Welcome to Intercept Music! We are so glad to have you as part of our family, and can’t wait for what’s to come! Before we move on with the onboarding process, here are some key points to check off to maximize your success and opportunities with us:
1. Claim and Verify Your Spotify For Artists Account
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This is crucial for receiving your data regarding streams, monthly listeners, and playlist updates. It’s also a great resource for Spotify best practices.
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HERE is a step-by-step guide on how to claim and verify your profile.
2. Register with a PRO
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PROs essentially make sure artists get paid in full for their music, specifically performance royalties. They build a link between the owners of the composition copyright and music users. For an independent artist, this is crucial. You deserve credit and compensation for your work!
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When you sign an agreement with a PRO, they are then obliged to collect metadata from radios, venues, etc., then use that information to distribute revenue from music users to the songwriter or composer.
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Here are the top 5 PROs in the United States today. Be sure to do your research before signing with one to ensure the best fit for you and your career.
3. Register with SoundExchange, Songtrust, or Both
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Organizations like SoundExchange and Songtrust are complimentary to your relationship with a PRO, essentially acting as your global publishing administrator.
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Songtrust collects royalties generated by compositions while SoundExchange collects digital performance royalties generated by master recordings.
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HERE is a helpful article breaking down the difference between SoundExchange and Songtrust, and which it makes sense to to register with for your career (some will benefit from both).
4. Create a Social Media Presence
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Make accounts for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube
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Keep all your handles and profile pictures and bios the same across all platforms for consistency / recognition
5. Connect Your Social Media to your Intercept Dashboard
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In order for us to shout you out and support you on the internet, we need to know your social media too!
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HERE is a step-by-step guide on how to connect your social media to your Intercept Dashboard
6. Create a Content Calendar
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If you have releases coming up, it’s very important to put as much effort into promotion as you did creating the music itself. In order to do so, we suggest creating a content calendar to schedule out your posts leading up to the release.
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In the Marketing section of your Intercept dashboard, you’re able to schedule out posts weeks, even months in advance. We also provide templates on potential captions / post ideas based on how soon your release is.
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HERE is Intercept’s customizable template for promoting upcoming releases/shows/announcements. We then recommend scheduling out your posts in Sendible in advance to structure yourself around a schedule.
7. Ensure that Your Music Metadata is Correct (Songwriters, Composers, Producers, Engineers, etc)
- When releasing music through Intercept, it’s up to you to upload your track medata correctly. Any mistake can risk your music getting taken down This includes Title, Artist, anyone who contributed to the record.
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Make sure there are no spelling errors
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Be sure to include everyone who participated in creating your record
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Make sure that you’re uploading the correct track (the final mix, not a previous draft)
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HERE is Intercept’s overall guide to uploading your music for distribution
8. Create Your Marketing Plan
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We suggest taking a look at our a la carte marketing services to help boost your release by engaging with fans, and finding new ones.
Once all of these steps are complete, you are ready to release music! We can’t wait to work with you, and please don’t hesitate to submit a support ticket to us if you have any questions!