Brief

From fragmented workflows to a unified distribution

Redacted operates a music distribution service where users sign up through a web application, select pricing tiers via an integrated Google Form, and are reviewed and approved by the client team before their accounts are provisioned.

Upon approval, the client team creates a new Label in AudioSalad and sends an account invitation. Users then complete a separate AudioSalad sign-up process with distinct credentials and access the white-labeled AudioSalad dashboard to create Products and submit delivery requests.

On top of this, client was using a third party royalty processing system SR1 leading to extra monthly costs and more manual work.

Challenges

The problem: a fragmented platform experience

The current implementation created significant user experience challenges that impacted both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Three critical pain points were identified during the discovery phase:

Fragmented authentication

Users had to maintain separate login credentials across multiple platforms - the client web application, AudioSalad dashboard and Tipalti - creating unnecessary friction and increased cognitive load.

Disrupted user flow

Users had to constantly navigate between different websites to complete tasks and monitor assets, interrupting productivity and creating confusion about where features are located.

Lack of system integration

Services operated in isolation without direct communication with the main client application, preventing real-time visibility into delivery status and analytics from within a single platform.

Why Tarka Labs

Discovery objectives

Tarka Labs conducted a structured discovery engagement with Redacted to evaluate architectural options against three core platform objectives:

Unified authentication and user experience

Provide a seamless single sign-on (SSO) system that eliminates the need for multiple login credentials across platforms.

Analytics and revenue dashboard

Provide an integrated dashboard with real-time visibility into streaming analytics, revenue metrics, and sales performance.

Centralized product catalog management and DSP distribution

Enable users to manage their entire product catalog within the client platform and distribute content to multiple Digital Service Providers (DSPs).

Research & Solutions

3 Strategic approaches evaluated

Three distinct architectural strategies were evaluated, each representing a different trade-off between cost, speed-to-market, customisation, vendor dependency, and long-term flexibility.

OPTION 1 - Pre-built platform solution

Strategy:

Prioritize rapid deployment and cost efficiency by leveraging a fully-featured white-label platform from an established provider (SonoSuite or Revelator).

Key features:

• End-to-end ecosystem including user dashboard, catalog management, automated DSP delivery and Royalty processing.
• Built-in SSO integration for a unified login experience.
• Provider handles technical operations, DDEX compliance, and DSP integrations.
• Integrated analytics for streaming performance and revenue.

Pros: Fastest time to market, low upfront investment, low technical complexity.

Cons: Lower customization flexibility, higher vendor dependency.

Scope of Work

• Data Migration from AudioSalad & SR1 to SonoSuite or Revelator
• SSO Integration between client platform and white-label dashboard
• Configuring white-labeling and client brand customisation

OPTION 2 - Custom UI with enterprise APIs

Strategy:

Develop a proprietary frontend tailored to client's brand while leveraging third-party APIs (Revelator) for the heavy lifting of music delivery and distribution.

Key Features:

• Custom-built frontend for Catalog Management, User Management, and Analytics.
• RESTful API integration with Revelator for DDEX delivery, metadata handling and royalty processing.
• Custom Analytics Dashboard with real-time metrics and trend analysis.
• Tipalti integration for efficient payment processing.
• Granular control over UI/UX and brand differentiation.

Pros: High customization, balanced vendor dependency, tailored user experience.

Cons: Higher implementation effort, medium technical complexity, ongoing API costs.

Scope of Work

• Data Migration from AudioSalad & SR1 to Revelator
• Building Frontend for: Catalogue Management, User Management, Analytics, Sales UI.
• Tipalti Configuration and Integration with Revelator
• Admin quality control dashboard.

OPTION 3 - Hybrid approach with existing infrastructure

Strategy:

Reuse existing architecture components from project while building missing modules and leveraging the existing delivery partner Audio Salad for DDEX deliveries.

Key features:

• Reuse of existing User Management, Sales UI, and SR1 report ingestion modules.
• New build for Catalog Management (UI + Database) and DDEX Delivery Management System.
• Custom Analytics UI with daily trends ingestion from the delivery provider.
• Direct XML data sending to AudioSalad for delivery.
• Admin quality control dashboard for internal oversight.

Pros: Highest customization, maximizes reuse of existing client code, no migration effort, move towards owning own distribution and royalty system.

Cons: Highest implementation effort and cost, highest technical complexity, longest time to market.

Scope of work

• Use existing integrations and subscriptions.
• Testing and verification of already built modules - User Management and Sales UI.
• Build New Catalogue Management (frontend + backend database)
• Analytics ingestion and matching (frontend + backend)
• DDEX Delivery management, Admin quality control dashboard.
• Data & Delivery Catalogue Data porting from AudioSalad
• Sending data to AudioSalad for Delivery (DDEX XML)

The decision: Choosing speed and efficiency

After a rigorous comparison of implementation effort, cost, customization, and time-to-market, Redacted selected the Pre-Built Platform Solution.

This decision was driven by the need for:

• Rapid deployment: To quickly address the fragmented user experience and start capturing market share.
• Cost efficiency: Lower upfront investment compared to custom builds. Given the scale of operation was low, low monthly subscription fees.
• Operational simplicity: Offloading technical maintenance and DSP compliance to the provider (SonoSuite/Revelator).

Outcomes

The results: a foundation for growth

Tarka Labs provided the strategic clarity and architectural evaluation needed to make this critical decision, ensuring Redacted moved forward with a solution aligned with their business goals and resource constraints.

By selecting the pre-built solution, Redacted achieved immediate improvements in their operational model:

• Unified user experience - Eliminated fragmented authentication with seamless SSO integration.
• Accelerated time-to-market - Deployed a fully functional distribution platform in weeks rather than months.
• Reduced operational overhead - Automated account provisioning and reduced manual review processes.
• Integrated analytics - Provided users with immediate visibility into streaming and revenue data within the client brand environment.
• Scalable infrastructure - Leveraged the provider's robust infrastructure to handle growing track volumes and user bases without additional engineering burden.

What's next

Working on something similar?

Whether you are rethinking how music gets distributed, trying to close the gaps in royalty reporting, or looking to bring fragmented workflows under one roof - we have done this before.

Tarka Labs works with music tech companies at every stage, from early discovery and architecture decisions to full product builds. If you are building in the music distribution or royalty processing space and need a team that understands both the business and the technology, we would love to hear from you.

Reach out at hello@tarkalabs.com