Pondering Tunecore vs. Snocap vs. CDBaby vs. Nimbit.

As I plot my course to becoming The Biggest Selling Songwriter In All Of History, it crossed my mind that I might need distribution. Not wanting to slum it with so paleolithic a thing as a record company, I have been seeking out alternatives.

There are zillions. Kazillions even. But four stand out, at least for me.

TUNECORE - For broad digital distribution of my soon to be platinum selling albums and singles, this is the service I plan to go with. I like Tunecore for two big reasons: 1) it distributes music to both iTunes and AmazonMP3, along with a bunch of others, all of which I consider to be also-rans; and 2) it charges a fee for the Tunecore service instead of taking a commission.

SNOCAP - Personally, anything associated with myspace doesn''t hold a lot of appeal for me, and Snocap is myspace's music partner. Why don't I like myspace? Because their site is built on the WORST code and, as a result, looks shitty and works even shittier. Fact is, I think myspace is doomed, unless it gets serious about sprucing up its underlying code, and pumping up its 2.0 cred. I mean, compared to Facebook, myspace truly is a joke. One last concern: MySpace Music has been s-l-o-w to launch. Either they're really taking the time to get it right, or, more likely, they're squabbling over who gets the corner office.

CDBABY - I have heard nothing but good things about CDBaby, and if you want to sell a combination of discs and MP3s they are probably the way to go. I opted for Tunecore simply because Tunecore is digital only, and that suited me, since I do not yet have a CD.

NIMBIT - I confess, I just learned about these guys today, but they are damn intriguing, and might win my business, which, as I've stated, will be MASSIVE. Here are three cool things about Nimbit: 1) they offer a direct-to-fans widget, which you can put on your site and offer your most adoring multitudes exclusive content, T-shirts, CDs, whatever; 2) they seem good for both digital and discs; and 3) Robert Plant and Alison Krauss use it! Concerns? Their commission schedule is a bit complex, and I HATE complexity.