Music Distribution vs Marketing: Why Distribution Comes First

Distribution is the delivery of a release to the platforms. Marketing is the attention that follows. They are separate parts of the business, and they should be planned as two distinct stages.

Distribution is the last mile of the music business. It is the process of delivering the release to the listener's phone. It is not a marketing campaign.

Marketing is the work that follows. It is the playlists, the press, the social content, the live shows and the creative that turns a release into a conversation.

A release that is distributed cleanly but not marketed will still get streams. A release that is distributed late will not, because the window has passed.