We get versions of this question frequently as well as “How Does the Money Flow” and “What’s the Catch?”  (No catch BTW – read why below!)

How Did Physical Distribution Work Before Spinney?

Unlike Spinney, most physical distributors only accept already successful albums and work on a commission model.  CD Baby, who accepted all albums, also worked on a commission model, and they ended their physical distribution program at the end of 2023.

Spinney Media is different.  We’ve learned from those other models and improved on them.  Our mission is to serve ALL indie musicians and labels and help them sell more albums.  To do that, we created Spinney Media:  an innovative, inclusive, and experienced partner for you.

How Does Everyone Make Money?

Spinney gets paid through subscription fees everyone pays to join our platform and store inventory in our warehouse.  We also make money on shipping and handling for each order fulfilled.

When you make a sale on our Marketplaces, we pay you 100% of the album sale revenue we receive from our partners.  When you make a sale yourself on Bandcamp, Bandzoogle, or your own website, those platforms pay you directly for your sales (Spinney doesn’t get paid by those platforms)

Why A Subscription Fee?

Our subscription model helps us make sure every album we store – whether it sells or not – pays for its space.  This really simplifies things.  You can choose when and how much to restock based on your subscription level, and we don’t need to send overstock messages because you are paying for that space.

Why Shipping & Handling?

Our shipping and handling revenue helps us share in your success when you do sell an album (instead of charging a commission fee – the old model).  Shipping and handling is paid by your fans when selling on our Marketplaces; paid by you, when we’re fulfilling Bandcamp or Bandzoogle orders for you (where you get paid by that platform, not by us).

Example:  Selling on Our Marketplaces

1. 1. We list your CD on our Shopify Marketplace for $15 USD (a price you set when signing up)
2. 2. A fan orders your CD 🎉
3. 3. Your fan pays Spinney Media $15 for the CD + discounted shipping ($4.63) + handling ($2 per box/order) = $21.63 USD
4. 4. Spinney keeps the shipping and handling revenue $6.63 to pay for shipping and materials
5. 5. When Shopify pays us for the album sale, they pay us $15 – $0.75 = $14.25
6. 6. Each month, we issue payments through our partner, Trolley, and you get paid $14.25 for this album sale

Keep in mind that eBay and Amazon will charge higher selling fees – often up to 25%; Shopify’s processing fees can be as low as 3%.  So you make the most money when you encourage fans to buy directly from you by sharing your Spinney Marketplace (Shopify) album links.

Example:  Selling on Other Marketplaces (Bandcamp, Bandzoogle, and others)

1. 1. You list and sell your CD on Bandcamp for $15 USD
2. 2. A fan orders your CD on Bandcamp 🎉
3. 3. Bandcamp pays you for the product sale + any shipping and handling you charge your fan – Bandcamp’s fees (Bandcamp doesn’t pay Spinney anything)
4. 4. Spinney Media charges you discounted shipping ($4.63) + handling ($2 per box/order) = $6.63 to your payment type on file
5. 5. Spinney Media ships directly to your fan
6. 6. Spinney Media handles tracking numbers and any customer service as needed

Got more questions? We cover our Frequently Asked Questions here. You can also reach out to us at support@spinneymedia.com anytime, and we’ll typically respond within one business day.