Jan 17, 2025

Melody Rights says it’s technically a music distribution company, but as explained in its FAQs, it is not a traditional one. The company suggests that it has decided not to compete with established players in the distribution space like CD Baby or DistroKid and won’t distribute your music to major DSPs like Spotify and Apple Music. The company says its USP is its focus on everything “behind the scenes” to get musicians paid every time their music is played, streamed, synced, or downloaded. According to Melody Rights’ FAQs section, instead of “getting your music on Spotify, Amazon or any other streaming platform”, it focuses instead “on selling your music and then tracking where it is played or sold to generate income”. Melody Rights claims that by going “well beyond”  DSPs like Spotify, Amazon, etc. artists can tap into “a much broader range of income streams”. Melody Rights’ distribution network includes access to what it calls “top-tier platforms in stock music, gaming, and social music categories”, with plans “for rapid expansion”. The company was founded by Managing Director Bobby Cole , a British music composer, sound designer and songwriter. In the ‘micro-stock’ space, Melody Rights says it will register its users’ music for platforms that license music for videos and content like AudioSparx, Motion Elements, Pond5 and DepositPhotos. It will also register music to be sold for use in games on platforms like Itch.io and Game Dev Marketplace and handles uploading music to social music platforms like  SoundCloud , MixCloud , Bandcamp, ReverbNation, and others. The company suggests that it’s “like having an extra member of your team dedicated to making sure you don’t miss out on any revenue you’re owed”. Melody Rights says it will also assist its users with registering music for: Writers’ Royalties; Publishing Royalties; Neighboring Rights; Traditional Mechanicals ( For physical copies like vinyl or CDs), Digital Mechanicals (for downloads or streams) and Content ID (To capture income when your music is used on platforms like YouTube ). Melody Rights says it operates on a revenue-sharing model. Depending on the package chosen by its users, the company takes a cut of royalties earned. For example, its Artist Plan splits royalties 50/50, while the Producer Plan gives you a 60/40 split, and the Label Plan ups it to 70/30 in your favor. Meanwhile, if you’re a label, publisher, or music promotion service, Melody Rights says that it offers a commission on royalties generated through its platform. The company says that it provides detailed royalty reports specifying where income was generated that include breakdowns by platform, revenue type (e.g., streams, downloads), and timeline. “This launch marks the beginning of an exciting journey to support creators, enabling them to distribute their work widely while maintaining control over their rights and royalties.” Bobby Cole “Our mission is to empower music creators by offering them the tools they need to succeed in today’s fast-evolving music landscape,” says Bobby Cole, Founder and Managing Director of Melody Rights. Added Bobby Cole: “This launch marks the beginning of an exciting journey to support creators, enabling them to distribute their work widely while maintaining control over their rights and royalties.”Music Business Worldwide