What Is Decypher?

The biggest benefit of a record label is the community around it. Unless you, as the artist, already have a strong track record of proven sales and marketing, most labels won't invest much budget into your release, meaning you'll likely cover most costs yourself anyway. If the label doesn't offer access to a community you want to be part of, you may be better off self-releasing and funding the release yourself.

Label deals have become increasingly tough on artists over time. Many modern contracts now sit around 70/30 in the label's favour, often with perpetual terms, meaning the label controls the release forever. At Decypher, we take a different approach, offering simple 50/50 deals with a reasonable 10-year term. For artists who want full control, we also offer distribution options with no term, allowing them to keep 100% ownership of their music.

The best way to increase your chances of editorial playlisting on Spotify is to maintain a consistent release schedule and build a story around your artist journey. While playlisting is becoming increasingly driven by data and algorithms, there are still humans on the other side deciding what to support. Having a meaningful story or clear reason why your track should be in a specific playlist can still make a big difference.

PR is when you pay a company with industry reach to get your music in front of the right people in the right places, such as playlist curators, media outlets, DJs, and radio hosts. It's extremely rare for tracks to reach these decision makers without some form of PR support. Campaigns can range anywhere from $100 to $3000+, depending on the level of service, but even setting aside a small budget can make a big difference.

This is the million-dollar question. The key is to put your music everywhere possible. Use PR campaigns, private DMs, promo platforms like Trackstack, email lists, and strong social media content to get your track in front of artists and radio hosts. The goal is simple: create as many opportunities as possible for someone to press play, because you never know who might end up playing it on the world stage.

Yes, absolutely. A professional mastering engineer will optimise your track for the platform it's being played on, whether that's streaming services, nightclubs, vinyl, or radio, as each requires slightly different treatment. Even if mastering only improves a track by 5–10%, that extra polish can make a big difference for a song you've spent hours creating.