Smith Music Group, Smith Entertainment, Rick Smith Publishing, and SmithMusic.com collectively form a dynamic group of companies providing a comprehensive range of music services to artists and labels worldwide. Our offerings include physical and digital distribution, publishing administration, record label services, and much more. We are dedicated to helping musicians and labels across all genres advance their careers, maximize revenue, and boost exposure.

Our Story

Established in 1998 by Rick Smith Sr., Smith Music Group embarked on an exciting journey with the recording of the first-ever Live at Billy Bob’s Texas album, featuring Texas native Pat Green. Over time, our series has grown to include legends like Willie Nelson, Gary Stewart, John Conlee, and numerous other country and rock favorites. With millions of album sales, downloads, and streams to date, the Live at Billy Bob’s Texas series has showcased more than 50 artists across all formats, including CDs, DVDs, and vinyl records.

Embracing the Digital Revolution

In the early 2000s, as the music industry began to evolve with the advent of digital platforms, Smith seized the opportunity to form a direct partnership with Apple for distributing the Live at Billy Bob’s Texas series. This coincided with the launch of iTunes, marking a significant milestone for our company. By 2004, we expanded our reach by establishing Smith Entertainment, which offered label services and distribution to non-Live at Billy Bob’s Texas recording artists, catering to the growing needs of independent musicians. As more streaming and download services emerged, Smith forged direct relationships with each platform.

A New Era of Music Distribution

In 2014, Smith shifted its primary focus to distribution, forging strategic partnerships with organizations like Merlin and A2IM to represent the independent music sector. In addition, we teamed up with AudioSalad to power our delivery and catalog management platform, the Smith Music Portal. To ensure transparency and user-friendly access to royalty information, we partnered with Curve Royalty Systems to design easy-to-read royalty reports and analytics.

As Preferred Partner Providers with both Spotify and Apple, SmithMusic.com is committed to leveraging our extensive industry experience to help our clients achieve success. We are passionate about sharing our knowledge and expertise with the artists and labels we serve, supporting them every step of the way on their creative journeys.