Digital music distribution is a hot item on this blog and those who read it know that I keep a close eye on the three major players catering to small independents, namely ReverbNation, TuneCore, and CD Baby. All three have lowered the barrier of entry for indie artists and small labels to distribute their catalogues to iTunes and other major online retailers for upfront fees as opposed to hefty commissions by the likes of The Orchard, INgrooves, IODA, IRIS, and others, who generally avoid small players anyway. Now, a new digital music distribution dotcom has emerged but with an ad-supported business model. WaTunes aims to thrive on ad revenue by providing artists and labels with a free (no frontend fees, no backend commissions) distribution channel to online retailers such as iTunes, Napster, and eMusic.
The slightly questionable website service description and makeshift appearance promises to provide the same level of content marketing and distribution as its rivals, and much more. In theory, WaTunes is offering a very attractive service to a huge potential market, but is it sustainable? SpiralFrog, We7 and Qtrax have yet to prove that their ad-supported download services have legs. In this economy, I’m not sure that any upstart can scale on advertising revenue alone.
Business models aside, I’m somewhat concerned about WaTunes’ cryptic service description and the fact that their web pages are riddled with spelling mistakes and poor marketing copy. It’s a bit like walking into a fancy restaurant only to notice that the toilets are overflowing with shit halfway through your dinner. Going with my gut here (no pun intended), I feel that the musician-led platform may be biting off more than they can chew… but I would love to be proven otherwise. I like free. Who doesn’t?
