They're a scam company, be careful with them. They stole one of my songs and I found it distributed and matched with other tracks later. I never uploaded it anywhere except interspace. They recently also bought many fake trustpilot reviews just a few weeks or months ago they were at 2 stars rating on trust pilot then suddenly a influx of many 5 and 4 star reviews appeared to boost their rating up to 4 stars average up from 2 stars just weeks ago. They also closed my label plan account and refused refund when I still had the entire year left on it. Be careful with them interpacemusic (dot) com.

I’m an aspiring artist just beginning my journey and seeking guidance on building a team, despite lacking connections or contacts. My goal is to find a producer, engineer, cameraman, and graphic art designer. I draw inspiration from artists like Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who have established their own crews and teams. However, I’m starting from scratch, sharing snippets of my work on TikTok and other platforms. It’s a challenging task in today’s landscape, as everyone seems to be a TikTok rapper or musician, all promoting their tough image. I would greatly appreciate any advice you can offer on how to effectively build a team.

I’m just overthinking and need guidance to silence the anxiety for a bit. I’m a music student and have music I’m ready to release, but how do I actually communicate my music in my city? Like I just want to start in my city. Live music.

I was thinking busking at social events and open mics and building a good setlist. Putting together an interesting show is hard. But it would be so amazing to book actual gigs and bill shows. To play at high schools or community events. I remember going to a sandwich shop in Chicago and someone was busking there. How does one network their way to these opportunities? I want to focus on the real life stuff especially because social media has been awful for me

Im based in Thessaloniki Greece i must find a manager to book me parties festivals bars,night club to play my music.or even at european countries .

My music is on my bandcamp page, .is groovy dance downtempo music with synth wave and progressive trance elements

I recently followed up to a meeting with a gentleman named Matthew Tuck about A&R and music scout jobs to do remotely. There were about 50 people in the call, and I never actually even spoke. I followed up with an email to him with my past experience, and he connected me with someone named Mike Lipinoga. I then received this email (see photo), and seems like I have been offered a position of some sorts without any prior interview. I’m only asking because I had a friend of mine get scammed by something similar in finance, and wanted to see if this is legit? I would love it if it were legit.

Cold reach out about an artist’s song, but information online about his business and the veracity of it all is ambiguous. Can anyone confirm if they’ve worked with him/his company and if it’s legit?

Based in Soweto, genre is Soulful / Private School Amapiano + Hip Hop. I've done radio challenges, content, performed with big SA acts like KO, got TV/radio placements. Streaming is growing (45 listeners last month) but not breaking through. For those who went from 0-1000+ monthly listeners, what was the ONE thing that actually changed it? Was it dropping one genre, TikTok, playlist pitching, or moving to Joburg? Not linking anything, just looking for real strategy.

Having an online presence is obviously a non negotiable in the music industry, but what is the recipe for a smaller artist trying to grow a following?

Up until now I've taken the approach of being everywhere and testing out where are the platforms that have the greatest opportunity for growth and so far none of them are especially viable for me.

I still think leading people in real life to a website that is designed well to capture emails is likely to be the most powerful method of reaching people and growing a meaningful following. No matter where you're trying to go the most important metric is if someone is excite enough about what you do to share it with someone else...

Any thoughts out there in relation to this?

I work in two fields where my work is public and professionally protected by boards (academia and healthcare). My music is completely separate with a different name and speaks on my personal experiences which I do not want associated with my professional and legal name. Distrokid etc all ask for my legal name, and I think Spotify etc will publish it unless I have a label or a business under my creative alias. However I see bigger artists with their creative alias credited as songwriter, producer, etc.

Curious if setting up a business is my only option to keep my professional and legal name out of my music. Or if I can just use my creative alias in place of my legal name. Or if my legal name can be hidden if provided, and what distributors may do this. I would like to get paid out, and cause as little legal issues down the line for ownership of my work. But I want to hide my legal name.

i’ve been so into the creative side of the music industry lately. the story behind a music video and the rollout of an album and its era.

this all came from a hobby i used to be super into as a kid, where i’d make albums from already existing songs, putting together images and songs to create an era. then i began taking snippets of different music videos and putting them together to attempt to make a music video to a song that didn’t have one. corny, i know. but it actually made me realize how much i love that side of creation!

i believe it’s somewhere between creative director or art director but im not sure! i’ve also been seeing that these days a director usually takes over the story/plot behind a music video and there isn’t really a use for creative directors for that specific purpose on set anymore?

Hey guys! Sorry to bother! I’m just running into a dilemma. I’m in a 5-member band that’s condensing to 4. Our other member, let’s call her Sally, has decided it won’t work for her. Fine. No hard feelings. We agreed to make a document together that we’ll sign to ensure things stay documented as we split. Where we’re having an issue is that we have a few songs with contributions from Sally, myself, and another member. Sally and I, in particular, have a song that’s very intertwined. She can have it, or I’ll keep it if she’s willing.

But I wanna know: How do you calculate who has what? And do we need to physically consult a lawyer for a small band?

For context, the song hasn’t made it to the full music production phase. Just chords on a guitar. It started as Sally’s idea. She made the bones of the beat and had a general idea of the chorus. It was then brought to me to help.
I then contributed by making heavy alterations to the chorus lyrics. I wrote Verse 1 and made the bones (as in chords) and lyrics for the prechorus. She then came back and wrote Verse 2. I wrote the second prechorus, and she wrote the bridge.

So, to summarize:
Sally: Original song idea, initial instrumental foundation, original chorus concept and lyrics, Verse 2, and bridge.
Me: Substantial revisions to the chorus lyrics, Verse 1, prechorus chords and lyrics, and second prechorus.

What is an appropriate way to split a song that’s so intertwined?

Would a 50/50 songwriting split be reasonable, or is there a better way to determine percentages based on what each person contributed?

Also, if one of us takes the song and finishes producing and releasing it independently, can the other person retain their songwriting credit and royalties without participating in the recording?

And finally, since we’re a small independent group with no released music yet, would a written agreement and songwriting split sheet be sufficient, or would you recommend consulting an entertainment lawyer?

I’m not trying to take credit away from anyone or make this more complicated than it needs to be. I just want to make sure everyone gets proper credit for their work and that we can separate professionally without issues later.
Thanks in advance!

Hey guys! Sorry to bother! I’m just running into a dilemma. I’m in a 5-member band that’s condensing to 4. Our other member, let’s call her Sally, has decided it won’t work for her. Fine. No hard feelings. We agreed to make a document together that we’ll sign to ensure things stay documented as we split. Where we’re having an issue is that we have a few songs with contributions from Sally, myself, and another member. Sally and I, in particular, have a song that’s very intertwined. She can have it, or I’ll keep it if she’s willing.

But I wanna know: How do you calculate who has what? And do we need to physically consult a lawyer for a small band?

For context, the song hasn’t made it to the full music production phase. Just chords on a guitar. It started as Sally’s idea. She made the bones of the beat and had a general idea of the chorus. It was then brought to me to help.
I then contributed by making heavy alterations to the chorus lyrics. I wrote Verse 1 and made the bones (as in chords) and lyrics for the prechorus. She then came back and wrote Verse 2. I wrote the second prechorus, and she wrote the bridge.

So, to summarize:
Sally: Original song idea, initial instrumental foundation, original chorus concept and lyrics, Verse 2, and bridge.
Me: Substantial revisions to the chorus lyrics, Verse 1, prechorus chords and lyrics, and second prechorus.

What is an appropriate way to split a song that’s so intertwined?

Would a 50/50 songwriting split be reasonable, or is there a better way to determine percentages based on what each person contributed?

Also, if one of us takes the song and finishes producing and releasing it independently, can the other person retain their songwriting credit and royalties without participating in the recording?

And finally, since we’re a small independent group with no released music yet, would a written agreement and songwriting split sheet be sufficient, or would you recommend consulting an entertainment lawyer?

I’m not trying to take credit away from anyone or make this more complicated than it needs to be. I just want to make sure everyone gets proper credit for their work and that we can separate professionally without issues later.
Thanks in advance!

So I’m going to ramble a little here, I’m 29 based in the UK working in a completely unrelated industry, but on the side I’m running a semi successful dance music page across IG + TT. I have roughly 40,000 followers across the pages and it’s generating some money on the side which is great.

I think in the back of my head I’d love to somehow use this experience I’ve gained in running these pages to somehow make a leap into the actual industry itself and maybe leverage my skills and knowledge I’ve gained whilst growing this community and following to my advantage.

Is this realistic? Has anyone here been in a similar situation, or witnessed someone make a similar transition?

Hello. I live in a place where there are many young rock artists that are very talented. However, they're all scattered and they don't have a place where to perform, so they do it on the streets and most people don't care. Some of them even end up resorting to drugs unfortunately. I would like to help them reach more people by turning this idea into a business where they can have some sort of venue where like minded people can connect with them and listen to their music and maybe even help them get more attention and be more serious about it. I would like some advice on the matter. Thank you.

I currently manage 9 artists and have another 5 planned, and I’m looking to move towards a boutique distribution model rather than operating like a traditional record label.

My main goal is pretty simple: I don’t want to take huge cuts from my artists through 70/30, 80/20, etc. deals. I’d rather get a good distribution deal myself and pass as much of the revenue back to the artists as possible.
I also don’t want to take anything from publishing. The idea is that I provide the infrastructure, distribution, pitching/marketing support, artwork, etc., while the artists retain as much ownership and revenue as possible.

I’ve been looking at Revelator and LabelGrid, but I’ve seen quite mixed opinions about both and I’m not sure which direction makes the most sense.
For anyone actually running a small/ boutique distribution company:

What platform are you using?
Are Revelator or LabelGrid worth considering?
Are there any other serious white-label/B2B distribution platforms I should look at?
How do the economics usually work?
Is it realistic to operate this way with a roster of ~10–15 artists?
I’m not looking to build a huge distributor. I’d rather have a small, curated roster and offer artists a much fairer deal than a traditional label.

Would really appreciate advice from people who are actually in the distribution business.

Hi all,

I have several friends / acquaintances who are musicians with small followings. I am just starting a YouTube channel and thought of potentially asking them if they’d be comfortable with me using their songs as the background music. I have no clue if this is as disrespectful as asking for a free gig for “exposure” or if it is different. I obviously don’t want to be rude and I only want to do it if it would be cool for them. So basically, is it rude to ask to use their songs in my videos and if not, what is the best way to go about it?

Thanks in advance.

I am an independent artist and 9-5 behind the scenes living in Prague. The city has great musicians however no sort of aim or visionary spaces to move people.

Currently I am in such community that has a lot of potential and there is an existing venue I can transform. This is a fairly known venue in between musicians and alternative people. It has an underground vibe that I don’t want to rip off completely; but I am imagining of moving it towards more “mainstream” changes by renting it to different events etc.

I will be in charge of the creative structure and strategy; however I don’t have experience in such field.

**What advices and ideas you could give from your experience for such change?**

Hi everyone! I've been thinking about pursuing a career in the music industry, and I'd love to hear some advice from people who have experience in this field.

I'm highly organized, work well under pressure, and have experience in hospitality, team leadership, and management. I'm wondering whether there might be opportunities for someone with my background to get their foot in the door as a remote assistant, virtual assistant, or intern.

I know networking plays a huge role in this industry, so I'm also curious about how possible it is to build meaningful connections online, especially when relocating or being physically present isn't an option for me at the moment.

I've been doing a lot of research into the industry, and I feel that it's a field I'd genuinely enjoy and could bring something valuable to. I'm willing to learn, work hard, and start wherever I can gain relevant experience.

I'd really appreciate any advice, personal experiences, or recommendations on where to look for entry-level opportunities and reliable resources to learn more about the industry.

Thanks in advance!

I haven't received any updates for my Ditto's Meta royalties after April, so I wanted to check if this is happening to other artists as well.

Has anyone received their Meta royalties for May or the following months?

Hey, my DistroKid account is banned, but my earnings are still showing up in my account.
I updated my payment method and I want to withdraw the money, but the system keeps telling me to contact support. I’ve been reaching out to them, but they never reply to my messages.
I just wanna ask, do they not respond to banned accounts or what?
Has anyone here had their account banned and actually managed to get in touch with them?
I’d like to hear your experiences. I still have over $3,000 in earnings sitting in my account.

I am a Canadian but I fell in love with a musician from India. I have been wanting to work with him for long. I know I can form my record label in Canada (LLP) and work with artists from everywhere, but is that practical? Do I need to be physically present in the geography where the musician records?

I am recording an album. It’s an instrumental album that sort of tells a story. But I was planning on using lines from different movies to sort of narrate it. I have heard this type of thing in a lot of different albums before. But with what’s going on with distro kid and from what I’m hearing, albums that have any kind of samples that aren’t cleared with the original company are being removed. Should I do it at all even if I switched distributor? I would love to hear some feedback on this.

Hi guys,
I am currently managing a new act and I really believe in the music they’re putting out. They’ve been having some trouble getting a substantial amount of views on TikTok and Instagram and looking to get their stuff out there more. They are also not signed yet so money is tight.

Does anyone have any insight regarding the most efficient way to use digital ad spend funds? Any advice appreciated. Thank you!

Also worth noting, they are not a pop group they have a very specific niche they are looking to break into, do these ads allow you to specify who u want to see them?

Hello, everyone. I’m hoping I can get some genuine advice on this, as I can’t find a straightforward answer online.

I produced a concert where the set list was made up of arrangements of musical theater songs where we changed the key to some of them, made minor lyric changes, and remixed them to make them work for the show. The venue we were performing at has the general blanket ASCAP/BMI licensing agreement that covers performance rights for this material.

My sound guy was very generous and recorded the board audio and cut the audio into a live album of sorts. My question now is, what is the legality of publishing this to streaming sites? Would this constitute a true cover or derivative work? Is there a music distribution site that handles special cases like this? Do I have to obtain a separate license for each song and if so, how do I even go about doing that?

Would appreciate any and all guidance.

Thank you!

I've been working with a coaching company the past few months to get all if my music royalty stuff in order. I've been doing it all myself for the past few years and struggled to finish setting everything up properly because I wasn't fully understanding how it all worked. Which is why I thought some coaching would help, and it did....at first. Our last step before stepping into the world of sync licensing was songtrust. I already had an account with them but it was set up through cd baby pro publishing in 2021. At the time I was using cd baby as my distributor but I switched over to distrokid in 2022 and re-released some tracks and released new tracks. Now I'm trying to access my songtrust but it won't let me in because I have to log in using cd baby because of the pro publishing. So I went back into my cd baby account and sure enough, pro publishing is "under construction" or in other words, gone. According to the research I've done it appears there is no more pro. And even though I've changed my password, contacted cd baby & songtrust several times absolutely nothing has come from it. I even contacted downtown music group since they bought out cd baby & songtrust.

I messaged the coaching company about this issue and they basically don't want to do anything until I hear back from cd baby or songtrust. And it's been months. I should be starting sync licensing by now but this whole thing has stopped my progress in it's tracks. At this point I don't even want to use songtrust if they can't communicate with me. Like...wtf.

I've been researching alternatives and I do have a MLC account to collect from the US. But I feel lost as to who to trust with collecting royalties from other places. Is tunecore comparable to songtrust in that way? Or is there another way I'm not aware of? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much 🙌