How do I create a combined Sell Direct Release and Streaming Release altogether?

Create a combined release that takes advantage of both pre-release DTC Sales (EngineEars Sell Direct) and widespread release distribution to digital stores and streaming platforms. The best of both worlds

Create a combined Sell Direct and Streaming Release

The process for creating a combined release is nearly identical to the steps for creating a Streaming Release, just with a few slight additions noted below: 

 

1. Signup to create a new Artist account on EngineEars.com or login to your existing account.

 

2. In the navigation menu or the profile dropdown menu, click to go to the My Music page. 

 

3. Once on the My Music page, make sure you're in the Releases tab. To create a new release click the "Create Release" button.

 

4. Choose how you want to release your music, then click "Next". 

• Sell Direct and Release to Streaming: choose this option if you want to BOTH publish your song(s) onto your public EngineEars Artist Profile for fans/visitors to purchase, listen, and/or download for a defined price, and ALSO upload your song(s) to streaming platforms and digital stores for fans/visitors to stream and/or purchase.  

Prerequisites: 

 

5. If you have not yet set up Stripe for your account, you will be asked to do so. Click on the Set up Stripe button to proceed with the setup steps for Stripe Connect in their setup portal, then follow the steps. This will enable your account to properly collect earnings from streaming royalties for your music release. 

 

6. After successfully submitting your info, you will need to also complete a required Stripe verification step by providing required documentation. Follow the steps in the Stripe setup portal to verify. 

After your Stripe account has been fully setup and verified, it will be linked to your EngineEars account. You will then be automatically redirected to the Create a Release popup, where you can pick: Sell Direct and Release to Streaming.

 

7. Specify your Release Details, then click the "Next" button to proceed.

 

8. Add Songs by uploading files and/or selecting songs from previously completed projects. Click the "Save Song" button after each song is added. Once finished, click the "Next" button to proceed.

 

9. Specify the Track Details for each of the song(s) in your release, then click the "Save Song" button after each song's details are specified. Once done, click the "Next" button to proceed.

 

10. (Optional) Add Collaborator Splits for automatically sharing earnings split %s on royalties collected from streaming platforms and digital stores on each of your song(s). After you have finished inviting collaborators to your song splits, click the "Next" button to proceed.  

 

 

11. Configure your Direct Sales parameters for your Sell Direct release. Customize the price, song permissions, and sales schedule for your Sell Direct release on EngineEars. Once you're done, click the "Next" button to proceed.

• Release Type: this is either single, EP, or album based on the number of tracks
• Enable individual track sale: if enabled, this allows fans to purchase individual songs. If disabled, fans must purchase the entire release.
• Project price: Set the price you want to sell your entire release for.
• Song price (optional): Set the price you want to sell each individual track within this release.
• Enable "pay what you want" pricing (optional): Provide fans/visitors the option to flexibly pay what they want when purchasing the entire release. Keep this OFF if you want everyone to pay the same predefined project and song prices determined above. Turn this ON if you want to let fans specify their own desired price for purchasing your release. If enabled (ON), you will need to specify a minimum price, this means fans must pay at least this amount or more when purchasing this release.
• Allow Download options (optional): Choose whether or not fans who purchase are able to download MP3 and/or WAV file versions of your songs. By default, fans who purchase will be able to stream the purchased songs, but not download. 
• When should this release first appear on your EngineEars profile: this is the start date/time (in your timezone) for when this release will be displayed and viewable on your EngineEars Profile page.
• Featured, highlight this project on your profile page: turn this ON if you'd like this release to be prominently displayed on your public EngineEars Profile Page. Keep this OFF if you'd prefer this release to be shown in your Catalog section of your public Artist Profile, or you have another release to be displayed prominently instead.
• When should this release go on sale on EngineEars: this is the start date/time (in your timezone) for when this release is available for sale on your EngineEars Profile page.
• When should sales for this release end on EngineEars (optional): this is the end date/time (in your timezone) for when this release stops selling on your EngineEars Profile page, and is no longer available for purchase.
• Description (optional): Add a description to accompany your release so that fans/visitors can learn about your artistic motivations, inspirations, and what this music release is about. 

 

12. Accept Disclaimers. Carefully read, review and agree to the terms in order to submit your combined release. You must accept all the terms in order to proceed with release submission. If you exit the release submission process without accepting the terms, your release is saved as a 'draft' but is not submitted for release. 

 

13. Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation that your release has been uploaded, verified, and successfully submitted.

 

14. View/Edit Release Details after submission. Click the "Go to your Release" button. You will be able to monitor the status of your release as well as view/edit details for your submitted release on this Release Details page. 

• Status: this represents the current status of the combined release. You can track the status of your Streaming release and the status of your Sell Direct release. 
• Sale Date: This is the timeframe in which this Sell Direct release will be eligible for purchase on your EngineEars profile page
• Visibility Date: This is the timeframe in which this release will be publicly viewable on your EngineEars profile page
• EngineEars Pricing: This is the price you've defined to Sell Direct on EngineEars
• Streaming Release Details: This is the release date, pre-order date, and status for your streaming release distribution across streaming services and digital stores

 

To make a change click on "Edit Details" button and either edit project details or edit royalty splits. Make your changes and click the "save" button to apply them.

 

To share a direct, private link to your release before it is publicly visible to others, you can click the "Share this Page" button, and optionally add a password, then copy the link by clicking "Get link" and pasting it to send off.

 

Tips:

• It is highly recommended that you create a combined release if you want to leverage both a Sell Direct Release and Streaming Release distribution strategy together for ease of management and simplicity in tracking. If any details for your overall release and/or metadata for your individual tracks need to differ between the Sell Direct release vs the Streaming release, you can consider creating the Sell Direct release separately from creating the Streaming release