Groover has partnered with Horus Music, the music distribution and publishing platform, and we discussed with their team to find a little bit more about what they do and how the platform works.
1. In a few words, can you tell us about Horus and how it works?
Horus Music is a global music distribution, publishing andartist and label services company. Established in 2006, we offer independent artists and labels simple and affordable solutions for all their music needs. We have our own custom-built in-house technology, so our artists can easily upload and deliver their music for distribution and publishing, manage their royalties and view regularly updated analytics all at the click of a button.
2. What differentiates Horus from other distributors?
We strive to put our artists’ needs first, offering honest and professional advice. Unlike our competitors, our artists can easily reach us via email and phone to talk through their release plans, concerns and resolve any issues without getting stuck in ticketed systems. We also make it a priority to listen to our artists and develop new opportunities in line with what they are looking for from their music partner to deliver the best service possible. By popular demand, we have also recently launched our brand-new music publishing service, Horus Music Publishing. This enables our artists to manage both their distribution and publishing needs in one space.
3. Which artists have seen the most success working with Horus?
We work with thousands of extremely talented artists and have been very lucky to help many achieve their dreams. Through our direct partnerships with DSP’s, we’re able to pitch directly to editorial playlists which has resulted in a significant increase in digital presence for our talented artists.
Some of our highlights include working with the incredible Manchester based Indie-Rock outfit Gathering of Strangers who have seen a major rise in their monthly listeners, starting out with just 200 and increasing to over 25,000 with just a few releases since we partnered with them for distribution on our more hands-on artist and label services model. As their following continues to grow, the band have also secured editorial placements across stores such as Apple Music, Boomplay, YouTube, SoundCloud, Deezer and FLO; with highlights being Apple Music’s ‘New in Rock’ playlist.
We’ve supported Nigerian sensation Ajimovoix Drums – the creator of ‘Focus Dance Beat’ which went viral across TikTok – skyrocketing his career. Ajimovoix has seen success across platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, Tidal, YouTube, Boomplay and Vevo, with highlight placements including ‘New Music Friday Naija’ on Spotify.
We’ve had the absolute pleasure of working alongside India based singer-songwriter Frizzell D’Souza, who has seen consistent success across stores such as Apple Music, FLO and Spotify including securing editorial placement across Apple Music’s ‘New in Pop’ and ‘New Music Daily’. Frizzell has also recently won the Indian Music Diaries 2023 award for best pop artist/singer-songwriter of the year and is embarking on a tour across India.
4. What are the biggest distribution tips you can give artists?
There are so many things to think about when distributing your music and if it’s not something you’re familiar with, it can feel overwhelming. Our top tips would be:
- COMMUNICATION: Talk to your distributor to understand exactly what you need to submit your music and understand terminology like ‘metadata’ and the difference between a UPC (barcode) and ISRC. This knowledge may seem basic for some, but having an understanding will really go a long way in helping you navigate the landscape.
- TIMING: Lead time is everything – it might seem great that we can distribute your releases within 24 hours, but if you’re wanting to see success, keep in mind that over 100,000 songs are digitally distributed every day. To break through the noise, a marketing strategy requires time – especially pre-release. It’s also important to note that stores process releases at different rates, so whilst some may be super speedy and push your release live within a 24-hour timeframe, it can take others up to 2 weeks to fully ingest the information and display live; so leaving a longer lead time is essential for ensuring your music is live across on platforms on your release day.
- METADATA: Ensure all your metadata is correct. It’s so easy to upload your release information and not think to check for spelling mistakes or that the correct audio file has been uploaded. Whilst some errors can be fixed once a release is live, in some cases such as uploading the wrong audio file, your release would have to be taken down and re-uploaded as a brand-new product; so we always advise our artists to check and check again before submitting to ensure a smooth and seamless release.
5. What piece of advice would you give artists looking to explore music publishing?
Music publishing can often be deemed a grey area in the music industry. With an increasing demand of independent artists and songwriters looking to fund their music careers without the intervention of a label taking a slice of the pie, sourcing additional revenue streams outside of distribution is essential for the survival of the independent music scene. Music Publishing can be an incredibly lucrative revenue stream for artists of all genres and calibres, so the first step to growing your music revenue is to sign up with a music publisher like Horus Music Publishing. We offer a transparent, reliable, and affordable service, with our single songwriter subscription priced at just £3 per month. Choosing a publishing partner you can trust to correctly handle your admin and register your songs can save you a lot of hassle and time, providing you with more opportunities to focus on being creative. If you’re not overly familiar with music publishing and would like to learn more about what publishing is, the benefits of having a music publisher and how having a music publisher can take your music career to the next level, we’d recommend reaching out to our team at publishing@horusmusic.global who will happily assist.
6. What can Groover users expect from this partnership with Horus?
We have lots of exciting opportunities going on over at Horus HQ, from distribution to publishing and marketing options, we have something for everyone. We’re delighted to also be offering Groover artists an exclusive 50% discount on our digital press one sheet service, alongside a free playlist plug to Spotify and Apple Music to help you boost your digital presence and further increase your profile to unlock new audiences.
👉 To have access to this offer, all you need to do is drop us an email to social@horusmusic.global and include the code GROOVER50.
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