Almost every distributor says you keep your rights. In most cases that's true, and it's an important promise, but it doesn't mean the distributor gets nothing. To release your music, a distributor needs certain permissions from you. Knowing the difference between owning something and allowing someone to use it is what lets you read any distribution agreement calmly.
Owning versus licensing
When you record a song, two kinds of rights usually exist: rights in the recording (the master) and rights in the composition, meaning the melody and lyrics. Whoever created them, paid for them or acquired them under a contract owns them.
A distribution deal normally doesn't transfer that ownership. Instead you grant a licence: permission for the distributor to copy your files, deliver them to platforms, make them available to listeners and collect the income those platforms pay. You stay the owner. The distributor acts on your behalf within the limits of that licence.
Think of renting out a flat. The tenant can live there on agreed terms, but the flat is still yours, and when the agreement ends you get the keys back. An assignment of rights, by contrast, is like selling the flat. Some record deals work that way. A plain distribution agreement shouldn't.
At CULT, for example, the artist keeps their rights, and the artist must own or have permission for all the audio, artwork and materials they submit.
What a distributor needs from you
Because a distributor delivers your music to many companies, it needs certain promises and permissions from you. Expect to find these in almost any agreement:
- Delivery and collection. The right to send your releases to platforms and partners and to collect the income on your behalf.
- Use of your name and artwork. Permission to show your artist name, photos and cover on platforms and in the service itself. Without it, the release simply can't appear.
- Your guarantees. A statement that you own or control everything you submit: the recording, the composition, samples, beats, artwork and photos. If someone else's work is inside, you need their permission.
- Partners. Distributors rarely deliver to every platform on their own, so the licence usually lets them work through distribution partners.
None of this takes ownership away. But the guarantee part matters. If you upload a beat you only leased, or a cover photo you found online, you are the one who made the promise.
Keep the proof in one folder: the beat licence, the photographer's permission, a message from your co-writer agreeing to the release. If a platform or a rights holder ever asks, you can answer in a day instead of a week.
Term, removal and what happens after
A licence runs for a certain period, the term. Read how it ends:
- Can you remove a release whenever you want, or only at certain points?
- How much notice do you need to give?
- What happens to income from streams that happened before removal but are reported later? Platforms report with a delay, so some money can arrive after a release is gone.
- What happens to YouTube Content ID and similar services when you leave?
Removal from platforms isn't instant either. Each platform processes takedowns on its own schedule, so plan any move with a margin.
Questions to answer before you accept
You don't need a lawyer to read a distribution agreement, although for bigger deals one helps. You do need answers to these questions:
- Does the agreement say I keep ownership of my recordings and songs?
- Is the licence exclusive, so I can't use another distributor for the same releases at the same time?
- Does it cover only the releases I submit, or future music too?
- Which territories and platforms does it cover?
- How is the service paid for: a fee, a share of income, or both?
- How do I end it, and how quickly are my releases removed?
- What happens to income that arrives after I leave?
If you can't find an answer, ask in writing before you upload. A good service will answer plainly.
Signs to slow down
Most distribution terms are routine. A few things deserve a second look:
- Words like "assign", "transfer" or "sell" next to your copyrights, where you'd expect "license".
- A term that renews automatically for years with no clear way out.
- Rights to music you haven't made yet, unless that's something you deliberately want, as in a label deal.
- Permission to change your releases or to use your music in ways unrelated to distribution.
None of these automatically means a scam. Some are normal in label contracts, where the label invests money in you. In a distribution-only deal, where you pay for a service, they are worth questioning.