Releasing Music Without a Record Label: How Self-Publishing Works
You don't need a record label to release music on Spotify, Apple Music or TikTok. You need a digital music distributor that delivers your files and data to the stores in the format they require. This article explains what a distributor actually does, which jobs stay with you, what happens to your rights and how the process works at OGRECORDS™.
What a distributor does and what a label adds
A label traditionally does three things: it pays for recordings, runs promotion and gets the music into shops. For streaming services, a digital distributor now covers that last part. The stores don't accept music directly from individual artists, only through these suppliers. The distributor packages audio, artwork and metadata in the industry standard DDEX, delivers everything and passes the revenue on to you.
What a distributor doesn't do: it won't fund your production or plan a campaign for you. You handle that part yourself or with people you hire. In return, you alone decide when something comes out, what the song is called and what the cover looks like.
Your rights: what stays with you
With a label deal you often sign over the rights to your recordings (the masters) for a set period or for good. A pure distribution deal works differently. At OGRECORDS™ your masters stay 100 % yours and the agreement is non-exclusive, so you're free to release other songs elsewhere.
A note on the term: in the music business, self-publishing strictly refers to administering your songwriting rights, meaning the composition. Your distributor pays out the income from the recordings. Royalties for the composition are collected by a performing rights organisation, in Germany that's GEMA. If you write your own songs, keep an eye on both.
How much does distribution without a label cost?
Distributors charge in very different ways: a yearly subscription, a fee per release or a share of your income. OGRECORDS™ has no subscription and no fee per release. We keep 10 % of your earnings (revenue share) and the rest is yours. If you earn nothing, you pay nothing. The details are on our pricing page.
Payouts are handled manually by bank transfer, usually within 24 hours of your request, and you can withdraw up to 100 % of your balance. If you work with others on a song, you set up royalty splits for as many recipients as you like, per track or per release. Invitations go out to your split partners once the release has been delivered.
The technical work your distributor handles
Every recording needs an ISRC and every release needs a UPC. The ISRC identifies a single track, the UPC identifies the product, such as a single, EP or album. We assign both automatically. If a song already has an ISRC, just enter it. The system strips out hyphens on its own.
There are also checks that save you from rejections. An automatic audio check looks at the file, loudness and true peak before anything is delivered. Artwork has to be at least 3000 × 3000 pixels, as JPG or PNG. We convert CMYK files to RGB automatically. URLs, social handles and prices don't belong on the cover, because the stores don't allow them.
How your first release works at OGRECORDS™
You create an account and go through the release wizard: audio (WAV, FLAC or AIFF), cover, metadata, credits and splits, stores, release date and a final review. For credits you need at least one composer and one lyricist per track, and Apple Music also asks for performance and production credits. Songwriters are listed under their legal names, producers can use their artist names.
The release date has to be at least 5 business days out, and you choose the time and time zone (the default is midnight Berlin time). Pre-save switches on automatically once you submit, and you get a smart link on ogr.fm. We deliver to 38 stores and streaming services in more than 240 territories, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TikTok, YouTube Music, Deezer, Tidal and Beatport. YouTube Content ID is included. Your streaming numbers show up in the dashboard and in the free iOS and Android app with a delay of 1 to 3 days, because that's when the stores report them.
When a label still makes sense
A label is worth it when it gives you something you can't get alone: money for production and marketing, a team, connections. In exchange you usually give up rights and a large share of your income. Many artists release on their own first, build an audience and negotiate later from a stronger position.
Because our agreement is non-exclusive and your masters stay with you, releasing through us doesn't close any doors. You'll find more about the process and the stores on our distribution page.
Create an account and walk through your first release in the wizard, you only pay once you earn.