaks, you might make more money on a site that sells only Hard Breaks. Or maybe not. Selling direct is an option, especially if you already have a fan club.

Really, you need to find out who will buy your music, & ask them who they buy from. Then work from there. Conversion & profit rates are both an art & science. Find 2-5 retailers that you feel comfortable working with you know your peeps will buy from, then see who is the best for you.

I'd like to hear what you end up doing!

[Jackalope]

I was definitely curious about payouts - for instance I have an Amazon/CafePress/Half.com stores and all of them pay out differently.

Cafepress is by far the crappiest of them - they hold your money until you get $25 or more. Amazon takes the biggest commission, but has the most traffic and pays out bi-monthly. Half.com pays bi-monthly doesn't have as much traffic as Amazon does, BUT i have sold more things on half.com than I have on Amazon which doesn't make any sales/marketing sense.

[infuzion]

I don't want to sound like an arce, but it would be best to do the research yourself for details like payouts. People might say monthly, but they could be grandfathered into an old contract.
Asking people for their experience with various companies from a customer-service angle would be wise though.

A bit OT, but how is working with CafePress please? I was looking at them & a few other knock-offs for a few designs...

[Brandon]

Vitamin Dizzle can probably give you the best advice, since he sells his warez on pretty much EVERY site out there from Rhapsody to Juno.

[infuzion]

I think for the particular music sites, it doesn't really matter % of cut. If one site takes a huge cut, but moves alot of copies that is better than a site with 50 downloads & nets you only 99% per copy. You might want to weigh if they will pay you for any "free" or streaming listens though or not (Rapsody, eMusic). A comp of major mp3 store's sales rates & frequency is here (http://www.tunecore.com/faq#MoneyMatters), but basically iTunes, AmazonMP3, & most major stores cut you a check about 45 days after a month's sales, where eMusic & 2 or so others cut a check about a month after a 3 month period. So if you post a new LP on iTunes Feb01, they won't send out the money from your first month until Apr15 or so. Don't depend on MP3 stores from saving you from becoming homeless next month; think longer-term.

However, there are very few stores that will not deal with you directly unless you have 100+ titles on your label. So you have to use a distributor/aggregator. Note that they have payment delays & extra costs on top of the MP3 stores'. eMusic lists (http://www.emusic.com/about/label/distribution.html)a few, here is some of my research based on the last FutureMusic mag I bought last week & a random find:

Best aggregate deal I've found so far, if you can sell more than 500 copies of a 10 song LP:
http://www.tunecore.com/

What Does It Cost
$0.99 a song
$0.99 a store per album
$9.99 – $19.98 annual fee per release
# Get 100% of the Royalties
# Keep All Your Rights& they have alot of other hookups & bonuses if you song sells really well.

CDBaby (https://members.cdbaby.com/TopReasons.aspx) seems like the best aggro % deal (9%), sales from their store is 25% (better than iTunes IIRC), & they pay weekly, seem to have a $35 processing fee. A good way to go if you have physical CDs to sell also. Not the hugest store listing, but they do have a known store themselves & hit the major players.
ReBeat (http://en.rebeat.com/digital/support.html#income) seems to have a wider range of stores, & takes a flat 15% cut if you perfer a percentage deal. They seem to have a good tracking system & a large worldwide mp3 site listing (http://en.rebeat.com/digital/portalliste.html). They have a steep up-front cost: You have to buy 99Euro (140USD ATT) software (which is handy but dang...), & a weird upload cost scheme that charges 25Euro (35USD) per 10 song LP. Title-exclusive licence for 1 year; can't use other aggros. Pays manually when you request, only via PayPal or -$2.25 check cutting service. The only things I'm excited over is their tracking system & huge list of stores otherwise I wouldn't even mention them.
AWAL (http://www.awal.com/) seems to also do 15%, & has a bigger door open to licence your tunes to movies & ads. They screen every track, so there is a delay, but insures quality & adds attractiveness of the portal they sell out of also. Unknown upfront costs. Pays quarterly via cheque, bank transfer, or Paypal.

VitaminD does run his own aggro, has a large dance-oriented reach, & def has the hookups to get you on front-page of BeatPort, if that is a concern of yours. But he does get payed for doing this; 20% (no setup fees, & has a 15% promo if switching) (http://blog.somecutzupaggregation.com/). He also seems to have some wierd "Distribution Packages" combos; seems most of the other services are buffet-style, but he is non-exlusive (just don't pick another same store with another aggro or you'll lose listings with both). The deal-killer for us I think is that he distros only a small sub-section of electronica (http://blog.somecutzupaggregation.com/category/portfolio/genres/). However, he is likely the only aggro you can have lunch with. :D

Note: I'd watch out for exchange rate reductions; might varry between aggros, stores they service, & if that aggro is overseas or not. Also AWAL gives good advice:
Choosing the appropriate suite of stores is a decision to be made with care. Most stores generate very little, if not zero, revenue and can have an impact on actual sales from other stores. Some stores prefer to have exclusivity, especially if they are looking to feature the artist.However, your goal for a particular release may not to be make money right away, but to generate interest, & you make money off of merch, direct sales, or DJing.

Bonus: online store:
Bandcamp (http://bandcamp.com/)is very DIY; they don't aggro but host & sells your tunes, & even physical merch. Has "Pay what you want" sales. Their interface is clean & cool, & FAQ is LOL (http://bandcamp.com/faq#losslesshuge). I do not see any % of sales taken at this time...? The creators are web gurus (http://bandcamp.com/faq#whowebe), so when they say "web search optimized" I believe them, though something as simple as music categories & browsing them seems to be missing. My opinion: good for generating interest if you're not expecting to make money off a release, or if you only want to sell direct but don't want to set up your own store. Other wise, I don't see how you'll make money off of MP3s. It is one step above SoundCloud, since you don't have to pay for hosting, & the "donate" button is there.


I would say if you have a quality track has a serious chance of blowing up & you don't mind losing a cut to really get it out there & fit into his specific genre listing, VD can help you out for BeatPort & the major & minor dance stores. If a track is decent & buyable, but doesn't really stand out, then go with a cheap aggro. If it is "experimental", Bandcamp > SoundCloud.