Too Lost-distributed artist Ollie Joseph (Photo: Ollie Joseph)
The music industry isn’t running out of music distributors anytime soon, though Too Lost is differentiating with some interesting innovations —including a deep list of partnerships that include BMG, Easy Song, beatBread, and Delta.
Music distribution is a seriously competitive sub-industry, though a relatively fresh face, Too Lost, is making waves by rethinking the traditional distribution model.
Already, the company is getting good marks from the musician community for solving issues like streaming fraud and enabling artist financing. However, the company is also pushing an expansive partnership strategy designed to offer artists and labels more than just a path to digital service providers (DSPs).
The result: Too Lost is suddenly pushing distribution far beyond the traditional task of shuttling music from A-to-B. With an array of non-traditional partners, the company aims to provide broader opportunities for its artists, with the end game of reaching new and diverse audiences. Just recently, Too Lost partnered with Digital Music News to further expand their growing footprint.
Several notable artists are already on board with Too Lost’s refreshed concept, including Chief Keef, ILoveMakonnen, YG, Xavier Wulf, Lil Mabu, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Ali Gatie, Lucifer, Joseph Tilly, and Pink Sweats. Also in the Too Lost mix are up-and-coming artists like Ollie Joseph (pictured), who recently crossed 600,000 followers on Spotify.
At this stage of the game, artists can quickly move their music onto Spotify or Apple Music with more than a dozen high-quality distribution platforms.
Against that competitive landscape, Too Lost decided to expand the role of traditional distribution. Too Lost excels in DSP distribution (they are a Spotify Preferred Provider, for example), though they also offer competencies in critical areas like cover licensing, financing, and publishing administration.
Too Lost told Digital Music News they decided against building those competencies from scratch for several reasons. For starters, the ‘wheel has already been invented’ in many critical music industry core competencies, so why not simply partner with the best to rapidly expand the possibilities for its artists?
In the case of cover licensing, that meant brokering a deal with Easy Song. In artist financing, a beatBread deal was inked to enable flexible financing options, enabling Too Lost artists to fund their projects without traditional record deals. For publishing administration, a BMG partnership was brokered. And the list goes on.
“Our partnerships with industry leaders like BMG and beatBread are a testament to Too Lost’s commitment to providing artists with comprehensive tools and resources,” said Damien Ritter, Director of Marketing at Too Lost. “By leveraging these collaborations, we empower artists to focus on their creativity while we handle the complexities of rights management, financing, and content protection.”
Here’s a quick rundown of some of Too Lost’s top partnerships.
Too Lost told us that this is a rapidly-growing list, though these are currently some of their most impactful and essential partnerships.
Easy Song: Simplifies the complex world of song licensing, making it easier for artists to cover songs legally.
Pex: Provides robust content identification and monetization tools.
Cosynd: Offers enhanced IP protections, ensuring artists’ intellectual property is well-guarded.
BMG: Assists with publishing administration and royalty management, freeing artists from the intricacies of managing their publishing rights.
Beatbread: Facilitates flexible financing options, enabling artists to fund their projects without the need for traditional record deals.
Manifest (formerly Nerve): Ensures direct payouts to artists, streamlining the financial aspects of music distribution.
Beyond its core partner alliances, Too Lost is also focusing on non-traditional distribution endpoints.
For most artists, uploading an album to Spotify is akin to pouring water into the Pacific Ocean. Current estimates peg the number of songs uploaded to DSPs at more than 120,000 a day, and AI only worsens the situation.
So, how do you get noticed in such an intimidatingly vast sea of ‘content’? Too Lost says they hear this problem repeatedly, though not every platform is so crowded. Accordingly, the company has partnered with companies like Delta and Peloton to help artists break through.
Delta doesn’t offer an on-demand platform with millions of songs, though they do promote selected songs to captive fliers. The noise floor is suddenly overcome if an artist is chosen for one of the airline’s in-flight entertainment systems.
The same is true for Peloton, whose high-energy workout playlists can make fans out of fitness enthusiasts if the vibe is right. Too Lost also brokered a partnership with Sonu Stream, co-founded by Tokimonsta, which aims to better compensate artists for their streams. These non-traditional partnerships aim to expand the reach of Too Lost’s artists, ensuring that their music can be discovered in unexpected places.
After a relatively short period in the industry, Too Lost has received positive marks from musicians.
Among the biggest fans is Ari Herstand, a respected musician and industry expert who recently proclaimed that “Too Lost is one of the best-kept secrets in the music distribution world.”
“Their commitment to artist autonomy and unmatched administrative support sets them apart from the competition,” Ari gushed.
Too Lost’s top artists are also tapping into the platform’s network of partnerships, with tracks getting financed and popping up on non-traditional playlists. “At Too Lost, we are incredibly proud of the innovative solutions and partnerships we’ve developed to support our artists,” says Ritter. “Our mission is to empower musicians by providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed in today’s dynamic music industry.”
“At Too Lost, we firmly believe that you can make a serious creative dent and find your fans — but you need the right partners to do it.”
