Music Distributors and Wholesalers Key Terms

Find the services and features you need from music distributors and wholesalers

By Kristan Hart

Through time tested marketing strategies and technological advances, music distributors and wholesalers know exactly what to do to get music into the public sphere. Finding the right music distributors and wholesalers can be a challenge because of the amount of competition among companies in the music industry. Use music distributors and wholesalers key terms to help you find the company that fits your needs.

Distributors

Distributors have one goal in mind: to sell music. Using several different services, distributors try to get as many people as possible to hear your music.
Try: MusicBizAcademy.com explains the three types of music distributors: one stop distributors, rackjobbers and independent distributors.

Record labels

Music distributors work with record labels to gain access to your music. Record labels often have distributors working for them, or they might work consistently with a reputable distributor as a partner in releasing your music.
Try: Learn how record labels operate at HowStuffWorks.

Marketing

There are many particular marketing methods employed by music distributors to entice people to buy music. Consider a music distributor that offers a wide variety of marketing tools so that you can reach a wider audience.
Try: Read about marketing in the music industry on The Orchard website.

Digital downloads

In the era of electronic media, MP3 players are becoming more popular. Digital downloads are electronic copies of your music that your fans can download to play on an MP3 player.
Try: TopTenREVIEWS provides a list of common terms associated with digital downloads.

Genre

Your genre is the type of music that you play. The most common musical genre types are pop, rock, folk and country, electronic, hip hop and rap, soul and R&B, international, jazz and classical.
Try: AmieStreet lists the most popular genres in music, and the sub-types so you can specifically focus your music and your audience.

Imports

Imports refer to music and records that are recorded in another country and brought into a different country for sale and distribution. International music is gaining popularity in the United States.
Try: Read about imports on the Super D website.