Apple Music is launching a Preferred Distribution Program that will feature partnerships with artists who distribute through CD Baby, Kontor New Media and The Orchard.
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Details of the program surfaced on Nov. 6, with Hypebot being the first to report on it. CD Baby revealed more details for its members, including the Apple program's access to analytics, trends, advanced customer features and early access to new product features from Apple Music and iTunes. Beyond giving indie artists more resources, the program seems like a sign that today's digital music ecosystem is creating new virtuous circles to make online commerce easier.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Orchard becomes both an <a href="https://twitter.com/AppleMusic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AppleMusic</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Spotify?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Spotify</a> preferred distributor <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DailyNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DailyNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bp0uuEvuIf">https://t.co/Bp0uuEvuIf</a></p>— The Orchard (@orchtweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/orchtweets/status/1060191367589191683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Billboard called attention to Spotify's recent inclusion of CD Baby and The Orchard among its own previously announced preferred partners. While speculation may seem inevitable that leading streaming services might head toward allowing artists to upload their own music directly, from a practical standpoint both deals are big steps forward, as is. For example, The Orchard is among Sony Music Entertainment's friendly options for indies so even the major labels see the value of tapping into what makes indies special.
Giving indies' distribution greater reach evens up the playing field, helping today's little-known artists to trend, and helping them to make their mark their way with the fans who appreciate them the most.
