D.I.Y.

$99 Lifetime iTunes & Amazon Distribution From Music Spray

20120825-0855005681With the fallout of Jeff Price and Peter Wells leaving
TuneCore
, the business practices behind digital distribution companies have
certainly taken center stage in recent weeks, with many musicians now taking a
closer look at whom they entrust their catalogs with. While a plethora of
options still exist from familiar names like CD Baby, ReverbNation or Ditto
Music – each with similar, yet uniquely different pricing structures – one
South Korean startup is hoping to shake up the game by offering a distribution model not yet
seen before
.


Music Spray is a South Korean digital distribution startup
that offers unlimited lifetime digital
distribution to iTunes, Amazon and more for a one-time fee of $99. Musicians
can release as much content as they want, for as long as they want, forever
with no yearly membership fees. Music Spray is powered by Pison Contents, the
exclusive online distributor for iTunes in Korea and releases their music to
other leading music distribution sites like Melon and Bugs Music, the two
largest and most famous music sites in Korea.

A unique model indeed, but there already exist a few
complications for wider audiences outside the Korean market. Most obviously, only
the Korean language is available, but the company has said that many other
languages including English and Chinese will be supported later this year. When
the multi-language version becomes available, musicians around the globe will
be able to release content onto the global market.

Another big question mark looms in the company’s future.
While still new and reportedly seeing considerable traction, it’s still too
early and tough to gauge whether or not Music Spray will be around as long as the terms of their distribution model (forever),
even after they’ve expanded to become multi-lingual. Some would also argue that
perhaps the concept of $99 lifetime digital distribution is too good to be true
and not very sustainable, as bookkeeping alone and other practices being a major yearly cost for distributors.

Either way, Music Spray is an interesting entry that can offer
a unique solution for musicians while claiming an uncovered territory in the
digital distribution space. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on them as they grow and
expand overseas. 

Hisham Dahud is a Senior Analyst for Hypebot.com. Additionally, he is the head of Business Development for Fame House and an independent musician. Follow him on Twitter: @HishamDahud

Share on:

14 Comments

  1. Please keep us posted if they do add English services. $99 is much better than a stupid $50 annual fee from Tunecore per album.

  2. I don’t see a site only in Korean “shaking things up” in the US market. Why would you even choose this option?

  3. Yes, Music Spray is only Korean… for now.
    They’re very young and expansion is definitely inevitable for them. Given how they do in their native market, it could lead to them being a player abroad or others taking similar cues from their model.
    At the very least, they’re doing something that nobody else is and could potentially cause others to take notice now, which I’m sure has already happened.
    Thanks for reading!

  4. What happens if the company folds after a year?
    I think it’s a good idea. I’m pretty sure most of these companies that offer to get your songs on iTunes probably have unlimited access to posting content on there yet they see fit to charge us per album and even per album per year. Maybe I’m not 100% on that but I’m certain they are making large profits from it without really adding any value.

  5. Sorry for posting this in two threads 😉

    I respectfully challenge TuneCore, to counter the new competition coming soon from Music Spray, by waiving all annual fees for releases making under $500 annually. This would ensure Indies won’t pay more than 10% of their annual royalties in fees. In addition, this one small change, which should be fairly easy to implement, would accomplish the following 3 Things:
    1) Kindle more love and admiration from the “little guy”
    Let’s be frank, most Indies will not receive over $500 on one release, in one year, let alone year after year for the same release. By offering to waive the annual fee, on any release that doesn’t earn $500 in a calendar year says, “We Love You Indies!” I am no tax lawyer, but I believe TuneCore could possibly write off this magnanimous gesture as lost revenue, because they are waiving or forgiving a reoccurring yearly debt.
    2) Permanent Music Catalog for all
    Most small Indies enjoy telling their family and friends, they have their music on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc. How embarrassing it is for them to tell them later, their music is no longer on iTunes, because they couldn’t afford to pay the “rent” on their albums. More man hours are required to manually remove music from the stores, than to let it sit permanently on their infinite virtual shelves. If TuneCore waives all annual fees for releases making under $500 annually, they will by default create a Permanent Music Catalog, just like CD Baby. Imagine, a 70 year old grandfather, watching with pride in eyes, as his grandson “discovers” on Spotify, Grandpa’s old college band from 2012. Yes, TuneCore would lose a bit of money with this, but I believe they will make it up in volume and “good will”, as Indies flock to them as THE source to distribute their music. (No disrespect to CD Baby and the others, but I believe TuneCore has a rare opportunity here to really shake up the industry like CD Baby did back in the day).
    3) A seat at “The Table”
    With more Indies under one roof, and a Permanent Music Catalog, TuneCore could actually begin to have as much clout as any Major Label, when it comes to negotiating with the iTunes and Spotifys of the future. TuneCore could be seated at “The Table” as an equal, in the “First Round” of discussions instead of the second or third.
    I don’t know, am I crazy? Is this the clear direction TuneCore should be taking, in light of the new competition coming soon from Music Spray?
    Sincerely,
    Long Live Indies

  6. “bookkeeping alone and other practices being a major yearly cost for distributors” well yes and no.
    Most Indies do not make any sales (nothing at all), so bookkeeping is certainly not very time consuming for distributors.
    It would be interesting to know the royalty rate offered, as well as the number of stores, the territories…etc.

  7. “most of these companies that offer to get your songs on iTunes probably have unlimited access to posting content on there yet they see fit to charge us per album and even per album per year”
    That’s more or less correct.
    The bigger these companies are, the more costs they have (human resource costs, offices, hardware…etc).
    But if they have a good technical infrastructure, if most of their services are automated, yes that’s a very profitable business.

  8. Part of the problem is that it’s a Korean company.
    Looking at the huge piracy going over in Asian territories in general, would anybody from Western countries give their files for distribution to them?
    I don’t know but it may be a show stopper for them if they want to expand internationally.

  9. Dears,
    I’m Ed Maurer, in charge of the international development of MusicSpray KR.
    I’m french, i live in France, and i work with MusicSpray’s Korean team since more than 7 years, even before MusicSpray was born, actually.
    Yes, we’ll have an English version by the end of 2013.
    Yes, we’ll expand to a much more developped website in the coming 6 months.
    And yes, we still try to achieve the most equitable model. Transparancy is our aim. We believe that artists/labels must have the ability to know what’s happening to ther works.
    We currently spend a lot o our work on this.
    Thanks Hisham, fo having posted this review on us. This was in 2012.
    We fully understand the question “why should we go with a KR company to distribute our works ?”.
    We’ll try to answer this question, not with words, but with facts in the coming months.
    Please feel free to get in touch with me for any further information.
    Best to all of you
    Ed Maurer
    Music Spray
    Director – Intl labels relations

  10. Hello, LostInDigital.
    Piracy is not the same in ALL Asian country. It’s like if you’d say that drug is a problem in ALL america.
    Asian countries and cultures are multiple, and among them, Korea is one of the safer about copyrights.
    I can give détails, if needed, of course.
    Best,
    Ed

Comments are closed.