Music distribution has changed greatly since the advent of MP3s and digital media. With iPods, iTunes and other media changing the way consumers receive and listen to music, music distributors and wholesalers offer music in a variety of formats, including CD, vinyl and MP3.
Whether you’re an artist, talent manager, independent label, music store or other music oriented business, here’s what to consider when narrowing down the field to include only the appropriate music wholesalers to distribute your CDs (or to contact for CDs to stock in your store).
1. Some wholesale music distributors are affiliated with large record companies and feature big name artists as well as lesser known ones.
2. Certain CD distributors stock only physical CDs while others include vinyl, digital media and DVDs in their catalog.
3. Niche wholesale music distributors include companies that deal only in a particular type of music or artist, such as jazz, classical or rock.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Find music CD distributors that specialize in a particular musical genre
Music wholesalers often distribute music of a particular niche group, like film soundtracks, children's music, Christian music or jazz music. If you need to pinpoint a certain market, look at the following genre specific music CD distributors.
I recommend: Contact
World Distribution if you run a Christian retailer or if you play Christian music and want your CDs stocked by Christian music distributors. Contact
Premiere Music for jazz and/or classical music distribution.
Locate music distributors and wholesalers for rock and indie CDs
Rock and independent music, along with urban music, are distributed in CD, vinyl and digital forms. Online music distributors for rock and urban music offer many distribution choices to give retailers, artists and consumers flexibility.
I recommend: Check out IDN's music catalog for all genres from rap to EMO.
IDN sells tapes, CDs and MP3s to increase consumer and retail options. Contact a company like
Thompkins Marketing if you are an artist and need a full-service package from recording to distribution.
Choose music wholesalers that offer online CD or digital distribution as part of their package
Music distributors are aware that more people are choosing to download music online instead of purchasing music CDs, although many people still do both. Some music distributors can help you distribute music digitally while others offer CDs and music download services.
I recommend: Join the
Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODA) to create your own label for online distribution. Choose
CD Baby to distribute your CDs through a central showcase website, with your own webpage.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- If you are a retailer, check the names of music distributors on the back cover of the types of CDs you want to stock in your store and contact their local representative.
The official source of Music Distributors and Wholesalers is
the Music Distributors and Wholesalers page at Business.com
Related Resources from Business.com
Comments
Is any content on this page inappropriate? To let us know, please 
