{"id":4528,"date":"2026-09-25T09:23:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T09:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/radar\/?p=4528"},"modified":"2026-09-21T09:24:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T09:24:46","slug":"music-distribution-terms-12-things-artists-should-check-before-uploading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/radar\/music-distribution-terms-12-things-artists-should-check-before-uploading\/","title":{"rendered":"Music Distribution Terms: 12 Things Artists Should Check Before Uploading"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most artists click \u201cI agree\u201d and start uploading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Distribution agreements are not particularly exciting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But those terms determine what a company can do with your music and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are 12 things worth checking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Master ownership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Does the agreement leave ownership of your recordings with you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. License<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What rights are you granting the distributor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Exclusivity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can you use other distributors or services?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Territory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is the agreement worldwide?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Term<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How long does the agreement last?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Termination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How do you leave?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look for notice periods and takedown rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Fees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>subscription charges;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>commission;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>payout fees;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>optional extras.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Royalties<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How and when are you paid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can money be withheld in certain circumstances?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Fraud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read the artificial-streaming rules and potential consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Copyright complaints<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understand what happens if another party claims your release infringes its rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">11. AI rights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Search for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AI;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>machine learning;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>training;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>derivative works.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understand whether your recordings can be used beyond conventional distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">12. Sublicensing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check when the distributor can grant rights to third parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some sublicensing is necessary to distribute music globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scope still matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compare the whole agreement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cheap distributor is not automatically a good distributor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A distributor charging more is not automatically better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look at the combination of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>rights;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>price;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>stores;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>support;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>monetisation;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>termination;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>transparency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Distribution terms are part of your music business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You do not need to become a lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You do need to understand the major commercial rights you are granting before uploading an entire catalogue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most artists click \u201cI agree\u201d and start uploading. That is understandable. Distribution agreements are not particularly exciting. But those terms determine what a company can do with your music and money. Here are 12 things worth checking. 1. Master ownership Does the agreement leave ownership of your recordings with you? 2. License What rights are you granting the distributor? 3. Exclusivity Can you use other distributors or services? 4. Territory Is the agreement worldwide? 5. Term How long does the agreement last? 6. Termination How do you leave? Look for notice periods and takedown rules. 7. Fees Understand: 8. Royalties&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2372,2762,31],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-4528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-license","tag-masters","tag-music-distribution"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Music Distribution Terms: 12 Things Artists Should Check Before Uploading - RouteNote - Radar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/radar\/music-distribution-terms-12-things-artists-should-check-before-uploading\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Music Distribution Terms: 12 Things Artists Should Check Before Uploading - RouteNote - Radar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most artists click \u201cI agree\u201d and start uploading. 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