Interview with Jeff Price of Tunecore
“In a digital world there’s no up-front cost to have infinite inventory that replicates itself on demand as a perfect digital copy and it only does that after it’s been authorized to do so, which is usually with a purchase. It has really been a shift from having infrastructure and access to distribution to just having access to distribution.” -Jeff Price
My friend Charlie McEnerney recently interviewed Jeff Price of Tunecore. Here is an excerpt. Listen to the complete interview here.
“As anyone who buys music knows, the way we are finding it and buying it has changed radically over the last 15 years.
For musicians, it used to be that if you wanted someone to release your music, you’d have to get the attention and approval of an artist and repertoire (or A&R person) at a label, work to sign a deal either big or small so that the label would then press up your product and work with distributors to get your vinyl or 8-track or cassette or CD to ship them out to record stores where the music fan could have access to them.
Now, all you have to do it is get some audio files online and instantly be able to have your music available to the current online global audience of 1.5 billion people, which is still just about 23% of the world’s population, so the potential for reaching new audiences continues to grow. As mobile devices get smarter, it’s inevitable that consumers will be downloading more music and playing it without a desktop or laptop computer even being involved, too.
As a result of the rise of digital download stores such as iTunes and Amazon mp3, the need has come for new companies to aggregate songs and distribute them out to all these growing online stores.
That’s where TuneCore comes in.
After SpinArt, Price went on to work with eMusic.com, first as a consultant, then as interim VP of Content Acquisition, and finally as the Senior Director of Music/Business Development. He contributed towards the creation of eMusic’s initial business model and created and implemented the first subscription-based music sales and distribution structure.
In 2005 Price started TuneCore, which is an aggregator which helps get digital music into online stores such as iTunes, Amazon mp3, eMusic, Rhapsody, Napster, Amie Street, Groupie Tunes, ShockHound.com, and lala.
TuneCore has also been in the news in recent months as some very mainstream acts have used the service to get their music direct to consumers, including Nine Inch Nails and Paul Westerberg. Just a few weeks back, it was announced that Aretha Franklin would be using TuneCore to distribute her version of My Country Tis Thee that she performed at the Obama inauguration.
TuneCore’s competitors are services such as IODA, The Orchard, and CD Baby and I discuss with Price about what makes TuneCore different from these services.
This episode includes music from a variety of independent music that has been submitted to be for Well-Rounded Radio.
Listen to the interview here along with some great new music.
Jeff really sounds like that every day, you know. He’s friendly and intense, even when ordering sushi. Then again, so am I.
I was able to work closely with Jeff on the Aretha Franklin project, and we all knew it was a kind of turning point. TuneCore has always had high-wattage star power, but The Queen of Soul is old-school, part of the industry that might not at first jump to mind when you think digital distribution, and having her place so important a piece of music up through us was a humbling thing.
–Peter
peter@tunecore.com
Tunecore cover 11 stores, thats not a lot when you break it down.
http://www.dittomusic.com cover 700 including Spotify who tunecore still dont have a contract with.
It pays to shop around, there shouldnt be any difference between unsigned artists and Aretha Franklin imo