Interesting thread - I have spent quite some time doing EXACTLY what Simon has. With pretty similar results!
I have found some useful info - check out this review:
Want To Know Who The Best Digital Distribution Company Is? - Digital Music NewsDigital Music News
And the came guy comparing CDbaby with Tunecore
Ari's Take: CD Baby Pro vs. TuneCore Publishing (The Full Report)
I think these are both very useful, though they are US-centric (Simon - you are based in the UK, right?). I have also been looking at some European services the reviews don't cover, such as Songflow and recordJet.
As some guys have pointed out, we are naive optimists (something no one would say about me in any other walk of life!). Yes, I reckon my songs are good and well recorded and produced. That of course means jacks**t without a marketing policy. We do have a very precise plan for our first "single", which might not guarantee anything, but I am sure will get a number of listens at least. Like Simon, we want it to be chart eligible just in case. Absurd? Certainly! But making music is a labour of love, so having done the easy part (making the record!) now its to the hard part.
At the moment I'm thinking of going with Songflow for distribution and Tunecore for rights management, but that is in part to do with the potential market.
(Simon, do PM me if you have any ideas/discoveries - oh, and we're looking for a bassist...!).
