Before the advent of the digital music distribution, getting music promoted involved a lot of work, energy and money. What promoters usually did back then was to get the music to distributors who will push the music to the right stores and audience.

But the processes of music distribution have changed dramatically since the arrival of the internet, with mixed results for artists. Let’s look at how this field traditionally operated and how it continues to shift in the digital age.

So what is Music distribution?

For the benefit of those who don’t know what music distribution is, below is the definition of what it is;

“Music distribution is the way that the music industry makes recorded music available to consumers. It’s a core aspect of its business model, and it makes it possible to purchase most music in stores or download or stream it online.”

Now that we have understood what music distribution is, let us now get a brief history of music distribution.

Long before the rise of recorded music or live radio transmissions which was made possible as a result of advancement in technology came reproduced sheet music, allowing those able to read music and play an instrument to recreate the most popular compositions of the day.

 The first machine-printed music appeared around 1473  about 20 years after the invention of the printing press. This effectively led to the evolution of a music industry that was about more than just the artists, events and instruments. This now enable composers to create pieces intended for amateur musicians to reproduce, and popular composers’ fame could spread much faster and in a more tangible way than before. By the 19th Century, the music industry was largely composed of sheet music reproduction.