TLM Distribution

FAQ

We know that people will always have questions for us, so before contacting us please have a read of this page and if you do not find an answer for your question please contact us using the details on the right and we will do our best to get you an answer with 48hrs.

Before I join TLM?

Can you guarantee my label will get on Beatport?

No, is the simple answer. No distributor can make this claim as Beatport have an application process for all new labels. This is necessary to maintain quality of product on the store. After you sign up we will help you with every step of the process, and advise you on how you can present your label to give yourself maximum chance of getting accepted.

Will you get me on every store in your network?

Yes and No! We will get you on as many of the stores we deliver to as possible, but this will depend on your labels musical content e.g not all stores will sell Acid Techno or Hardstyle etc. Some stores have a very targeted market and will only accept labels that meet their criteria.

Are there any upfront fees to join TLM?

No, all we take is our distribution fee.

Do you have different distribution fees?

No, we have one flat distribution fee that sits in the middle of the market standard. Some companies charge far more than us, and some take less. Some companies that take a lesser fee will top this up with additional charges for digitization, file formatting, codes, error fixing etc. Everything we do is included in our distribution fee.

Do You Charge For Barcodes/ISRC Codes?

No, we assign Barcodes as part of our service and FREE unlike some other companies. We do not like some other companies charge for ISRC codes as in most territories you can get your own ISRC prefix very quickly and for FREE! Some countries do make a nominal charge to get your own prefix, but when you sign up with us we will give you all the info your need to get your own code.

How do I deliver my music to you?

Once you join with us we will issue you with unique FTP details to deliver to, or if you prefer you can use sendspace/yousendit or similar.

How long after I sign will it take to get my music on the stores?

If you are going to do an exclusive release with a particular store, most of them require the release at least 2-3 weeks ahead of the release date, this is to allow encoding and processing at their, so look at that timeframe after you have delivered to us. Stores work on a 2 or 4 week exclusive period so your release will appear on the other stores after the initial exclusive period that you chose.

When Do I Get Paid?

We pay within 60 days of the end of each sales quarter, this is how they work:

• Q1 Jan 1st - March 31st Payment by end of May
• Q2 April 1st - June 30th Payment by end of August
• Q3 1st July - 30th Sept Payment by end of November
• Q4 1st Oct - 31st Dec Payment by end of February

How Do I Get Paid?

On receipt of an invoice for your sales for UK based labels we can pay either by Direct Bank Transfer or Paypal. For overseas labels we can pay by Paypal e-cheque so no fee or direct Paypal payment if you pay the fee.

For countries where Paypal is not available or you do not have a Paypal account we can use International Bank Transfer or Western Union but this will incur a fee for this type of payment.

Do you do all the promotion for my label?

No, our primary function is distribution. However promotion is necessary so we promote new releases on our website, facebook, myspace, twitter, and if you have an exclusive release we have other free tools that we can send you to help with promotion. Any promotion that we do for your label is only designed to be an enhancement of what you should already be doing yourselves.

What other services do you offer?

Logo design, artwork/banner packages, mastering, website design.

After you join TLM

My release is out today but it's not on the store, why?

Stores do not have opening hours so the releases will be encoded and made live at some point on the day of release, so for some stores that could be 2 minutes after Midnight, and others 1pm in the afternoon, so no need to e-mail us to chase the stores.

There is a spelling mistake on my release, why?

When you send us metadata for you release you have to make sure that everything is spelled correctly, as we only use the information supplied to us by you. But everyone is only human and mistakes will happen from time to time, and in most cases can be rectified with 24-72hrs depending on the store.

What music file format do I send to you?

All you need to send us is .wav file 44khz 16bit only! We do not accept 24bit files or AIFF files. Artwork must be 800x800 square hi-res 300dpi .jpg only. We also need the artwork in 600x300 hi-res 300dpi .jpg only for various promo tools.

Is there a maximum number of releases I can put out per month?

No, but we through experience would not suggest more then 2. It can be detrimental to your releases if you have more than this, and you can easily flood the market and damage the brand and image that you are working hard to promote and grow.

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