Does Distrokid Copyright Your Music?

When releasing an album, there are several critical steps to ensure that your music reaches your audience seamlessly. Among these steps, listing a featured singer on your album and understanding the role of Distrokid in copyrighting your music are significant.

Listing a Featured Singer on an Album

Featuring a singer on your album can enhance the quality and appeal of your music. This can also attract the featured artist's fan base to your music. Here’s how you can effectively list a featured singer on your album:

• Obtain Agreement: Ensure you have a formal agreement with the featured singer regarding their involvement in your project. This includes compensation and credit terms.
• Provide Credits: Carefully credit the featured singer in the track titles. For example, if your track is named "Summer Days" and features an artist named John Doe, list it as "Summer Days (feat. John Doe)".
• Metadata: Include the featured singer's details in the metadata when distributing your album. This ensures they receive proper credit on streaming platforms.
• Promotion: Leverage the featured artist's platform to promote the track. Collaboration often leads to a wider reach and greater success.

One common query among artists using Distrokid for music distribution is whether Distrokid copyrights their music. The straightforward answer to this is: No, Distrokid does not copyright your music. Distrokid is a music distribution service, not a copyright service. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

• Distribution Services: Distrokid primarily helps you distribute your music to various streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more. They do not become the owner of your music, nor do they claim any copyright over it.
• Retain Your Rights: When you upload your music to Distrokid, you retain 100% of the rights to your music. This involves both the master rights and the publishing rights.
• Registering Your Copyright: To protect your music legally, you should register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office or the relevant copyright office in your country.
• ISRC Codes: Distrokid does provide ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) codes for your tracks. While these codes are essential for identifying your music and tracking sales and streams, they do not equate to copyright ownership.

Why Proper Music Copyrighting is Crucial

Although services like Distrokid do not copyright your music, you must take proactive steps to protect your creations. Here’s why:

• Legal Protection: Copyright registration provides legal proof of ownership and can be used in court to protect your work against unauthorized use.
• Financial Benefits: Properly registering your music allows you to collect royalties from various sources, including mechanical royalties, performance royalties, and synchronization royalties.
• Professional Recognition: Copyrighting your music establishes you as a serious professional in the industry, helping you earn respect and trust from collaborators and fans.

Enhancing Your Album with Proper Distribution

With the understanding that Distrokid distributes but does not copyright your music, consider leveraging platforms like SoundOn for a holistic approach to your music career. SoundOn provides extensive distribution services coupled with powerful marketing tools. This could significantly enhance your album's reach and engagement, giving your featured singer the acknowledgment they deserve and protecting your music rights effectively.

In conclusion, while platforms like Distrokid are valuable for music distribution, they do not handle the copyrighting of your music. As an artist, ensure to list your featured singers appropriately and take individual steps for copyright protection. Adopting comprehensive distribution services such as SoundOn can further streamline your music career and amplify your success.