Digital Distribution Agreement
Put your catalog on every streaming platform, on your terms.
A digital distribution agreement music contract is what an artist or label signs with a digital distributor to get their music onto Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL, and regional platforms. The distributor delivers the files to each platform, collects streaming revenue worldwide, and pays the artist or label after taking a commission — typically 15% to 30% of gross receipts, depending on the distributor and the tier of service.
Unlike a recording contract, a digital distribution agreement does not transfer master ownership. The artist or label keeps full ownership of the recordings; the distributor acts as a licensee or collection agent for the duration of the term. That is why distribution deals are attractive to independents: you get global reach without giving up the catalog.
MUSILOCK generates a digital distribution agreement music contract covering the essentials: parties, catalog covered (entire catalog or specific releases), territory (usually worldwide), term length, distribution fee, payment schedule, reporting requirements, platform list, whether the agreement is exclusive or non-exclusive, YouTube Content ID and monetization terms, rights clearances and representations, termination rights, and what happens to the catalog and pending revenue at the end of the term.
This template is for the distributor-side agreement — the contract the artist or label signs with the distributor. It is not a label-to-artist deal (see the recording contract template) and not an artist-to-artist collaboration. If you are building your own micro-label and signing distribution for a roster, this template is the foundation. If you are signing as an individual artist, the same template still works — scope it to just your catalog.
Electronic signatures via SignWell are legally valid worldwide under the US ESIGN Act and the EU eIDAS Regulation. Once both parties sign, the PDF is stored in your MUSILOCK account. The bilingual template is useful for Latin artists signing with US or European distributors, and vice versa — both language versions are equally enforceable.
Get your catalog distributed, properly.
Keep the masters. Define the terms. Signed in minutes.
Create this contractFrequently asked questions
Do I keep ownership of my masters with a distribution deal?
Yes — that is the whole point of distribution versus a recording contract. The distributor acts as a licensee or collection agent and never takes ownership of your master recordings. The contract should explicitly state that ownership stays with the artist or label; if it does not, treat that as a red flag.
What is a typical distribution fee?
Commission-based distributors (like classic DistroKid competitors on the paid tier) often take 10-30%. Flat-fee services charge an annual fee and pay 100% through. Boutique labels distributed through a full-service distributor (ADA, The Orchard, AWAL) typically pay 15-25%. The MUSILOCK template lets you enter the exact fee structure you agree.
Should distribution be exclusive or non-exclusive?
Most digital distribution is exclusive for a given recording — two distributors cannot both deliver the same track to Spotify at the same time. Exclusivity usually applies per recording, not per artist: you can distribute different releases through different distributors if the contracts allow it. Confirm the exclusivity scope before signing.
Can I switch distributors mid-term?
Only by terminating the current agreement — which is governed by the termination clause. Some distributors allow termination with notice; others lock in catalogs for a fixed term. Read the termination and rights-back clauses carefully. A distributor you cannot leave is a distributor whose incentives no longer align with yours.
What happens to unpaid royalties if I switch distributors?
That depends on the contract's post-term accounting clause. Streams earned during the term may continue to generate revenue collected by the original distributor for a period after the term ends. The MUSILOCK template lets you spell out whether a post-term collection window exists and how long it lasts.