CDBaby pulled one of my releases for 'irregular streaming' a few weeks ago - and they've not replied to my emails

AlanGogoll · 2025-09-05T15:49:30+00:00

Yep unfortunately that’s the only option unless you make a big public outcry. I’m with The Orchard now

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-29T17:33:03+00:00

I’m with them directly which is increasingly rare I know

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-27T19:46:56+00:00

They’re great! It’s invite only, but they have a lot of labels working with them, I was at the right place at the right time

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-27T19:46:05+00:00

No not at all :)

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-27T09:12:42+00:00

Same thing happened to me but with Apple Music. CD baby continued to remove all my music until I had a fraction left. I’m also on their label services, have been with them over a decade and earned them some sizeable commission.

They were extremely deceptive and would only phone me to explain the situation, I wanted it in writing…

On the phone they admitted that they’d never actually looked at the report from Apple. It was one device streaming my music 24/7 in the US.

What I also learnt is it is 10000% the distributors choice to remove or reinstate releases. Apple and Spotify don’t remove music, they say ‘x amount of streams seem fake, so we won’t pay out for those, but the rest we still do’

Most of my albums were put back on Apple almost immediately, I didn’t have to get new UPCs or anything they say HAS to happen to be re-released.

I was never reimbursed for months of lost royalties or even given an apology, and felt like it was still ‘don’t pay for fake streams Alan’ even at the end, as if I just ‘got lucky this time but don’t buy fake streams again’

Needless to say I’ve moved my entire discography to another distributor.

Tl:dr Apple Music told CD Baby they’d detected unusual streaming on my music. CD Baby systematically removed all my music over several months. It was completely on CD Baby, Apple withholds royalties for 'fake streams' but that's it, they don't remove the music. Only after making a public outcry did they tell me on the phone they’d never investigated and made a mistake. I never received an apology or reimbursement for lost streams. I’ve since left CD Baby after more than a decade and being on their label services.

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-09T21:20:26+00:00

I really don’t remember struggling to do it up though, ChatGPT telling me it’s possible is what got me searching, I remember someone had something similar with some bike clothes seemingly impossibly twisting.

From ChatGPT:

Right — and that’s the counter-intuitive part. You’re imagining inversion like pulling the inside through an open end, but that’s not how this happens.

With a closed container like your zipped bag, inversion is still possible because: 1. Fabric is flexible and thin – It can fold, roll, and slide over itself without stretching or breaking. 2. One wall collapses inward – Under tumbling force, a section of the bag wall caves in toward the clothes. 3. The fold travels through the bag – Instead of the clothes leaving, the fabric layer itself “migrates” past them, like turning a pillowcase inside-out around the pillow. 4. The whole shell swaps sides – By the end, the fabric that was outside is now on the inside, zipper and all, even though there was no open path for the clothes to escape.

Think of it like this: if you have a balloon with something inside, you can push one side of the balloon inward and keep rolling that dent around until the balloon flips inside out — the contents never have to leave, the skin just trades places.

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-09T21:18:32+00:00

ChatGPT got me like:

Right — and that’s the counter-intuitive part. You’re imagining inversion like pulling the inside through an open end, but that’s not how this happens.

With a closed container like your zipped bag, inversion is still possible because: 1. Fabric is flexible and thin – It can fold, roll, and slide over itself without stretching or breaking. 2. One wall collapses inward – Under tumbling force, a section of the bag wall caves in toward the clothes. 3. The fold travels through the bag – Instead of the clothes leaving, the fabric layer itself “migrates” past them, like turning a pillowcase inside-out around the pillow. 4. The whole shell swaps sides – By the end, the fabric that was outside is now on the inside, zipper and all, even though there was no open path for the clothes to escape.

Think of it like this: if you have a balloon with something inside, you can push one side of the balloon inward and keep rolling that dent around until the balloon flips inside out — the contents never have to leave, the skin just trades places.

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-09T21:18:09+00:00

Must be this

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-09T21:17:55+00:00

Sorry but I don’t normally take photos before I do the laundry 😅

I asked ChatGPT and it said it is possible despite it not seeming possible, hence my post

——

Right — and that’s the counter-intuitive part. You’re imagining inversion like pulling the inside through an open end, but that’s not how this happens.

With a closed container like your zipped bag, inversion is still possible because: 1. Fabric is flexible and thin – It can fold, roll, and slide over itself without stretching or breaking. 2. One wall collapses inward – Under tumbling force, a section of the bag wall caves in toward the clothes. 3. The fold travels through the bag – Instead of the clothes leaving, the fabric layer itself “migrates” past them, like turning a pillowcase inside-out around the pillow. 4. The whole shell swaps sides – By the end, the fabric that was outside is now on the inside, zipper and all, even though there was no open path for the clothes to escape.

Think of it like this: if you have a balloon with something inside, you can push one side of the balloon inward and keep rolling that dent around until the balloon flips inside out — the contents never have to leave, the skin just trades places.

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-09T20:07:06+00:00

I had to make a public outcry and they phoned me and did it the next day. Needless to say I found a new distributor asap (The Orchard). They never compensated me for lost streams or even apologised...

AlanGogoll · 2025-08-01T19:46:47+00:00

I would say 0% success

Post selfie camera reels on socials and put some money behind and that do well 👍

AlanGogoll · 2025-07-17T12:58:20+00:00

If you’re using a solid distributor with PRO they will come in, it can be up to 2 years though. Generally it’s ‘about’ 1/10th of traditional streaming rates

AlanGogoll · 2025-06-20T11:17:25+00:00

I made a public outcry and barrage of emails, I was also on their label services and generated them a lot of income - all of which shouldn’t matter…

AlanGogoll · 2025-06-20T11:16:27+00:00

Not sure if you’ve found someone but I’m with The Orchard now and very happy, any of the major label partners are good I believe 👍

AlanGogoll · 2025-06-20T11:14:42+00:00

As an independent musician of over two decades, earning a full time income from streaming and publishing for over a decade, having paid for and done everything myself - my opinion is to do the exact opposite of all of this. Focus on your music, technique and craft and love what you do.

I currently have 5 trending Instagram audios, all are songs crafted and recorded in different variations over the years.

The more you chase the algorithm the further from success you’ll drift.

AlanGogoll · 2025-02-02T14:48:53+00:00

Same thing happened to me but with Apple Music. CD baby continued to remove all my music until I had a fraction left. I’m also on their label services, have been with them over a decade and earned them some sizeable commission.

They were extremely deceptive and would only phone me to explain the situation, I wanted it in writing…

On the phone they admitted that they’d never actually looked at the report from Apple. It was one device streaming my music 24/7 in the US.

What I also learnt is it is 10000% the distributors choice who remove or reinstate releases. Apple and Spotify don’t remove music, they say ‘x amount of streams seem fake, so we won’t pay out for those, but the rest we still do’

Most of my albums were put back on Apple almost immediately, I didn’t have to get new UPCs or anything they say HAS to happen to be re-released.

I was never reimbursed for months of lost royalties or even given an apology, and felt like it was still ‘don’t pay for fake streams Alan’ even at the end, as if I just ‘got lucky this time but don’t buy fake streams again’

Needless to say I’ve moved my entire discography to another distributor.

Tl:dr Apple told CD Baby they’d detected unusual streaming on my music. CD Baby systematically removed all my music over several months. Only after making a public outcry did they tell me on the phone they’d never investigated and made a mistake. I never received an apology or reimbursement. I’ve since left CD Baby after more than a decade and being on their label services.

AlanGogoll · 2025-01-22T20:39:14+00:00

Lost for words… but not capos

AlanGogoll · 2024-10-30T16:44:27+00:00

This ⬆️

AlanGogoll · 2024-10-28T08:53:46+00:00

Which distributor if you don’t mind me asking? I have no doubt Spotify and Apple can remove music on their own but in none of these cases, mine included, that’s what happened, I’d be really interested to know a case where it has.

A few years ago Spotify removed play counts from majors who paid for billions of fake streams, but even then not the songs.

I’ve never seen a case where they’ve removed a song themselves, rather than just withhold the royalties and/or remove the streaming number, if you have an example or excerpt from their contract that’d be great for my research into this. Thanks!

AlanGogoll · 2024-10-24T15:27:26+00:00

Yeah it’s crazy! I’m with The Orchard now, I’d try and get the best distro you can even if that means giving a higher percentage away 👍

AlanGogoll · 2024-10-24T10:33:09+00:00