Free checklist: 12 questions to ask a music distributor before you sign
Built from the complaints Nigerian independent artists report most: late payouts, unclear splits, missing reports and surprise takedowns. Use it before you upload your next release.
Tip: print this page or save it as PDF (Ctrl/Cmd + P).
- Who owns the masters after I upload? It must say, in writing, that you keep 100% ownership. Distribution is a service, not a sale.
- What exactly is the split or fee? Flat yearly fee, per-release fee, or a % of royalties? Ask for the number in the contract, not in a DM.
- Are there other intermediaries between the store and me? Each extra layer can take its own cut. Ask who pays whom.
- How often do I get paid, in which currency, and what is the minimum withdrawal? Check USD vs naira, FX fees and payout thresholds.
- What reports will I see? You should get per-store, per-country reports you can compare with Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists.
- How long until my release is live, and who fixes metadata errors? Misspelled names and wrong credits cause takedowns and weeks of delay.
- Which stores are included? Confirm Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Audiomack, Boomplay and TikTok if those matter to your audience.
- Do they handle YouTube Content ID and publishing? If yes, what extra % do they take for it?
- What happens if I want to leave? Notice period, how releases are transferred, and whether you lose stream counts.
- How do they handle artificial-streaming flags? Ask what happens to your money and your release if a store flags suspicious streams.
- Is there a real contract and a real company? Registered business, physical address, support channel. Never pay "agents" upfront fees in cash.
- Beyond upload, do I need funding and strategy? If your problem is money for the next single, video or campaign, a distributor alone won't solve it. Talk to Be Fun about co-investment — we invest in releases without taking your masters.