Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any question or just wish to learn more about FargoTunes please review our frequently asked questions below.

What are the costs involved?
All FargoTunes distribution costs are based upon 33p/50c per track per store. That means it would only cost you 33p (GBP) or 50c (USD) to send a single track to iTunes. This covers each specific release and includes free barcodes and ISRC codes. Further than that we have a storage, accounting and maintenance charge of £5.50/$8 for one track, £16.50/$24 from 2 – 12 tracks and anything above 12 tracks is £27.50/$40, these payments are annual.

Uploading Tips!
1. After uploading and paying don't forget to click 'Return to FargoTunes' on the PayPal page. Not doing so may effect your release

2. Make sure your artwork is between 800x800 + 1000x1000

3. Dont forget to organize and name your tracks correctly

4. Only select 'Have your own label' if you have your own registered label and have your own ISRCodes. If you have a FargoTunes-Registered Label you should be to select it from the drop down menu.

5. If one track in your album is explicit then you will have to mark the whole album as explicit. 

What percentage of my earnings does FargoTunes take?
We do not take any money from your earnings; you keep 100% of all royalties.

How do I know when my release is live in stores? 
Unfortunately when releases go live stores do not send notifications to be passed on to the customer, and due to the number of release we receive weekly we are unable to search every artist separately to provide store links. Therefore, it is ultimately up to the artist to manually search for their release on stores.

To ensure your music goes live when you want it to we recommend selecting a release date at least 3 weeks in advance of your submission date. This will allow time for all stores to process your release so it is ready for your desired date.

How long until my music goes live on iTunes*?
Nearly all releases are going live on iTunes within 24 hours of sign up, although occasionally we have noticed it is taking up to 3-4 days. When you upload your music it will arrive at the iTunes store within minutes, at that point it is up to iTunes to make the release live.

* Distribution times subject to time of year, size of release, quality of data provided and iTunes and other partner's acceptance of release.

How long until my music goes online elsewhere?
We deliver your music to the sites within 48 working hours. Sites like Medianet and Spotify are constantly ingesting a lot of content so it generally takes 4/5 weeks for us to get your content live. Four weeks can be very tight, depending on how many tracks digital stores are ingesting that week. If you are promoting towards a specific release date we advise you to leave 5 weeks + before release date. We let you specify your own release date, so if you want it available ASAP simply put down the present date and we will get it live for you as soon as we can. If you want to specify your release date for 5 weeks, 8 weeks, 16 weeks, whatever you wish, then you can specify that and we will make sure it doesn’t go live until that date.

When can I get reports and get Paid?
The majority of stores and streaming services report monthly. These reports are payable 50 days after the end of the sales period. Certain stores such as 7Digital, eMusic and 24/7 will report quarterly, These reports are payable 50 days after the end of the quarter.

How much do I get paid per download?
We give you 100% of whatever we receive from sites [average of 70% of sale price] with completely transparent accounting via our FargoTunes dashboard area. 

How do I Get Paid?
Log in to your FargoTunes Dashboard (if you do not have an account simply register), click ‘Money’ and click to make a settlement. We will pay you for accounts received up to date within 7 working days via Paypal or BACS. You can request whenever you want.

If I take an average of 60% of gross of my sale, where does the rest go?
The remainder of the money is split between MCPS/PRS [Or similar foreign body], banking charges, bandwidth charges and profit to the retailer. The amount received varies depending on where the purchase was made.

How much do I get paid from streaming sites like Spotify?
Spotify pay very small amounts for each play, however as Spotify is mainly a promotional tool but if you can keep the plays coming the money will stack up. However you roughly get 0.01pence per stream [depending on the type of stream and country of listen]

What happens if I want to take my music down?
This is free with FargoTunes. You will notice that other distributors charge you for taking your music down. We rarely have artists wanting to remove their music from FargoTunes and it’s usually due to them wanting to change their release, they have been signed or maybe that particular sound does not represent them anymore. Well if that’s true, we don’t see why you should have to pay us just to handle some small paperwork for you. So we do this for free.

With you being a UK and US based company, how does it affect me if I am outside of these territories?
The barcodes that we assign you are international so it doesn’t make any difference to your release. We can make you chart eligible in UK, US, Canada, Australia, Sweden and Ireland.

What if my release is not live in certain stores?
Our automated systems give retailers your music within around 48 working hours of receiving it. It then takes them 4-5 weeks to process your release due to the large amount of content they have, this is dependent on the store. If 4-5 weeks have passed and your release is STILL not live in certain stores then we can chase this for you. If it’s only a couple of weeks then please be patient, the stores are dealing with your music.

What format of music can I upload?
Our new upload system means that you can now upload several formats. For MP3s they should be high quality, preferably at 320 Kbps and WAVs can be upload in several formats including:

• WAV – 16bit – 44.1kHz
• 16bit – 48kHz
• 16bit – 96kHz
• 24bit – 44.1kHz
• 24bit – 48kHz
• 24bit – 96kHz

What dimensions should the artwork be in and what kind of thing do you want?
Firstly, it needs to be a minimum of 800×800 pixels and a maximum of 1000x1000 pixels. Your artwork represents your album cover and shows up as the size of a postage stamp. So it’s not necessary to have barcodes or any other information other than your artist name, should you wish. Remember that this represents your music and is encouraging people to buy into your product, so make sure it is of good quality. Also please be aware that web address, contact details and incorrect spelling of artist name or release title then your artwork will not be accepted by sites and this could hold up your whole release.

What is Pre-Release?
Pre-Release means that customers can order your music before it officially goes on sale. They will be able to re-claim and download it on your official release date. This means that all the sales you have gained during your pre-release period will count towards your sales during week of release – which is excellent for chart positioning. Please be aware that pre-release stores like 7Digital, HMV, play.com and others will still need around 4 weeks to process your pre-release. If you have a string of gigs lined up, this is a great way of making sure each fan can purchase instantly, rather than waiting until its official release date. 

I have my own label and barcodes, how does this affect me?
As you sign up you can enter your own barcodes and ISRC codes and we will use these with your release. If you have your own ISRC codes you can use your own label name for free.

What happens if a label wants to sign us?
FargoTunes is totally non-exclusive and you are free to opt out at any time. All we need is written confirmation and we will request removal of your music within 24 hours from all stores.

My music is already on a download store, can I use FargoTunes as well?
You cannot distribute the same music to the same store twice. So if you want us to deliver your music to iTunes rather than your current distributor, then you will have to ask them to first remove your music. If you would like to use your current distributor but take advantage of the extra stores that FargoTunes provides then that is no problem and we can either use your existing barcodes, or issue you new ones, during the store selection process just select the stores you are not on.

If I sign up for a few stores can I upgrade to more sites later?
You can upgrade at any time. Upgrades are charged at the cost of distribution - non subscription fees will apply.

Can my music go solely on Dance Sites?
Yes during the store selection process just select from our vast selection of Dance stores.

What does it mean when I set a label up with you?
We register a label name of your choice with the PPL. We then use this for all of your releases as it is connected to your FargoTunesmusic.com log in. If you set up XXXX records, then all of your releases will show up as being released by XXXX records. This is different from setting up a Limited Company, PLC or LLC and all of this type of registration as well as copyright must be done by the client.

How many sales do I need to get into the UK Top 40 singles charts?
This varies quite drastically, check out the blog section where there is a great article with year round figures and laws of how many copies you can legally purchase. Roughly 9,000 of quiet points of the year and roughly 16,000+ for busy times of the year.

Can I release cover versions?
You can release a cover version as long as it does not stray too far from the original. Download stores will pay the MCPS/PRS to the artist who wrote the song, it works out at around 9 pence per sale. This does not affect how much you get paid.

Which iTunes territories does FargoTunes cover?
We cover all territories individually and this is the same with all of our download partners. Whichever country your fans are in, they will be able to log into their local iTunes and find your music. iTunes is one store so you only get charged once for delivery, unlike other distributors who charge you up to six times over to deliver to the same place.

Can I give away my music for free on sites like iTunes?
Sorry, no. Download stores have to pay MCPS/PRS for every track that is sold, even if it does not have a price attached. So it would not make sense for them to give music away for free. On iTunes my single is displayed as “My Single – EP” iTunes are very strict on the way they display releases. If it is a single with 4 or more tracks they will display it as an EP, any less and its a single. This is the way iTunes operate and unfortunately there is no way around it.
 

This is an error that can happen sometimes. We are working on resolving it - however if this has happened to you please contact our support team in the contact section of this site and they will provide you with a code to reupload and fix your broken release.

Which artists have FargoTunes worked with? How do I know I can trust FargoTunes?
FargoTunes music grew organically from a few people who loved music and wanted to release it on their own terms. After we launched the first unsigned artist into the UK top 40 singles chart we were confident we could do it again, and again, and we did. Larger artists were leaving their labels to work with FargoTunes and we work with tons of artists worldwide. We have released music for Tupac, Lil Wayne, Suzi Quatro, Maverick Sabre, Wiley, Kid British, Finch, Samantha Fox. The list goes on. At FargoTunes, everyone is treated exactly the same and you are on the same platform as all of these world-renowned artists. We are regular exhibitors at events such as Midem, Music Live, Popkomm, SXSW, and Canadian Music week. We are members of AIM and the BPI. FargoTunes have spoken at universities such as NYU, Oxford, Manchester, Birmingham Business School, Hull University as well as working alongside New Deal for musicians, Access to music, UK Trade and Investment and a host of other initiatives.