Frequently Asked Questions

Why use BFM Digital instead of licensing to these download services directly?

I already have licensed my recordings to iTunes. Can I still benefit from using BFM Digital?

How long does it take to get my music on the various services?

How often will I get paid? Who pays the artists, publishers and songwriters?

How does BFM Digital help promote my material?

Do I need to own the publishing rights to my music?

Is there a particular genre of music that you are looking to license?

How many CD titles can I submit?

What do I need to give to BFM Digital? Do I need to scan the artwork or encode the CDs?

Some of my tracks are not available in certain countries. Can I determine which countries BFM Digital can license into?

Can BFM Digital stop distributing a single track or whole album without having to pull my whole repertoire?

Do I need ISRC codes? What are ISRC codes?

Do I need a UPC or EAN codes for my albums? Where do I get a UPC or EAN number?





Why use BFM Digital instead of licensing to these download services directly?
Many of these services do not want to deal with companies that only have a few CDs. It takes too much time for their lawyers and staff to make such dealings profitable. Also, they much prefer sending out one royalty statement that covers many labels. Each statement that they have to generate costs them money and makes it harder for them to justify dealing with smaller labels. Furthermore, with BFM Digital, you can consolidate all of the accountings into one simple report.


I already have licensed my recordings to iTunes. Can I still benefit from using BFM Digital?
Yes. We license to many digital distribution companies. iTunes is only one of many out there. With BFM Digital, you can reach them all.


How long does it take to get my music on the various services?
We process and deliver new material to our clients within 30 days of receiving it. The various services all have different "ingestion" periods ranging from 2 weeks to several months. Neither BFM Digital nor any other content aggregator can eliminate this waiting period. However, BFM Digital relationships with the services are very strong and we are quickly becoming a leading supplier of independent content.


How often will I get paid? Who pays the artists, publishers and songwriters?
We pay our content partners on a quarterly basis. Our payments include all the royalties that are due to your performers, producers, artists and publishers. It is the responsibility of the label (i.e., the owner of the master recording) to pay such contributors to your tracks. The publishers are then responsible to pay the songwriters.


How does BFM Digital help promote my material?
We are actively involved with the download services to develop targeted promotions. We actively promote our content with weekly newsletters and other awareness tools. With serveral successes already under our belt, the services are looking to us to help them promote new music.


Do I need to own the publishing rights to my music?
No. But you do have to pay the respective mechanical royalties to the publishers of the songs contained on your CDs. This is a similar process as if you sold a CD thru more conventional processes.


Is there a particular genre of music that you are looking to license?
No. We are interested in most genres.


How many CD titles can I submit?
We don't have an absolute minimum. Obviously, the more titles you can supply, the more money you can make.


What do I need to give to BFM Digital? Do I need to scan the artwork or encode the CDs?
All you need to give us are copies of your CDs, writer/publisher information and any approved biographical information about your artists (pictures are good, too). BFM Digital takes care of all the encoding, scanning and cataloging of your CDs.


Some of my tracks are not available in certain countries. Can I determine which countries BFM Digital can license into?
Yes. We can assign any territorial restrictions that you may have on any individual recording. If you want one recording to be available worldwide but excluding certain countries, it’s no problem.


Can BFM Digital stop distributing a single track without having to pull my whole repertoire?
Yes. We can discontinue the distribution of any individual track or album title. However, we require 60 days notice to do so. We will then notify our clients to take down the track(s) or album(s) in question. Usually that takes less than 30 days and can sometimes be done as quickly as 48 hours.


Do I need ISRC codes? What are ISRC codes?
The ISRC is a unique international identifier for tracks on sound and music-video recordings. Comprised of a 12 character alpha-numeric code, the ISRC functions as a unique, digital indentifier for each track.

If you don't already have ISRC codes assigned to your recordings, don't worry! BFM Digital is an authorized agent to assign ISRC codes. As part of our service, we will assign you ISRC codes at no cost to you. For more information on ISRC codes, visit ISRC.


Do I need a UPC or EAN codes for my albums? Where do I get a UPC or EAN number?
Yes. Most of the download services use either a UPC or EAN number to track the delivery, process and sales of albums. If you do not already have a UPC or EAN number, BFM Digital can assign one for each of your albums. There is a one-time fee of $10 per album for this service.