Digital Distribution

We provide digital distribution throughout 73 countries, to more than 160 online retailers and 250 mobile companies worldwide. We offer:

  • The best stores at the best rates
  • Our huge mobile ringtone network, which is unmatched
  • Unmatched marketing expertise
  • The best rates available to independent labels
  • Active engagement with all new, cutting edge services
  • A world class accounting system
  • Hands-on account management
  • Cost savings
  • A simple and straight forward contract
  • Stability as a global business partner. 

Please email us if you're interested in digitally distributing your release/s and we'll send you an info pack, along with all the necessary documents and procedures to make it possible!



REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Fees
A one-time payment of $165.00 including GST covers administration costs and enables us to set-up your personal administration account. There are no annual renewal fees. $165.00 covers all processing, encoding and delivery to digital stores of your first release (release being any one body of audio - CD, EP or single). We will digitally distribute each subsequent release at the discounted rate of $55.00 each. A bulk discount is available when you register five or more CDs at the same time. Please contact us for further information.


Other Requirements
To enable us to digitally distribute your music we need you to fill in some forms, sign an agreement and put together a little parcel to send to us. 

We need five unwrapped copies of your CD:

  • We use one CD to digitally encode your music.
  • We send one CD to Allmusic.com, the world's most comprehensive music reference source.
  • We send one CD to Muze, who supplies album artwork and release information to major online stores.
  • We submit a listening copy to our in-house publishing and marketing departments.
  • The remaining CD is filed in our archives as a back-up copy.

We also need release information from you. You'll need to fill in and return the artist details form, ISRC form and also provide:

  • A 30 word artist blurb – to be emailed and filled out on the Artist/Label Details Form.
  • A 30 word release blurb – to be emailed.
  • A list of any cover songs on the release.
  • Post and email a one sheet and a bio.
  • Email a high-res press shot in jpg format at a minimum of 300 dpi for each artist for promotional purposes.
  • Front cover art for each release (if submitted digitally the image needs to bee 1500 x 1500 pixels, TIF format, at least 300 dpi. RGB via CD-ROM or email ).

Lastly, we'll also need you to sign our service agreement. Print and sign four copies of the service agreement sent to you by Amphead Music and return all four copies to us.


WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE

Distribution
You’ll receive distribution to 150+ digital stores, including iTunes, eMusic and Napster. Your music will be available for sale on the major sites around the world within six to eight weeks after we've received your music. This time frame is to allow for physical transfer, digital encoding, art work up load and design.

Sync Ops
Synchronisation opportunities (sync ops) refer to having your music placed in film, TV, advertisements and video games. As an independent artist/label/band, discovering these opportunities is extremely difficult and making contacts with the plethora of agencies, production companies and music supervisors is a tricky task, especially without representation. To make the job even harder for you, these creative teams just don’t have the time to deal individually with each independent group, they need the music to come to them when it is required for very specific placements. Which is why they turn to publishers and sync managers, like AmpHead Music and The Orchard, to source their music requirements. We’ll be able to help push your music forward for these opportunities.

70 Per Cent of Gross Revenue Received From Digital Stores.
Consumers buy your music from digital stores. Digital stores pay us for those sales. We pay you 70 per cent of the gross revenue we receive from stores.


PAYMENT TERMS

We pay artists and labels quarterly. Payments are mailed to artists and labels 45 days after each quarter ends.

  • First Quarter [Q1] ends March 31
  • Second Quarter [Q2] ends June 30
  • Third Quarter [Q3] ends September 30
  • Fourth Quarter [Q4] ends December 31

We Can't Pay You Until Stores Pay Us
Many stores pay The Orchard on a 60-day turnaround schedule. This means that you might not be paid on sales that have occurred this quarter, because The Orchard might not receive payment until the next quarter.

Your Sales Must Reach A One-Time Threshold Before We Can Pay You.
Considering the number of clients we distribute, we cannot operate without requiring a modest sales threshold. If we distribute up to four releases your digital sales threshold is US $10 for a release's digital sales. In other words, a release's net sales must reach this threshold before we can pay you for that release. If we distribute five or more releases your digital sales threshold is US $50 for account's combined digital sales. In other words, your combined net sales must reach this threshold before we can pay you.  Advantage: since your earnings are pooled, sales generated by your top-sellers will compensate for sales from your other releases.

REMEMBER: Balance minimums are one-time requirements. Once you pass a threshold, you will receive quarterly payments on additional earnings, no matter how small.

NB: The Orchard charge a minimum upfront fee of US $25. This advance fee is recoupable on sales and is charged to cover the cost The Orchard incurs when sending your music around the world to its many digital retailers.


PROCESSING TIME

It can take up to six to eight weeks for a store to begin selling your new release. If we receive your music in the middle of a payment quarter, it might not start generating sales until the following quarter. Since we can't pay you until stores pay us, it can take up to two payment periods before you start to receive payments on a new release.

If you have any further questions, then please contact us!