Frequently asked questions
Distribution
At Kwettr, starting distribution is free. We only charge a distribution percentage (15%) on all generated income. Kwettr promotes your music; if your music doesn’t generate income, neither do we. This formula guarantees a solid promotion and means no startup costs for labels and artists. Besides the distribution fee, we only charge a small amount per track delivery (€0,10). This will not be billed, it is recouped on royalties due.
Yes, you can. A standard distribution deal has a term of 2 years, but you are not obliged to deliver content. Content that has been delivered to Kwettr remains distributed by Kwettr for at least two years, and artists and labels are free to stop sending new content. On a case-by-case basis, we also help to transfer catalogues from us to other distributors.
Yes, it can. Kwettr has a team of music experts that evaluate if a label or artist is a good match for distribution. Once a distribution deal has been signed, Kwettr retains the right to reject releases on a case-by-case basis. Reasons for this can be discriminatory or racist content, explicit content or content of low quality.
Kwettr sends monthly statements of sales of all DSPs. Some DSPs have a delay in reporting, therefore not every monthly statement will have the same periods reported. Once statements have passed a threshold of Eur. 100, artists can send an invoice to Kwettr.
After starting your account you receive a distribution contract and access to the distribution platform. You can then upload your music, artwork and metadata, submit the release to us and we do the final quality check. Your music is then distributed to all major DSPs.
In some cases, your music appears online the same day or the day after, but we advise you to set a release date with lead time so promotional activities can take place.
Yes, you can. Simply send an email to [email protected] and let us know from which DSP we need to remove your content. It can take a few business days before the content has been taken down.
Yes, you have to be at least 18 years old to sign a contract with Kwettr. If you are not yet 18, ask your parents or legal guardian to sign the deal for you.
Yes. All music uploaded into our system remains your property, you control the ownership.
You are allowed to use royalty-free sample music from f.e. Splice or Loopcloud. Bootlegs are not permitted for distribution; the rights of all distributed music need to be cleared.
Your Kwettr deal is only exclusive on a label basis. You are free to release music using other distributors or record labels.
Example: you start a record label and use Kwettr distribution. One of your tracks is then signed by another record company or you choose to release it using a competitor of Kwettr. You can only have 1 party release this track at the same time; either with Kwettr or any other distributor or aggregator.
If your Kwettr deal is for the label name XXX, you cannot use this label name at another distributor. This is because some DSPs can only receive content (and pay royalties) to one distributor per record label.
There are two ways to view sales data and earnings. The first way is to check the analytics section in your account, this has data of DSPs. The second way is to explore the Excel sheet of your monthly statement, this has lots of valuable data.
This varies per DSP and per type of content. Kwettr however has a fixed fee of 15% on all net income.
Kwettr unfortunately has no control over the amount DSPs like Spotify pay per stream. It is hard to calculate an average income per stream, as the amount is dependent on several factors:
Subscription type
DSPs like Spotify in general have two subscription types: free vs. paid subscription.
On a free tier, income is generated through ads. The income per stream is lower than the income per stream on subscriptions.
Territory
Not every country in the world has the same income generated per Spotify stream. This can vary quite a bit, ranging from USD. 0,0039 to USD. 0,0017 per stream.
Pro rata model
This model is used by most DSPs. All revenue from a certain tier is accumulated in a pool and from this pool, a certain percentage is for the artists. Each song receives its pro rata share of the income. See this video for more information.
Download shares
In general, download stores charge 30% of the revenue and pay 70% to distributors. In the case of exclusives (for example Beatport exclusives), the amount paid to distributors is higher.
These shares are roughly the same on streaming services. On average, Spotify pays between USD 0,003 and USD 0,005 per stream.
Yes, you can. The default setting is that we deliver to all DSPs. If you wish to exclude some DSPs or only send content to a specific DSP, all you have to do is send us an email ([email protected]) after submitting your new release. This can also be done after the release date.
This varies per DSP. First of all, we always advise a lead time of at least three weeks to guarantee solid promotions to DSPs for featuring. But in case you need your release online as soon as possible, here are some estimated times to market:
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube: 1 or 2 days
Beatport: 2 to 4 days
Smaller DSPs: within 5 business days
No, we don’t. You can upload your music videos to Youtube, we can deliver the audio files as a reference so your audio can be monetized.
Simply send us an email ([email protected]) telling us what content needs to be taken down from stores and we’ll initiate a takedown.
Yes, you can. But there are some regulations. You can change genre, publishing info, preview length and start, artwork, metadata and re-upload new audio and lots of extra features.
DSPs do not accept re-deliveries of content with extra (or less) tracks. So for example, if you want to add an extra track to an already existing product and then re-deliver, this will not be accepted by DSPs. This has to do with pricing and added value.
If you make adjustments to an already submitted release, you need to re-submit for approval. We will do a quality check to see if all is well, it can take a few days before the adjustment is visible on DSPs. In case of emergency contact [email protected].
Yes, we deliver music to TikTok and we monetize content, included in monthly royalty payments.
That depends. If you own the rights to all tracks in the mix, yes, in that case you can upload a mix DJ set. You can distribute the mix to all DSPs who support features of DJ Mixes / compilations. Want to improve your DJ Mixing skills? Visit this page for more information.
Extended mixes are more suitable as songs for DJs and tend to work better on DJ-based DSPs like Beatport. A release often has an extended mix and a short (commercial edit). Using Kwettr you can deliver the extended mixes as a separate release, making sure each type of DSP gets the right attention.
Yes, you can. Kwettr also has tools to promote dance classics or back catalogue. Our Spotify pitches can be used for new and previously released music.
Yes, but only if you have a license obtained by Easy Song.
ISRC & EAN codes
ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. It is assigned to each audio file uploaded into Kwettr.
Yes, you do. No content can be delivered to any DSP without a unique ISRC.
Yes, we do. If you don’t have ISRCs, we got you covered. Simply submit your music to us and we will assign an ISRC per track.
No, you can’t. Each ISRC is unique and attached to only 1 asset. In case of a takedown of an asset, the attached ISRC cannot be re-used. DSPs don’t accept that, due to the fact that it can mess up historical accounting.
Spotify
A Spotify Canvas is a visual loop that shows in a vertical format, to fill the screen. It lasts for 8 seconds and it appears in the Now Playing section (instead of your artwork). You can add a canvas to any track in your catalogue.
Research done by Spotify shows that listeners are over 20% more likely to add a track to their playlists if they see a Canvas.
URI means Uniform Resource Indicator. A Spotify URI can be the identifier for artists, tracks, playlists, albums or users.
You can use URIs to book Spotify playlist campaigns. Find the URI either in Spotify for Artists or, once the track has been released, by searching the track on Spotify and clicking the three dots right next to the track length. Copy link to copy URI.
Spotify for Artists can be used to pitch your release to Spotify’s editorial team. Your release will appear in Spotify for Artists if it has been delivered to Spotify at least one week prior to the release date. (Note that it is not possible to pitch a track for featuring in Spotify for Artists if you are a featuring artist instead of a primary artist. You can use Kwettr to adjust roles from featuring to primary artist).
Kwettr recommends a lead time of at least 3 weeks, in order to pitch the track to all major DSPs.
If your release has been delivered well in time but is not visible, it could be linked to the wrong artists. Kwettr can help you fix this, contact [email protected].
Yes, you can. Go to your Spotify for Artists account and in the upper left corner, click the three dots next to your name. At the bottom left, you can see your account information. Click the arrow to expand. Click ‘Add team’ and follow the instructions.
Occasionally, new releases are connected to the wrong artist profile, for example when artist names are very similar. Kwettr offers a tool to submit music to the right artist profile.
1. Scroll down the artist profile and click +ADD IDENTIFIER
2. Select Spotify and enter the artist link
3. Your new release gets delivered to Spotify and added to the right profile, the same works for Apple and SoundCloud.
Spotify Marketing
Yes, you can. A Spotify campaign is booked per track. You can book several tracks at the same time, each track will be pitched to curators accordingly. Doing several campaigns at the same time does not affect placements.
After booking your campaign it takes up to 5 business days before we can share the first results. These will be shared via email. It takes around 5 business days before our curators have secured placements. Tracks can stay in playlists for up to 4 weeks and in some cases even longer.
Yes, you can. If you wish to continue the campaign for an extended period of time you can send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll take it from there.
Yes, all you need is the URI of the track or the track name and artist.
Apple Music
Motion artwork is an Apple Music feature that can help your releases come alive and provide a richer experience for your audience by helping to set a mood or accentuate the concept of an album.
Apple’s Motion Art is made up of 2 video files (without sound) in 2 different aspect ratios:
– 1:1 – displayed on the Album Page on Mac, iPad, and smart TVs.
– 3:4 – displayed on the Album Page on iPhone
Motion Art is not available for all album types and Apple Music currently only support the following release formats:
– Music Single
– Music Album
– Mixed Media Album
Please note that Music Video Single and Music Video Album are not supported.
– You will need to upload both the 1:1 and 3:4 Motion Art files in order for Kwettr to include this in a Music Album delivery to Apple Music
– Kwettr will only include Motion Art in a delivery if both files are present and valid
– Kwettr will validate the duration, frames per second, codec and colour space of each video file provided
– Once delivered to Apple Music, Motion Art files can no longer be deleted
– Motion Art videos that do not meet Apple’s guidelines will be rejected
File requirements
– File format: MOV with .mov extension
– Video codec: Apple ProRes 422 or Apple ProRes 4444
– Resolution: 2048×2732 pixels (3×4) or 3840×3840 pixels (1×1) (square pixels 1:1)
– Frame rate: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, or 30 fps
– Colour space: Rec 709 or sRGB
– Length (duration): between 15 and 35 seconds
Apple Music documentation
– Apple Music Style Guide
– Apple Music Album Motion Partner Guidelines
— Motion Asset Output Settings
— Album Page Design Guidelines
To add Apple Motion Art to your release, please follow the steps below:
1. Click on the cover art to reveal the additional options and click Apple Motion Art.
2. Upload both Motion Art video files in their respective sizes.
3. (Re)submit the release.
Will this also work for Spotify Canvas?
No. Spotify does not support the delivery of Canvas videos via the feed.
Motion Art submissions are subject to review by Apple and may take some time to appear on the release.
Motion Art will become visible on Apple Music either on or after the consumer release date, or on the pre-order date if pre-order is enabled for the release.
Motion Art files will only be included in a delivery to Apple Music when 2 of 2 files have been uploaded.
Yes, you will be able to replace a releases’s Motion Art files.
Apple Motion Art files can only be removed from a release if done before delivery to Apple Music. After delivery to Apple Music, it will no longer be possible to remove.
If Motion Art files do need to be removed, the release will need to be taken down from Apple Music and reinserted with a new barcode.
Mail Campaigns
Mail Campaigns are not included in all packages. In case your package includes Mail Campaigns, you can create the mailing in your own Kwettr account.
If your package does not include Mail Campaigns and you wish to book one, please contact us at [email protected].
Unfortunately not. Our email database contains mainly dance fans. It is possible to book mailing for any genre of dance music.
Yes, you can. For example to highlight an artist profile on DSPs or to highlight a label.
YouTube
1. Sign in to YouTube.
2. Try out any action that requires a channel (f.e. uploading a video, posting a comment or creating a playlist).
3. If you don’t yet have a channel you’ll see a prompt to create a channel.
4. Check the details and confirm to create a new channel.
A YouTube channel can be compared to an artist profile on streaming services and a YouTube Official Artist Channel is YouTube’s version of a verified artist profile.
Good for brand awareness, customization options, access to analytics.
– You have to have at least 3 official releases on YouTube, delivered by a music distributor or record label;
– You can’t have any policy violations on your channel;
– You have to own or operate a YouTube channel that represents an artist or band.
And you also need one of the following:
– Be part of the YouTube Partner Program;
– Work with a YouTube Partner manager;
– Or your channel has to be part of a label network that works with a Partner Manager.
YouTube offers content creators a piece of the ad revenue, pro-rata, on streamed videos. The YouTube Content ID function identifies videos and matches them to the audio in the YouTube database. Whenever someone clicks on the ads placed on that particular video, YouTube pays the distributor its pro-rata share.
Most importantly, your music needs to be delivered to YouTube’s Content ID database. Distribution companies offer this service.
Pricing
No, barcodes and ISRCs are free of charge.
No, unlike large distributors, we do not charge an extra commission for deliveries to YouTube.
Yes, a redelivery costs €0,10 per track per platform. Takedowns are free of charge.
No, pre-orders and pre-saves are free of charge.
No, we only charge a 15% distribution fee, no hidden yearly or monthly extra fees. Besides the distribution fee, we only charge a small amount per track delivery (€0,10). This will not be billed, it is recouped on royalties due.
No, we are not a record company. We do not sign records, nor do we become the owner of the music; you distribute through the platform.
No, we can speed up deliveries in some exceptional cases but we will not charge you any money for this.
About us
Kwettr is a music marketing and distribution company, founded in 2015. Kwettr started as a business unit of Dutch record company Black Hole Recordings, known for its extensive catalogue in dance music and its large number of trance classics. Black Hole Recordings has been releasing dance music since 1997.
Kwettr was founded to help DJs and record labels reach a larger audience and increase revenue. In 2016 Kwettr won the Accenture Innovation Public Prize.