Many independent artists often inquire of us to help them with digital sales.  We are always happy to act as an aggregator on any artists behalf, even if  they are not signed with BMR.  If you need our assistance please go to www.bmitn.com/contact and send us a message.  The following are 5 steps to assist you in preparing for a digital release:

1. Master your recordings. Mastering represents the final step of the recording and production process. During this phase, the dynamics, volume, and equalization of the recordings are adjusted to near-commercial quality. You can handle the mastering yourself or hire a professional, but don’t leave this step out if you want your music to sound its best in digital form.  The best format for iTunes uploads are .wav files.
2. Produce artwork for your album or single. Cover art has long been a major part of releasing music through physical media (like compact discs), but you need to develop artwork even if you are exclusively releasing music digitally. None of the major services, including iTunes, will release your music without corresponding artwork. You can handle the graphic design yourself or contract a professional to design work to your specifications. Remember the artwork will be very small and needs to be square.  Make it pop. so it stands out from all the other covers.
3. Purchase a UPC number for your album. None of the major music distribution services, including iTunes, will sell your album or single without a UPC number – this applies to digital media as well as physical media. If you are having CDs produced, then you can usually buy a bar code from the company duplicating your CDs for less than 50 USD. Some services, such as CD Baby, will allow you to purchase a unique bar code for your album even without using their service to sell your music. You will also need to assign ISRC codes for each track of music.
4. Partner with a distributor. As an independent artist, you cannot deal with Apple directly; the volume of demand dictates that they only do business with major distributors. These companies will upload your music into their database (often performing mastering work if desired), from which they release the music to Apple to sell in the iTunes store.
   • When choosing a distributor, make sure that you retain all the rights to your own music. Many of the popular independent distributors, such as CD Baby and TuneCore, will not make any claims to your music.
   • Compare the fees charged by different distributors. Many services charge around 40 USD to upload an entire full-length album, and then charge around a 10 percent fee per song sold. Choose a distributor with competitive rates.
5. Choose to have your music appear in the iTunes store. When uploading your music to your distributor’s website, you will be given the option to have your music appear in several of the major music sales services. Choose the iTunes store, and your distributor will make your music available for download through Apple’s service.