How does a recording reach its audience?
A finished master does not appear on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music or in shops by itself. Distribution organises that availability and the flow of data needed for its commercial use.
Digital distribution
The distributor delivers audio files, artwork and metadata to platforms and monitors their availability. Depending on the contract, it may also offer marketing, reporting or promotional services.
Physical distribution
For CDs and vinyl, the chain also includes manufacturing, logistics, product listing and supplying retailers. Physical and digital distribution may be handled by different organisations or arrangements.
Distribution is not production
An artist can produce their own recordings and use a distributor. Conversely, a label can handle distribution in-house or outsource it. A track’s presence on a platform therefore does not, on its own, reveal the artist’s contractual arrangements.
Marine’s case
The move from an initial independent release of Ma faute to an album backed by a major offers a particularly clear example of different distribution scales. We will document the specific parties when credits and legal notices make them verifiable.