DistroKid Exposed : Terms Of Service... (Don't Sign Up Until You Watch This!)

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  • Опубліковано 3 жов 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 662

  • @TopMusicAttorney
    @TopMusicAttorney  6 місяців тому +28

    HERE IS A LINK TO THE DISTROKID HIGHLIGHTED DOCUMENT: www.topmusicattorney.com/dspterms
    🟡Ready to become your own record label? Get started now!:
    www.topmusicattorney.com/becomeyourownrecordlabel
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    📄 8 Essential Music Contracts Bundle: www.topmusicattorney.com/contractsbundle
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    🟢 Free Stuff: www.topmusicattorney.com/free-stuff

    • @RichardMasonOfficial
      @RichardMasonOfficial 6 місяців тому +2

      You should review the Terms of Service for Session Studio, which is a new platform for songwriting and royalties.

    • @cloudbloodmusic
      @cloudbloodmusic 6 місяців тому +2

      I'm curious about how good amuse is

    • @cloudbloodmusic
      @cloudbloodmusic 6 місяців тому

      ​@@RichardMasonOfficial that's mostly a collab app/an easy way to keep your files/lyrics in one place. I'm currently writing an anti-Zionist song using it and they haven't given me a hassle with any of it so I don't think they track what you do and seems generally ok.

    • @RichardMasonOfficial
      @RichardMasonOfficial 6 місяців тому

      @@cloudbloodmusic I was referring to the aspects of the service regarding how it allows songwriters to do song splits, licensing, royalties and credits. Tunecore and other distributors are joining it. I read some of the Terms of Service and found some really shady stuff in there. Getting her thoughts from a legal perspective will be helpful.

    • @BoldStatement
      @BoldStatement 6 місяців тому

      What you recommend?

  • @XxMM_DANGERxX
    @XxMM_DANGERxX 5 місяців тому +172

    This kinda click bait, you had me scared for a second, but after watching I was like oh this is all pretty standard stuff but overall Im glad I watched! All good information, and its nice to know you've got artists back and that there is a YT page dedicated to us! Def Subscribing and looking out for more!

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому +5

      Appreciate you joining the fam and being here! 🙌

    • @bananabrainz
      @bananabrainz 3 місяці тому

      except that they commonly cancel people without notice or reason. Lots and lots of people.

    • @BLACKF1R3OFFICIAL
      @BLACKF1R3OFFICIAL Місяць тому

      @@TopMusicAttorney No, we greatly appreciate you! I use artificial intelligence to create my own music. Just watched the lawsuit video against Suno (which I use). but I use it to create the instrumental songs/ soundtracks, then I take the stems I have from each song I created using suno ai and then I input them into my recording software, tweak it, edit it, and turn it into my very own music. I therefore, did not go against any such copyrights, nor did I steal anything from anyone. Therefore, I have my own music.
      Right?

    • @BLACKF1R3OFFICIAL
      @BLACKF1R3OFFICIAL Місяць тому

      The Record Labels, and Record Companies are just jealous trash lol . I'm also a professional stagehand as well. I have seen and learned some things from working backstage. The politics that arise from backstage are absolute trash. LOL

    • @Cult_of_the_Mantis
      @Cult_of_the_Mantis 19 днів тому

      @@BLACKF1R3OFFICIAL you essentially remixed or maybe reworked AI's tune. it's still art but imho not as much as if you work some midi of your own, just practice it :)

  • @zmix
    @zmix 6 місяців тому +55

    It's an incredible service you're providing here by stepping through these agreements - as you pointed out: "the only music industry contracts you can't negotiate".

  • @denniskielton2447
    @denniskielton2447 5 місяців тому +44

    As a full time musician/teacher who briefly considered law school (my Dad was a judge for about 25 years) I must say, I love your videos. This is all good and VERY important information that most people don't care enough about. Musicians are notoriously bad at keeping their money, and making sure their business is legally sound. Most don't even look at it as a business, most want to become a part of someone ELSE'S business (getting signed.) And they take like 10% sometimes even less. So on behalf of all the musicians I know, THANK YOU!

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому

      That's so nice! I'm really grateful for the amazing of community of people who are dedicated to their music careers and learning. Glad you can be here

  • @ha-ato
    @ha-ato 5 місяців тому +46

    I've got like 40 songs on Distrokid. This video has me backing up my ISRCs, No idea why I didn't think to do this already..

    • @irep_ent
      @irep_ent 5 місяців тому

      Me too

    • @REVIEWSWITJAY
      @REVIEWSWITJAY 5 місяців тому

      I have been uploading so many songs lately on distrokid, so I need to do the same

    • @9ethergangdretti369
      @9ethergangdretti369 4 місяці тому +7

      What is ISRC?

    • @krystiannorthwall6726
      @krystiannorthwall6726 4 місяці тому

      3:44 ​@@9ethergangdretti369

    • @ha-ato
      @ha-ato 4 місяці тому

      @@9ethergangdretti369 its a code that tracks your song across multiple stores, more or less. Think of it like a unique ID.

  • @NotBenCoultry
    @NotBenCoultry 5 місяців тому +22

    So glad this channel exists. I'm not distributing yet, but that day is coming soon so this stuff is seriously well-timed.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому +3

      Glad you can be a part of the fam! 🙌 Be sure to check in and let me know once you have your music in distribution, and lmk how things are going!

    • @NotBenCoultry
      @NotBenCoultry 5 місяців тому +1

      @@TopMusicAttorney I absolutely will, figure I got 6 more to round out an album then it's on.

  • @wintyrqueen
    @wintyrqueen 5 місяців тому +18

    Distrokid, for years, insisted that I’d never had a sale or radio play. I was there when people bought digital albums, & I had a bunch of radio play on a radio show that I hosted.
    But nope, not a single sale, not a single radio play, according to them.
    I told them to take down my music, they asked why, I said “because you’re a scam artist”, & their response was essentially ‘yep, that’s fair’ & they refunded the last payment they’d taken & took my stuff down

    • @wo-and-lo-yinz
      @wo-and-lo-yinz 2 місяці тому +4

      dk took our 350+ dollars streaming money out of our bank-that was for two years worth of streams-they did not send us an e-mail to tell us.they also greyed out two thirds of our music on spotify etc - dk said it was spotify and spotify said it was dk -welcome to the music business - lol

  • @lormaes
    @lormaes 6 місяців тому +28

    Thanks for going through it for all of us, very insightful! It would be cool to see a comparison between the different distributor's contracts so us artists could make more informed choices about which one to choose...

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  6 місяців тому +13

      More to come! Thanks for being here 🙏

    • @AnaamSings
      @AnaamSings 5 місяців тому +2

      Yes please to this

    • @jerialice
      @jerialice 5 місяців тому

      I’ve tried CD Baby and now Distro Kid. DK seems a little easier to manage. I paid a lifetime fee to be able to manage my own IRSC codes. Also signed up with BMI for years…looks like the6 are going down?

  • @DTAEXPERIENCE
    @DTAEXPERIENCE 5 місяців тому +12

    I'm glad UA-cam suggested this video to me, it was very informative. My question is: How do we Cut Out the Middle Men and go directly to the DSPs???

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому +13

      We can't, so the solution is to go directly to CONSUMERS! Sell your music on your own website, and cut out the middle men! Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

  • @RufusJacson
    @RufusJacson 6 місяців тому +28

    You may already have done this, but a step by step video on 'How to not get f*cked' when releasing your art would be great. At least the 'essentials' as you see them, maybe?
    So many people (and i was almost one of them before i saw a lot of your videos) finish their music and just sign up to Distrokid or similar because "that's what everyone says to do". But then there are so many other factors and conflicting advice (are you signed up to performing rights, this royalty management agency or that artist registration agency, etc, etc, etc...). It's all so opaque and impossible to understand unless you have the time to become a lawyer yourself, but i've spent a hell of a long time improving my skills as a musician, i don't have enough time left in my life to become an expert on the legalities too. Thank you so much for helping guide us, but yeah, a step by step of some kind would be really helpful! Thank you!

    • @holdenhurdle8831
      @holdenhurdle8831 5 місяців тому +3

      Make it free and post it everywhere it cannot be taken down. The people who like and resonate with it will find you by a different means. Art is a spiritual channel and not a product. So does not need to advertised or treated as such. Because it's a calling above the system that only looks to feed upon the artists to generate revenue that if they can will not share with you the creator. And will demonize anyone who speaks upon the evil practices necessary for 'their' business to exist.

    • @starphaserdisco
      @starphaserdisco 5 місяців тому +10

      @@holdenhurdle8831 While I wholly agree with the sentiment, the fundamental issue is that people like doing what they love for a living. You cannot do that by making it free and not advertising it. While yeah, art isn't a product, I like to eat food and have a roof over my head. I also love making music more than anything else. Getting to provide for myself WITH music seems great. Capitalism inherently disallows this.

    • @alexmancera6566
      @alexmancera6566 5 місяців тому

      @@holdenhurdle8831 that’s a nice thought, but my (and probably a lot of people’s here) dream is to make a living off music, and that means not giving everything for free. Artists should be paid for their work, whenever possible, and that is tragically limited as it is. We deserve to feed ourselves for producing something of value like everyone else. Both aside from that, and in service of trying to become stabilised in our genres for that goal, it would be bizarre to not put it on popular platforms such as Spotify and in my case beatport and so on. I respect a positive attitude but this is not very realistic for those who want to make art all day and have enough money to live.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому +3

      haha love this, thank you for the suggestion. Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

  • @peterelfman
    @peterelfman 6 місяців тому +13

    This video is super clutch, and I'm deeply appreciative to you for making it, as I'm a broke-ass artist looking to begin distributing tunes that are just chillin' on my hard drive.

    • @chesspeese3050
      @chesspeese3050 5 місяців тому +4

      you're rich! start saying it and you'll feel that power . you're not broke

    • @foljs5858
      @foljs5858 5 місяців тому +4

      @@chesspeese3050 yeah, that's not how it works. The landlord doesn't accept confidence or wishful thinking in lieu of rent

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому

      Thanks Peter! Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

  • @mapofthecat
    @mapofthecat 6 місяців тому +77

    Another way DistroKid "earns" money is to sign people up, reject their releases, then pocket the sign up fee. Even if this happens to a small % of customers, that's potentially millions of dollars.
    When DistroKid rejects a release, they'll claim it was actually the DSPs that rejected the material due to editorial discretion, and that there's absolutely nothing they can do. People quickly discover on Reddit that the solution is to simply try with another distributor, and they should be fine.
    Which indicates that the problem was with Distrokid's automated screening service, not the artists' material nor the DSPs, as they claim. Claims that are impossible to dispute: they literally tell their customers to not dispute them, whilst depriving them of any information whatsoever as to what was allegedly wrong with their release, or which DSPs allegedly had the problem.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  6 місяців тому +11

      Oh wow, did this happen to you?

    • @mapofthecat
      @mapofthecat 6 місяців тому +17

      ​@@TopMusicAttorney Yes. I should add that while the rejection (and permanent ban) happened to me as new customer, all of their customers run this same risk. Just google the phrase "releases has been rejected due to editorial discretion" for the horror stories.

    • @notreally-sf3df
      @notreally-sf3df 5 місяців тому +12

      @@mapofthecat Show me your music that was rejected. I have seen everything online and there are _zero_ "horror stories". They're all user error or fraud.

    • @foljs5858
      @foljs5858 5 місяців тому +9

      > Another way DistroKid "earns" money is to sign people up, reject their releases, then pocket the sign up fee. Even if this happens to a small % of customers, that's potentially millions of dollars.
      Doesn't sound like something a company would do, even for the profit. They could post the releases and keep receiving the annual feeds for distributing them. Why would they forfeit all that money (and the money from you giving them also your future releases) just to pocket the sign up fee? Instead I believe that if this happened to someone, the DSPs actually DID rejected the material...
      It's either your lyrics, images, accusations of some copyright issues for the music, or something like that.

    • @Groovychu
      @Groovychu 5 місяців тому

      @@foljs5858 NOT TRUE BECAUSE THEY PAYED ME10 K N STLL PAY ON THAT ACCOUNT TOO , I MADE A NEW ACCOUNT FOR NEW RELEASES AND CONTINUE TO PAY 30 A YEAR TO KEEP GETTING ROYALTIES
      I JUST CANT POST MUSIC ON THAT CHANNELBECAUSE I POSTED A UNLISCENSED COVER ITS SIMPLE LETS STOP PLAYING VICTIM

  • @markshveima
    @markshveima 4 місяці тому +2

    Very kind of you to walk us through this contract. I appreciate the detailed depth of information you have given.
    One thing about cover songs and DK. It was indicated to me by them that even though I had a license from Easy Song for the cover song my project released, I still have to pay the $12 yearly fee for them to distribute that song. The reason seemed to be because they themselves did not wish to go through the trouble of verifying every cover song license from every one of the artists using their platform.

  • @danielpaul9523
    @danielpaul9523 2 місяці тому +1

    Thank you lovely top music attorney for your video. Very educational,and I appreciate you point aspects of the agreements out to artists who sometimes forget or haven't read it all.

  • @jacquelinevanbierk
    @jacquelinevanbierk 5 місяців тому +5

    Thank you for pointing out the importance of the IRC #. I was worried about losing all the views and plays if I take it down and move distributors. Thanks so much!

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому

      You got it! Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

  • @KimberlyandAlbertoRivera
    @KimberlyandAlbertoRivera 3 місяці тому +2

    yup, that happened to us, 50+ albums removed overnight, no heads up, no warning, no email, nothing, gone overnight, claiming "fraud" on our part, whatever that means right, or that some stores do not want to distribute our music. Of course, I uploaded the music to a new service and no store issues. I wish I would have found your channel 8 years ago, never saw any back royalties owed to us. Just awful company. Thank you SO much for what you are offering to the artist community! 🙏 you have some good harvest karma coming your way!🔥

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  3 місяці тому

      I'm so sorry to hear this; please feel free to reach out to our office - admin@degladoentertainmentlaw.com.

  • @stereowave_yt
    @stereowave_yt 5 місяців тому +6

    I signed up knowing I would lose money, just wanted to get my music on more convenient platforms.

  • @smthnew861
    @smthnew861 5 місяців тому +25

    I hate that when you stop paying, your music will be deleted.

    • @metalavenger23
      @metalavenger23 5 місяців тому

      You should always have a backup somewhere else.

    • @metalavenger23
      @metalavenger23 5 місяців тому

      You should always have a backup somewhere else anyway.

    • @hydrophobia936
      @hydrophobia936 5 місяців тому +4

      You can pay a fee to leave it up forever

    • @VogelKlein
      @VogelKlein 5 місяців тому +3

      I didn’t pay for 3 years and still my music wasn’t deleted. I think it’s a hustle for the to delete from aaaaaaaaaalllll the platforms.

    • @dookiestylez
      @dookiestylez 5 місяців тому

      @@VogelKlein nahh i didny pay last november they took all my music down

  • @Gaba.Groove
    @Gaba.Groove 4 місяці тому +1

    Thank you for this! I'm a lawyer and an artist too! Livin' the dream! ❤

  • @thestonedandstripped
    @thestonedandstripped 6 місяців тому +7

    I like what you do for the songwriter/performer explaning details.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  6 місяців тому +3

      Appreciate you being here and being part of the fam! 🙏

  • @TakaShitake-rt8bz
    @TakaShitake-rt8bz 5 місяців тому +11

    we never signed off the June 2021 t.o.s update. suddenly they wanted hundreds of dollars. we cancelled everything instantly. it was an old catalogue anyway, a singer songwriter no longer active -

  • @GonzoCiosain
    @GonzoCiosain 5 місяців тому +8

    I just put my main band's first album out via DistroKid, I'm watching this and saving the video in case any problems arise due to their TOS and/or contracts. All of the nonsense going on with streaming lately is a perfect example of why and how physical copies of albums and movies will always be relevant and necessary for making any lasting impact, creatively speaking.

    • @jdarg4163
      @jdarg4163 5 місяців тому +1

      I've started to make my own website to promote my music and mechanise etc so if they go and do something I don't like I can just sell it directly from the website as that's all I will be promoting going forward and I can also monitor every vist and where they are watching from also its the way forward

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому +1

      Save for later indeed! Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

    • @GonzoCiosain
      @GonzoCiosain 5 місяців тому +1

      @@TopMusicAttorney I’m also considering going back to college to study either pre-law or engineering. If I go the law school route I’m planning to focus on civil rights issues (specifically guarding against violations of the Bill of Rights). Your channel is helpful because it applies law concepts to something that I understand.

  • @DigitalAndInnovation
    @DigitalAndInnovation 4 місяці тому +1

    23:57 I love this bit of info! Knowing that capitalization means defined terms and lower case is all subjective is something to be looking out for!

  • @mickturner8977
    @mickturner8977 Місяць тому +1

    Thank you so much. You really explained everything so clearly.

  • @HoodDonniedarko
    @HoodDonniedarko 4 місяці тому +74

    100 thousand views and not one person even the creator of the video can tell me wich service is a good alternative ??😭

    • @jonnymak1079
      @jonnymak1079 4 місяці тому +10

      As always my bro... a record label
      I been doing this for years EVERY1 AROUND THE WORLD is fooled by this fake computer industry... its still about the labels and yes u must pay them 1st and have everything ready for them... i deal with relaps records... what kind of mudic u do... theyr more like grindcore deathmetal punk hardcore...
      I do other projects with people too but with tjose genres relapse rec. Is my people :)
      Iv played with Deicide sufgocation canibal corps all the big guys... not showing off, trying to help
      1 love
      Let me know if u do any of them genres

    • @JorrinArsenec
      @JorrinArsenec 4 місяці тому

      Cd baby is cool it’s a one time payment and they don’t take your music off if you don’t pay them unlike distrokid

    • @michaelj.anderson1116
      @michaelj.anderson1116 4 місяці тому +10

      Band camp...maybe?

    • @reesy4k
      @reesy4k 4 місяці тому +12

      united masters

    • @sportmaniac10
      @sportmaniac10 4 місяці тому

      Bandcamp or CDBaby, or sell CDs yourself and keep every penny of profit

  • @quantumpath1082
    @quantumpath1082 2 місяці тому +1

    ❤ Thank you so much for your great video🎉🎉🎉

  • @MrInvisible5119
    @MrInvisible5119 5 місяців тому +2

    This is great information, not only about Distro Kid but other legal issues that should be addressed, so thank you for sharing! Looking forward to seeing more videos from your channel! ❤

  • @garrybartlett6853
    @garrybartlett6853 5 місяців тому +8

    Most people don't realise that a contract is a legal document that is agreed upon... why are we signing contracts that we can not add amendments to before signing...
    A contract is meant to serve both parties...

    • @TheMatrixofMeaning
      @TheMatrixofMeaning 5 місяців тому +1

      It's not a contract. Just because these corporations have managed to use their money and power to get precedent for a time does not make a digital checkmark become a contract. It's just who can afford the better attorney

  • @Ronaldjack10
    @Ronaldjack10 5 місяців тому +2

    if nobody told you......YOUR AWESOME HELPING PEOPLE......

  • @medionamusic
    @medionamusic 3 дні тому

    finally i found someone talking about music distribution without posting that 7% discount link

  • @COMPOSERONCRACK-fc7xx
    @COMPOSERONCRACK-fc7xx 5 місяців тому +18

    I recently graduated from Harvard Law. I will soon be uploading a video about how unbelievable shady this “company”’s practices are. As a fellow lawyer and musician, thank you so much for this video.

    • @4everforgotten
      @4everforgotten 5 місяців тому +2

      please help protect us artists 🙏🏽

    • @darrinsiberia
      @darrinsiberia 5 місяців тому +2

      did you upload it yet ?

    • @snarf1504
      @snarf1504 5 місяців тому +1

      Thank you, COMPOSERONCRACK.

    • @user-jo5vw5rz9q
      @user-jo5vw5rz9q 5 місяців тому +1

      waitin on that 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💖

    • @user-jo5vw5rz9q
      @user-jo5vw5rz9q 5 місяців тому

      exploring safer, longer-term options.

  • @ghvstraid
    @ghvstraid 3 місяці тому +4

    distrokid claims that i've been acting “suspiciously” (i think due to my music becoming popular) and because of this i can't get my revenue from songs i made. i wish that distributors allowed artists to get money directed to their accounts instead of to the distributors first…

  • @markclason2272
    @markclason2272 5 місяців тому +3

    Cut to the chase. What distribution service should we use?

  • @MikeGrahamDSM
    @MikeGrahamDSM 5 місяців тому +6

    Thankfully you popped up into my feed - insightful and helpful. Subbed.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому

      Glad you can be here, Mike! I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

  • @salaam76
    @salaam76 3 місяці тому +1

    Real facts. Thats why I distribute my own music 100%

  • @DJBennyswift
    @DJBennyswift 5 місяців тому +3

    Really interesting information! I’m a musician, DJ, starving artist myself and I’m so glad I ran into your video, I have so many questions and I’ll look to see if any of them are answered, wow thank you so much because this really opens one’s eyes to what you sign and don’t know.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому +2

      I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi and ask your questions!

    • @DJBennyswift
      @DJBennyswift 5 місяців тому

      @@TopMusicAttorney I will definitely work on catching a live, I’m in Eastern time zone and today I have a gig. Looking forward to understanding more, thank you for the videos!

  • @oniwabangroup
    @oniwabangroup 5 місяців тому +2

    LOVE THIS CHANNEL , JUST DISCOVERED🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

  • @tazzakamrluxurious2731
    @tazzakamrluxurious2731 6 місяців тому +7

    Thank you so much for going over this 👍🏾💯💯💯

  • @JeHereticMusic
    @JeHereticMusic Місяць тому +1

    I don't understand why I cannot upload myself? What's the legal jargon that makes it so we cannot just distribute ourselves

  • @LighttheCelestial
    @LighttheCelestial 5 місяців тому +4

    Overwhlmed but thankful ❤

  • @ronnieblanchet4072
    @ronnieblanchet4072 4 місяці тому +1

    Awesome! God bless ya HARD for what you do
    SOLI DEO GLORIA
    (To The Glory Of God Alone)
    Father, Son & Holy Spirit
    -Ronnie

  • @CandyAppleBlue
    @CandyAppleBlue 6 місяців тому +2

    I ❤ the work that you do! You're channel is a vital source for indie music-makers. I love the way your mind works. 🎶🎵 🙏

  • @CFlower323
    @CFlower323 3 місяці тому

    I would LOVE to see a video like this going over the ToS for Ditto, Landr, or especially Too Lost as well (if you haven't already ofc). Def subscribing immediately and checking out all your other videos!! Thank you for doing this so we understand what we're signing! This is exactly what smaller artists need!!

  • @TheMavynonIG
    @TheMavynonIG 6 місяців тому +2

    Found it extremely helpful & glad I didn't make any crazy decisions with my music.

  • @PurpleHounding
    @PurpleHounding 5 місяців тому +4

    It's their business and their agreement, so they should be able to terminate it at any time but forfeiting future royalties when doing so wouldn't be right.

  • @stereothrilla8374
    @stereothrilla8374 5 місяців тому +4

    Well put Krystle! I’ve been trying to tell my affiliates, artists and co-writers the same thing for over a decade. It is a whole new landscape with streaming and digital distribution. IP, copywriting and royalty structure have completely changed and quite frankly I’m burnt out on the music industry. I will continue to develop artists because I love music and enjoy working with musicians but the money making days are over unless you get into licensing and rep yourself.

    • @Commentbycommenter
      @Commentbycommenter 5 місяців тому +1

      Are you taking on new musicians?

    • @stereothrilla8374
      @stereothrilla8374 5 місяців тому

      ⁠@@CommentbycommenterI am still taking on new musicians. Most of what I invest my time in these days are pet projects or artists whom I truly love their music. I recently just finished producing an EP for an artist and am developing/mentoring another. However, most of my focus these days is cowriting/producing one offs to license for film/tv. I have worked more in the film industry for the past decade than the music industry but I’ve been with ASCAP for over 20 years. Please feel free to contact me through my channel.

    • @stereothrilla8374
      @stereothrilla8374 5 місяців тому

      @@Commentbycommenter I am still taking on new musicians. Most of what I dedicate my time to these days are either pet projects or artists whom I personally love their music. I have personally sought out most of the artists I’ve worked with lately however I have been approached by a few. If I have the time, we have goals that align and the project feels right I’m open. I’ve recently just finished producing one artist and am currently developing/mentoring another. My main focus these days has been co-writing/producing one offs to license for film/tv. I’ve worked more in the film industry these days than the music industry, though I’ve been with ASCAP for over 20 years. Feel free to contact me through my channel.

    • @stereothrilla8374
      @stereothrilla8374 5 місяців тому

      @@Commentbycommenter I am still taking on new musicians. Most of what I dedicate my time to these days are either pet projects or artists whom I personally love their music. I have personally sought out most of the artists I’ve worked with lately however I have been approached by a few. If I have the time, we have goals that align and the project feels right I’m open. I’ve recently just finished producing one artist and am currently developing/mentoring another. My main focus these days has been co-writing/producing one offs to license for film/tv. I’ve worked more in the film industry these days than the music industry, though I’ve been with ASCAP for over 20 years. Feel free to contact me through my channel.

    • @stereothrilla8374
      @stereothrilla8374 5 місяців тому

      @@Commentbycommenter I am still taking on new musicians. Most of what I dedicate my time to these days are either pet projects or artists whom I personally love their music. I have personally sought out most of the artists I’ve worked with lately however I have been approached by a few. If I have the time, we have goals that align and the project feels right I’m open. I’ve recently just finished producing one artist and am currently developing/mentoring another. My main focus these days has been co-writing/producing one offs to license for film/tv. I’ve worked more in the film industry these days than the music industry, though I’ve been with ASCAP for over 20 years. Feel free to contact me through my channel.

  • @Tomalo-Dub
    @Tomalo-Dub 5 місяців тому +4

    Very grateful for you taking the time to explain this. Thank you Subbed

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому

      Awe, I appreciate the kind words! Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

  • @PianoVampire
    @PianoVampire 5 місяців тому +3

    On your point regarding covers, you don't need ANY license at all if your songs are only on streaming platforms. That mechanical license is for downloads. Spotify and other streaming platforms already pay the necessary license fees, so Distrokid's model is outrageous. I think RouteNote allows you to only distribute to streaming platforms so you don't pay a fee, but most don't allow this and just charge for the license regardless.

  • @PropereinsteinTMG
    @PropereinsteinTMG 5 місяців тому +5

    CD Baby all day. Customer service is great. One time payment. Non-exclusive. The services that are exclusive can be opted out of anytime. I now have a commercial song on tiktok also.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому +4

      Make sure you watch my CD baby terms of service video... ua-cam.com/video/f72ZXmIHYM0/v-deo.htmlsi=2Tz-vmfCBmezYj7i

    • @PropereinsteinTMG
      @PropereinsteinTMG 5 місяців тому

      @@TopMusicAttorney will do

  • @Google_Is_Evil
    @Google_Is_Evil 5 місяців тому +2

    Several platforms pay royalties to "record companies" based on how much plays that record companies have spread over all their artists. This means that the big artists bring in more money for that record company than the small ones. If Distrokid has a deal like this with the platform, it means that Distrokid will be distributing the money according to the rules they have in their terms and conditions and maybe not by number of plays or something alike.

  • @montayy1978
    @montayy1978 5 місяців тому +1

    Just listening to this specific video our situation is literally alike and I needed that now I no what to do 😮‍💨🙏🏽

  • @RahulMakhijaOfficial
    @RahulMakhijaOfficial 5 місяців тому +12

    One bad experience does not mean every distributor is doing the same.....Most important , I have seen artists having problems with their distributors but that is the case with only those artists who don't know how to operate the dashboard properly or they are technically weak. I never had any issues with distrokid and tunecore. Used both services they are great. Also, sometimes you get a reply late, but that doesn't means they are fraud or a scam. They are taking care of lakhs of artists and handling their catalogue. So , it is really hard for a team of 50-100 people to care of thousands of artists. These are big companies. They need time to rectify and clarify all the issues and matter. So relax.....guys. it is all subjective in the end.

    • @l-o-yinz
      @l-o-yinz 2 місяці тому

      i wish that were true.but ?

  • @markeyzbeats2410
    @markeyzbeats2410 4 місяці тому +1

    Mind blown. I didnt know that plays follow with isrc

  • @thewonderdawg
    @thewonderdawg 4 місяці тому

    Thank you for this. I'm going to reach out and hopefully hire you for your services. Yes, I documented everything.

  • @robertblack2310
    @robertblack2310 5 місяців тому +2

    As a regular person not privy to legal jargon….how so we sift through it all so its understandable and palatable without the help of paying a lawyer?

  • @hankfromSPiN
    @hankfromSPiN 4 місяці тому

    Thanks for the info. What I got from your vid is that as long as I don’t do something illegal myself I should be ok. But I don’t love the false claim thing, where someone can screw me wo them checking into it first.

  • @Marek_Vasilev
    @Marek_Vasilev 5 місяців тому

    Thank you for this clear, and understandable video: Very much appreciate it!

  • @FrankJonen
    @FrankJonen 6 місяців тому +5

    It’s absolutely alien to me why someone would sign a contract that has their work pulled from the stores and their UPCs voided when they stop paying.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  6 місяців тому +5

      It's been interesting looking at these distributor terms of service for sure!

  • @IncredibleC85
    @IncredibleC85 6 місяців тому +7

    Distrokid really isn't bad as a distributing service. Even if i didn't make a dime. My music got out their. Funny thing about being poor. You can't miss what you never had 😂😂

    • @IncredibleC85
      @IncredibleC85 5 місяців тому +1

      Scratch that I just went to go listen to my sing on Spotify and someone else song plays in place of mine. Distrokid 👎🏾 for that one or Spotify one of em

  • @LifeStageMusic
    @LifeStageMusic 5 місяців тому +2

    Thanks for your work.

  • @OKa807
    @OKa807 5 місяців тому +4

    How do you get through video about mostly legal stuff without falling asleep? I tried for a second time today and I just woke up 😂

  • @YOUNGBUTCONNECTED
    @YOUNGBUTCONNECTED 4 місяці тому +1

    Thank you for this ❤

  • @gamefantasticcuz
    @gamefantasticcuz 6 місяців тому +3

    Much respect for this.

  • @theRealManDawg
    @theRealManDawg 3 місяці тому

    Thanks for the free game 💪🏾

  • @EconID
    @EconID 5 місяців тому

    I heartily appreciate you providing this content.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому

      I heartily appreciate you! Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

  • @johnnyeproductions
    @johnnyeproductions 5 місяців тому +2

    You freaked me out for a second when at 22:08 when you said, "Hey John, this is what you made during this month..." lol Thank you for this video tho, I am going independent and have been thinking Distrokid was probably my best bet. Now I know what I need to be aware of going into it! Thank you!!

    • @TheRussianGenius
      @TheRussianGenius 5 місяців тому

      hahaha lol

    • @RRRSoulEvan
      @RRRSoulEvan 2 місяці тому

      It’s okay man. Distrokid is awesome. And the support is amazing I can tell you for sure in my personal view so far using distrokid. It has been great! Don’t get scared man. Just do your stuff and if for whatever reason something comes up which for me nothing hasn’t happened and it’s going super great for me. But if something comes of course reach out to the support or seek lawyer help

  • @sojahglokgreezy3270
    @sojahglokgreezy3270 4 місяці тому +2

    What’s the best platform to use?

  • @gdoubleose
    @gdoubleose 6 місяців тому +2

    Love the knowledge you drop 💯💪🏼

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  6 місяців тому +1

      Appreciate you being part of the fam! 🙏

  • @maxvincent6062
    @maxvincent6062 5 місяців тому +1

    Thank you so much for this info.

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому

      🙏Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

  • @paultorbert6929
    @paultorbert6929 5 місяців тому +1

    909 on likes, magical box…….
    Thank You for these informative videos !!!!!!!
    You are “unborning” all us suckers…. I wish we could be naive innocent musicians, without all the corporate-types seeing us as prey.

  • @lyudmilaworrall295
    @lyudmilaworrall295 3 місяці тому +1

    Thank you so much

  • @pjohns92
    @pjohns92 5 місяців тому +2

    Idk how but distrokid charged me today. I don't even have a fully set up account on their platform and haven't even released anything through them. I removed a song a few years ago for someone who went on to release it through the service but I told them to do what they want

  • @Tassonebeats
    @Tassonebeats 5 місяців тому +1

    Basically another evil company , not suprising

  • @TatianaBalashova
    @TatianaBalashova 5 місяців тому

    Thank you for the video! 🙏 Is the contract the same in 2024? It would be great if you later keep people updated :). So helpful to have a music attorney opinion on that. Such fine print can be daunting and overwhelming to process. Most people probably sign up with DK and other distribution companies without fully reading and understanding the agreement(s). Plus conditions change at times and as you say without any power to negotiate them.
    Love also your language and the manner of explanation, for a non- native speaker it helps as well.

  • @mattwatsonthesecrethelicopters
    @mattwatsonthesecrethelicopters 6 місяців тому +6

    I cancelled my Distrokid in December. They still took my money for another year! I had to contact them to claim that back. They did eventually refund me. However! My music is still up on streaming services etc. So surely still earning royalties? So are they saying they will contact me and still pay? I removed my music in part, because I didn't agree with the new Spotify 1000 plays or less no longer receiving payment. Also they kept messing up my music with another artist of the same name.
    In short should I contact them again and ask if there is any monies left owing?

    • @tresero2862
      @tresero2862 5 місяців тому

      @@NishaKumari-fl8tz Not a chance. I'm not going to India when you decide not to pay.

  • @JG415420
    @JG415420 3 місяці тому

    THANK. YOU.
    yeah glad I found your platform

  • @TreyyyBeats
    @TreyyyBeats 3 місяці тому

    That was Amazing! Thank You!

  • @Liam_More
    @Liam_More 2 місяці тому

    I have one thing to say about the small commercial at 16 minutes. When you say Top Music Attorney... don't say Tommy needs a new flurry 🤣. Articulate that just as well as the rest you did please. You are a big help and I really love watching your vids, but that moment I had to rewind to really know what you were saying. Keep it up and thank you for everything!

  • @arvindbeeharry8214
    @arvindbeeharry8214 5 місяців тому +1

    This was a great insight, thanks. You got me subbed! Keep it up!

    • @TopMusicAttorney
      @TopMusicAttorney  5 місяців тому +1

      You got it! Glad you can be here. I'm live here every Wednesday at 5pm PST if you want to come say hi!

    • @arvindbeeharry8214
      @arvindbeeharry8214 5 місяців тому

      @@TopMusicAttorney Awesome! Will do. Thanks for the heads-up. 5pm your time is actually 1am my time. I'm gonna have to start taking my coffee black again

  • @alexanderbytes
    @alexanderbytes 4 місяці тому +1

    Question: Can you expose LANDR?

  • @SOAR-OF-AVEM
    @SOAR-OF-AVEM 5 місяців тому +1

    What a ggod job here! Thank you!

  • @beat_avenger
    @beat_avenger 6 місяців тому +6

    Do Priam next.

  • @djtanikgotbeatz
    @djtanikgotbeatz 5 місяців тому

    THANK YOU!!! done with tune core and distorted. The world says there the worst but there actually the worst

  • @Heindy.Creator
    @Heindy.Creator 6 місяців тому +131

    Question : So if distrokid and tunecore aren't good, which one do you suggest?

    • @SenatorJaiz
      @SenatorJaiz 6 місяців тому +40

      I used to use Distrikid. I now use Amuse. Also there is CD Baby, and Soundcloud has distribution now as well. Not saying any are better than the others though.

    • @cloudbloodmusic
      @cloudbloodmusic 6 місяців тому

      ​@@SenatorJaiz I was thinking of switching to amuse, is it good?

    • @ajesuslover
      @ajesuslover 6 місяців тому

      @@SenatorJaizhow do you get SoundCloud to pay out?

    • @LocusFelix
      @LocusFelix 6 місяців тому +17

      Find the time to do it yourself or pay a trusted friend who isn’t doing anything or much to distribute yourself… it’s literally the only way you’ll be safe 🙌

    • @cloudbloodmusic
      @cloudbloodmusic 6 місяців тому +61

      @@LocusFelix if self distribution was a possibility more people would do it. So are you telling people to start a record label?

  • @officialhardnox
    @officialhardnox 6 місяців тому +1

    Other than the useless “extra” features which we bit on in the beginning (but don’t opt for anymore) and still get charged almost $180 a year for (and we emailed them and they said they cannot remove the extras unless we re upload, to be honest other than this Distrokid is the fastest DSP we’ve ever used. In a world of of content and speed we can literally finish a single about a trending topic and have it released everywhere with 4-6hrs. Which is pretty incredible. I don’t think any DSP is perfect but again other than our past “extras” we bit in with distrokid we don’t have any issues with them.

  • @Tr3yst3r64
    @Tr3yst3r64 5 місяців тому

    In regards to unclaimed royalties, maybe they're referring to when there might not be enough data to determine what a royalty was for. For example, a bug in a vendor's software causes underreporting, and now no one can determine why DistroKid was paid.

  • @AdrianMilanio
    @AdrianMilanio 6 місяців тому +6

    So if you don't recommend DistroKid, TuneCore, or Symphonic what do you recommend?

    • @operationbasscrime
      @operationbasscrime 6 місяців тому +14

      @@TopMusicAttorney Would be cool to see a comparison with their Terms of Service and why they are good.

    • @CheapSushi
      @CheapSushi 5 місяців тому

      @@operationbasscrime She's likely a shill. Going on their website, Priam seems even less transparent. Is their Terms of Service / Contract as upfront on their site? Nope. Their CEO is based in Albania but they pretend to be U.S. California based. Yet the default currency is Euros on their site. They say they only have 2-10 employees. Distrokid has at least 50-200. So who has more risk for being a shady company? So good luck sueing them if something really goes wrong with your music.

    • @shan5445
      @shan5445 5 місяців тому

      @@TopMusicAttorney Why are Priam Digital Good?

  • @robthebloke
    @robthebloke 5 місяців тому +6

    Question: for a while now I’ve been uploading videos to UA-cam of me doing live improv on a modular synth. Over the last couple of months my channel has taken off, and I’ve started earning a bit of cash via UA-cam (I’m not signed up to a distributor or anything like that). A couple of days ago someone lifted the audio from one of my tracks, stuck a scream sample over the top, and released it as the opening track on their new album. Distrokid has laid claim to my video, sending my YT income to this “artist” instead of me. I’ve filed a dmca against the track (only thing I can do really). What’s the best approach to preventing this happening in the future?
    As a kind of follow on from that, sometimes I record entire live sets, which can be an hour or more. I want those sets to be available on YT without any ads in the middle, but as I understand it, a distributor would force ads into my YT videos if I was to upload them to a distributor?
    I don’t suppose you’d have any advice for someone who is totally new to all of this stuff? (I’m probably going to be watching a lot of your videos today, if you have any videos you think I should check out first, that would be amazing!)
    Thanks! (Great video by the way!)

  • @starseedinvaded
    @starseedinvaded 5 місяців тому +1

    Which platform is fair and gives the Artist what they are entitled to? I don't see any difference with the old labels, now the labels have changed to music platforms and nothing has changed.

  • @cfig81
    @cfig81 5 місяців тому +1

    Thanks for the video, very informative, love your hair by the way. ❤

  • @803MUSICGROUP
    @803MUSICGROUP 5 місяців тому +3

    Has anyone seen where they take a portion of your earnings and apply it to someone else's account that stopped paying on their account. Like.. whoever you have splits with....if one or more stop paying for their membership....they take it from yours!!! I know...because it happened to me.

  • @Steve-i5295
    @Steve-i5295 28 днів тому

    Now the lump sum thing reminds me of UA-cam shorts recent monitization program where they share ad revenue (if I understand that correctly) to all creators of shorts who meet specific view thresholds.
    Once one platform does it, others may follow, so lets say they get 10 mil in ad revenue for shorts in quarter 2, you would expect they divy that with the short creators who meet audience expectations.

  • @BrandenMendoza
    @BrandenMendoza 4 місяці тому

    True we pay them for the exact amount for their services. We should not allow them to take per project royalties.

  • @NYCGN
    @NYCGN 5 місяців тому +1

    Your videos are very informative. 🤩👍

  • @infn8loopmusic
    @infn8loopmusic 5 місяців тому +1

    This is helpful! Does it make sense to pursue an organized lobby for change? If clients and lawyers came together with a clear call to action and a value statement that is quantifiable in measurement of what they stand to lose and gain distrokid could evaluate if making those changes would be feasible and asses their risks and benefits to making the change. If they know the size of the impact they can do the math and either get leadership on board or at least get them to consider how large the problem is.

  • @WilliamAshleyOnline
    @WilliamAshleyOnline 3 місяці тому

    great resource thanks for the infos.

  • @ArtisttheC10wn
    @ArtisttheC10wn 4 місяці тому

    Would you check LANDR, too? That would be great. They distribute, too.

  • @beyondthegrey5303
    @beyondthegrey5303 5 місяців тому +1

    Yep, I signed up to release our new single with DistroKid only to then see the "you agree to the following T&C's" AFTER I paid. That didn't sit well with me and then to read it's auto renew and the music gets pulled if you don't pay was total BS. I immediately asked for a full refund (which they did within 2 weeks) and released my songs on CDBaby which is a one time payment. The devil is always in the details......

  • @Rizzlyricist
    @Rizzlyricist 5 місяців тому +1

    Ahh hell nah!. I'm going to have to watch this.

  • @deviantmultimedia9497
    @deviantmultimedia9497 5 місяців тому

    Very well done. Thanks!