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Answers to Most Questions:

How's it going with the digital stuff? What's new? Anything I should know?
Please bookmark this page: cdbaby.org/dd. That's where we keep all news and updates in this ever-changing new digital distribution side of things. Otherwise we'd be emailing you every few days.
How long does it take for you to start sending my music to the digital retailers?
Once you've given us ALL the info we need, and we've received your CD, it takes about 2-5 weeks. We have to encode it into 17 different formats for 40 different companies, so that's why it takes a while. Plus we have to verify all your songwriter and publisher info is correct before we send it out into the world. In addition, all of our download partners have different "delivery schedules". Some want us to send new content weekly, some monthly, etc. In all cases, we definitely get it out the door as quick as we possibly can. Read the next question, though...
How long does it take to show up on the music services once you deliver it?
Each company is different, but in general it takes from 3 weeks minimum, to 4 months maximum. (Usually 2-3 months.) Once we send it to them, it's out of our hands and they do what they can to get it imported and active in their service. We push them to get it added as soon as possible, and they always do it as soon as they can. iTunes (who accounts for a huge percentage of digital sales) is generally very quick (1-3 weeks) about posting new content.
Will you tell me when my music is up on their site?
I wish we could. Almost none of these companies let us know when your music is active! I'm surprised and disappointed at this, and I hope it will change some day. But for now, we don't know when your music is active on their site. We show you what date we sent it, in your members login area, but you'll have to go search for yourself on their system.
How much do I get paid?
Every company is different, but the average is 60 cents per song downloaded, $6.50 per full-album download, and 1 cent per listen or stream (when people listen to your song as if on a radio station, but don't download or buy it). Remember we only keep a 9% cut of the total income, and pay you 91%.
My friend downloaded my song yesterday - when do I see that in my report - and get paid?
Most companies only report to us every 1 - 3 months. Apple, for example, sends us the monthly report about 4-6 weeks after the month is finished. Meaning: you won't see your January sales until the first week of March. Some companies report a full 3 months after the quarter is done. But we ALWAYS show you everything we get as soon as we get it, and add the money to your account immediately.
Can I make a change to my album, once I sign up for Digital Distribution?
No, sorry! These digital retailers were built around the major-label retail model, where once an album is released, it is NEVER EVER changed. So - just like the majors - if an album is remixed or changed in any way, it has to be put out as a whole new version: a new album with a new barcode, signed up as a new release. Read more, here.

Once you sign your album up for Digital Distribution, we'll inspect it to be sure all the info (publishers, composers, barcode, etc.) is correct. Once we've approved it for delivery, you'll be unable to change the number of tracks on your CD, or any of their attributes (ISRC, name, publisher, etc.) in your members' account. So the moral is: be ABSOLUTELY SURE everything about your album is in order before you sign up for Digital Distribution! Changes will be difficult to make.
Can I release an album as digital-only, not on CD?
Yes. Absolutely! Check out the details here.
Can I release just a single into digital distribution?
It would have to be treated as a 1-song album. Everything at CD Baby and at the big digital-download services is still based around the ALBUM. So you'd have to set it up as a one-song album at CD Baby, pay the $35 setup, have it for sale in our store, then sign it up into digital.
Why do I need a barcode?
This page explains WHY you need a barcode. This page mentioned it in the initial signup info.
Your system won't take my barcode! What's up with that?
First: make sure you're entering exactly 12 or 13 numbers. If it's telling you the barcode you're entering is already taken, make sure you have not used that same barcode yourself on another album. If not, let us know the code and we'll try to help.
I entered “none” or “unknown” for the composer or publisher, but you still won't take it!
If it's a old traditional song (say, over 100 years old), then you can put “traditional” as the composer, and “public domain” as the publisher. If it's NOT an old traditional song, but you just don't know who wrote it, well then you need to do more research! so You're not supposed to be recording and releasing someone else's song without paying the copyright owner of that song anyway, if you don't know who it is, you're probably breaking the copyright law, and we can't be putting that out into the lawyer-infested waters of digital distribution, until you do things correctly.
What if I have cover songs on my album?
It's easier than you think. You have permission, by law! You just need to NOTIFY the publisher, as described here.
I got permission from Harry Fox when I pressed my CD.
You need two different permissions for CD sales and digital sales. You can go back to Harry Fox and ask them about DPDs (mechanical licenses for digital sales). Or you can contact the publisher directly. It's all described here.
I want to make some new updates to my CD - add a few new songs, give it a new album cover, use my new name...
From our computer's point of view, that's a new album. New songs = new album = new submission needed. If you've really changed your existing album so much, then sign up the new one as a new album, and once it's up and selling, pull down the old one.
Can I sign up some, but not every, song from my CD?
Nope. Sorry. For now we can only do your entire CD. If you were only considering this because you didn't want to include a cover-song, then please reconsider: cover songs are usually the top-selling songs on an album! Remember in this song-based search, people are searching for song titles they know, and cover songs are a great way to introduce them to the rest of your music. Now if you really insist on doing some, but not every, song on your album, you can put together a new album, burned at home on a CD-R, and submit it to CD Baby as a new album with a new title, sending only two copies.
What about the bonus tracks on my CD? If they're not listed on my CD artwork, do they go to digital distribution?
If you want a song to go out to digital distribution, you must give us all of its info like the name of the song, the composer, the publisher, etc. For obvious legal reasons, we can't sell a “secret” song. If you really want a song to remain a secret bonus track on your CD, please delete that song from the track listing so that not even our computer knows about it.
Where are the ISRC codes you assigned to my songs?
Log in to your account. Click [YOUR ITEMS], up top. Click EDIT ALBUM INFO next to the CD. Then look at SONG DETAILS.
How do I clear the samples used in my grooves?
Talk to one of these lawyers about sample clearance, but do NOT sign up for digital distribution until you've paid them for permission, or else some mean nasty lawyers will sue you.
Isn't this an awful lot of work?
No more work than writing your liner notes. And it's only up-front work, to get us all the correct info about the songs. After that you can just sit back and collect the income forever.