Digital Downloads
Sell sample packs, presets, PDFs, and project files that reach the buyer the moment they pay.
Not everything in your store has to be a t-shirt. A digital product is a file fans pay for and download instantly: sample packs, MIDI files, presets, e-books, sheet music, project folders. There is no shipping, no inventory to pack, and no fulfillment work. TribeNest delivers it automatically as soon as the order is paid.
Digital is not a separate kind of product any more. You build it on the same form as everything else, and say how buyers get it.
Creating a download
- Go to Store then Products.
- Click Menu in the top right and choose Create Product.
- Fill in the product title, description, tags, and a cover image. For a sample pack, mock up a cover. For an e-book, use the book cover.
- Set the price. Tick Allow users to pay what they want to make that a minimum.
- Under How buyers get it, choose Downloaded.
- Leave the Shipping section closed. Nothing here ships.
- Set a release date, or leave it blank to publish now.
- Drop your file into the Product file area at the bottom.
- Click Create Product.
Pay what you want works well for digital
Downloads are the best place to experiment with pay-what-you-want pricing. Set a low minimum, suggest a number in your description, and let your most generous fans support you with more.
The file
Drop the file buyers will download into the Product file area. Accepted formats:
- PDF for books, sheet music, guides
- DOC / DOCX for editable documents
- XLS / XLSX for spreadsheets
- PPT / PPTX for slide decks
- ZIP for anything bundled, like a sample pack, a project folder, or a multi-file kit
If you are selling a bunch of files together, zip them first.
A different file per version
If your product has more than one version, a block appears under the file called A different file for a specific version. Each version that hands files over gets a row.
Give a version its own file and that is what its buyers get instead of the main one: the WAV in place of the MP3, the extended edition in place of the standard. Leave a version empty and it gets the main file.
A version that hands nothing over shows a note instead of an upload box, telling you which tick box to turn on if you want it to deliver files after all.
To send everyone a second file, do not use this block
The per-version block swaps one file for another. If you want every buyer to receive two files, zip them together, or add the second file as its own item.
Something physical that also hands over files
This is the vinyl-with-a-download-code case, and it lives on the version, not the product.
- Open the version that ships.
- Tick Buyers of this version also get the downloadable files.
That version now posts the record and delivers the files, and the per-version file block above will offer it a row.
How fans receive a download
Once a fan pays, TribeNest delivers the file automatically. They get a confirmation email with a secure download link, and the order shows up on your orders page as a digital delivery.
If a fan loses their email or asks for the file again, resend it from the order: open the order, find the digital delivery row, click the menu, and choose Resend.
Choosing how to sell something
| If you... | Do this |
|---|---|
| Have a file fans download instantly | Set How buyers get it to Downloaded and attach a product file |
| Ship a physical item | Set it to Ships to the buyer and open the Shipping section |
| Deliver a session or a service yourself | Set it to Fulfilled by you |
| Sell one thing both ways, like a record and a download | Add versions and set delivery on each |
| Are releasing music | Use a music release, so you get a tracklist and previews |
You can mix all of these in the same store. Most artists end up with a few of each.
Where to go next
- Adding a shippable product: creating a product
- Formats, sizes, and per-version files: product versions
- Releasing tracks: music
- Watching orders come in: orders