SMG / Blog
Guides and explainers on music distribution, digital rights, royalties, metadata, and the evolving business of streaming — from the SMG editorial team.
Artificial intelligence is changing how music is distributed, discovered, and monetised. Here's a clear-eyed look at where AI adds genuine value — and where it creates new complications around rights, fraud, and attribution.
Copyright is the legal foundation of every royalty payment an artist receives. Here's what the framework actually means — automatic protection, what you own, what you don't, and the decisions that affect your rights for decades.
Building a label that distributes globally requires more than a distribution deal. Here's the infrastructure stack — delivery pipelines, royalty accounting, rights management, and territory strategy — that independent labels need to operate at scale.
Metadata errors are the leading cause of delayed releases, missing royalties, and broken streaming profiles. Here's the complete checklist — and the specific mistakes to avoid.
Every time a song goes live on Spotify or Apple Music, a DDEX message made it happen. Here's a plain-English explanation of the standard that powers modern music distribution — and why it matters.
Music generates royalties through multiple parallel channels — and each requires different registration. Most artists are only collecting a fraction of what they're owed. Here's the complete map.
Every minute, hundreds of hours of video are uploaded to YouTube using music without permission. Content ID is the automated system that finds those videos and lets rights owners decide what happens next. Here's how it works.
The trade-off between signing to a label and distributing independently has never been more nuanced. Here's a clear breakdown of what each model actually offers — and what it costs — so artists can make an informed decision.
A practical step-by-step walkthrough of everything required to release music on the three most important streaming platforms — from preparing your audio files to pitching for editorial playlists.
Vietnam's streaming market is one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing. Here's exactly how independent artists can get their music on every platform — from Spotify to Zing MP3 — and collect every royalty they're owed.