SAMPLED#distribution
8 stories
Stories tagged #distribution on Sampled — sound, style, and scenes, all in one place.
UMG Is Suing DistroKid Over AI Slop: Does It Put Your Releases at Risk?
Universal sued the biggest independent distributor this week over AI-generated uploads and infringement. Here is what the filing actually says, and what independent artists should do about it.
What Is Music Distribution and How Do You Get on Spotify?
What a distributor does, what it costs, how long it takes, and the exact steps from finished file to live release.
Beatport drew a line on AI music — here is exactly what it bans and what it tags
The dance-music store will refuse tracks that are wholly or substantially machine-generated, and label the rest. Here is what uploaders need to change.
Megan Thee Stallion went to Interscope and kept everything
A distribution deal, not a record deal. She keeps her masters and her publishing, Hot Girl Productions stays the label, and Interscope handles the world. Here is what that structure actually is.
Music metadata explained: ISRC, UPC, ISWC and the credits that get you paid
Identifiers and credits decide whether your royalties find you. A practical walkthrough of ISRC, UPC, ISWC and release credits, using the free public standards and databases you can check yourself.
CD Baby vs DistroKid: Which Distributor Should You Use?
A practical comparison of CD Baby and DistroKid for musicians deciding how to release singles and albums.
DistroKid vs TuneCore in 2026: Which Should You Actually Use?
Current plans, real costs, publishing admin, and the catalog terms nobody reads — a plain comparison of the two biggest self-serve distributors.
Madonna skipped the streamers and put 'Confessions II' on YouTube — the album-as-platform play
After a Tribeca premiere on June 5, Madonna's new cinematic experience landed today as a free, exclusive on her YouTube channel — not Netflix, not Apple, not Disney. It's the clearest signal yet that artist channels are becoming the release window.