How do you compare an annual fee model with a case-by-case offer?

How do you calculate the actual annual cost?

Use your current invoices and contract: add up the release fees, the add-ons and the renewal, then compare them with the revenue share, services, rights and deductions in any new offer.

What is the fundamental difference between the two models?

There are two main models in the digital music distribution market today:

• The annual fee model (such as another distributor): You pay a fixed amount every year in return for keeping 100% of your revenue.
• The case-by-case offer model (Mazufa): The revenue share, fees, deductions and services are set in the final offer and contract.

At first glance the other distributor's model looks appealing because you "keep everything", but in reality you pay out of your own pocket before you earn anything.

Build the comparison from your own figures

There is no single answer that suits every artist. Compare the total you have paid, the number of releases you have, the revenue share, the services used, and the renewal and cancellation terms before you decide.

When does the annual fee model make sense?

Objectively, the annual fee model may suit you if:

• You earn high revenue on a regular basis, where paying no commission carries real value.
• You have a small number of works and don't intend to add more.
• You use add-on services the platform provides that you can't find elsewhere.

But for emerging, independent artists building a career step by step, annual fees weigh you down before the wheel starts turning.

What should the offer make clear before signing?

• The revenue share, the basis of calculation and the deductions.
• The services and destinations available for your release or catalogue.
• Ownership, licence scope and term.
• Reporting, payment, and the cancellation or transfer terms.

Transfer review steps

1. Document your catalogue, your ISRC and UPC codes, your contracts and your current reports.
2. Submit the catalogue data for review through the artist or label track.
3. Review the written offer, including the share, the services, the rights, the deductions and the transfer plan.
4. Do not upload or delete any release before the offer is accepted, the contract is signed by both parties, and it is in force.
5. Carry out the agreed transfer plan and check every destination before ending the previous relationship.

The final decision: your own maths

Before your next renewal with another distributor, sit down for five minutes and work it out: how many songs do you have? How much have you paid so far? And how much have you actually earned? If the fees exceed what you make, you are funding your music's presence online out of your personal savings.

How offers and contracts work, under the fees and deductions set out in the offer and contract, is no longer an option reserved for beginners; it has become a practical choice for any artist who wants their music working for them, not against them.