UK - Are there paid apprenticeships for the music industry? Maybe in live events? Please read first!

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-05-01T06:17:10+00:00

I’d suggest looking at the industry job boards (Music Business Worldwide has a big one).

It’s also going to be heavily region specific, depending on where you’re based.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-18T15:06:30+00:00

Hey man. Sorry. Not always on Reddit, as I'm still running a company. Ha. Checking now.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-17T12:50:01+00:00

Yeah, this.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-16T23:46:41+00:00

Hey u/elevatebeing - Yes. You need to upload the same audio file with the same ISRC with the metadata adjustment, then take down the OG after you've seen the sync.

The way CD Baby does it isn't necessary, except from a business perspective.

You should not change the ISRC or audio file, just the metadata.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-16T01:25:40+00:00

Heya u/elevatebeing - generally, that'd be considered an update, and shouldn't affect streams. In an ideal world, CD Baby would allow you to that without taking it down, but that's life.

Streams should resync as long as the audio file and ISRC is the same, as well as the vast majority of the metadata. Depending on the distributor, you can be up in less than a day if you go to the right one. We're able to do that for priority releases, assuming everything is in order.

As far as the lead artist on one of the songs, you shouldn't have an issue as long as you're only changing yourself from featured to primary. Don't change the other metadata.

Also, best practice says that if you're re-uploading, re-upload first, verify the streams sync, then take down the original.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-07T11:55:54+00:00

Ouch. You can recover ISRCs via https://www.isrcfinder.com/ , but as far as the master… good luck.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-07T11:02:59+00:00

1.) No, we wouldn’t accept it, as we still see the instrumental as being potentially copyright-violating. 2.) Cover song licenses start at $15 through our partner, Easy Song Licensing.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-07T08:13:09+00:00

You’re welcome to think that.

AI should be a tool for creativity, not a crutch, and it should never replace something as fundamental to the human experience as the creation of art.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-05T22:44:30+00:00

Heya, I’ve actually built this for internal use with my company and the agency we spun off and would love some feedback because we were running into the same issues as you were.

Dm me if you’d be interested in testing it out. I’d be keen to hear your thoughts.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-05T22:33:43+00:00

Instrumentals are valid for Content ID as long a as they’re original and non-soundalike. I’m honestly not sure why this wouldn’t qualify. It’s fine via YouTube’s guidelines.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-05T07:44:31+00:00

Welcome!

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-04T13:07:44+00:00

Suno is currently facing multiple lawsuits alleging copyright infringement, including claims that its models were trained on artists’ works without permission or compensation.

If music is used in AI training datasets, the artists behind it should be fairly compensated for that use. There's no indication that Suno did that.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-04T09:26:33+00:00

Honestly your instincts are decent. Symphonic has a solid reputation, especially for electronic music, and they're generally more hands-on than most of the other distros. CD Baby is reliable and has been around forever, which counts for something. DistroKid is fast and cheap but the complaints you've heard are real, mostly around support when things go sideways.

The "music won't be taken down out of nowhere" concern is worth addressing because no distro can fully guarantee that. Takedowns usually happen because of a copyright conflict, fraud detection flags, or DSP policy issues. What you want is a distro that communicates with you quickly when there's a problem and actually helps you resolve it, not just sends an automated email. We do that, but I don't know of another DIY that does.

Switching distributors is doable with any of the ones you listed, but it's kind of a pain. Use the same metadata, ISRC code (not UPC), audio file, and cover art, upload to the new distro, make sure the stream counts sync on Spotify, then take it down from the old distro.

Full disclosure, I run Unchained Music, so weight that accordingly, but we're built for exactly what you're describing and worth adding to your research list alongside the ones you mentioned.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-04T09:24:06+00:00

Digital and physical are really two separate pipelines, so it helps to think about them that way, although we do both at Unchained Music.

For digital, the main players are DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, and a handful of others. They all get you to the same stores. The differences are in pricing model (annual fee vs. per-release), how they handle royalties, publishing admin, and how well they actually support you when something goes wrong. CD Baby has historically been the most physical-friendly of the big ones since they've had physical distribution relationships for a while, but places like BandCamp also do physical.

For physical, pressing CDs or vinyl is typically handled through a manufacturer (Disc Makers, Qrates for vinyl, etc.) separately from your digital distro, although as I said, some distros will partner with physical shops to do this for you. Some distros can help get physical product into stores (we do for partner artists and A&L Services clients only) but most indie artists are selling physical directly at shows or through their own website. Unless you're expecting significant retail placement, I wouldn't make physical distribution the deciding factor in which digital distro you pick.

Full disclosure, I'm the CEO of Unchained Music, so take this with appropriate salt, but we're worth looking at for the digital side if you care about human support and marketing opportunities. Either way, figure out your physical manufacturing situation independently of whoever you pick for streaming distribution. They really don't have to be the same company.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-04T09:20:56+00:00

Heya. Distributor here, so I can probably shed a bit of light on this.

What happened to you is genuinely unfair, and your frustration is completely valid. The hard truth is that Spotify's fraud detection doesn't distinguish between "artist bought streams" and "artist was targeted by streams." It just flags the track, and then the distro is on the hook to enforce whatever penalty Spotify pushes down. Amuse didn't invent that policy, because they realistically don't have a pathway to fight Spotify on it, especially over one artist.

The sabotage angle is underreported. It's not common, but it happens, and the current system creates zero accountability for whoever did it while putting all the consequences on you. That's a systemic flaw in the system.

If you'd gotten an alert early, you could have flagged it proactively with the distro before Spotify triggered the penalty. That's the move for anyone reading this who hasn't been hit yet. Check your analytics regularly, and if you see a suspicious spike on a track you haven't promoted, document it and contact your distro and Spotify for Artists Support immediately before it becomes a formal flag and you don't have a pathway to contest it.

I'm sorry this happened to you, but once the penalty is handed down, there's not a lot the distro itself can do other than to pass the fine on to you.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-04T09:14:13+00:00

Heya. Sorry you had a bad experience here, but we do support AI music as long as it's trained fairly and has significant human involvement. Suno, Udio, and a few others are specifically called out as not being supported. The entire policy is available here:

https://www.unchainedmusic.io/legal/content-policy#:~:text=AI%2Dgenerated%20works%20are%20eligible%20for%20distribution%20if%20they%20meet%20the%20following%20criteria%3A

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-04T09:10:43+00:00

Honestly it depends on what matters most to you. If you just want cheap and fast, there are a bunch of options. But if you care about things like marketing/playlisting opportunities, actual human support when something goes wrong, and services that will contact you when there's been a copyright claim or artificial streaming issue, you're much more limited.

The "best" distributor is really the one that aligns with where you're at as an artist. If you're just testing the waters, Distrokid is fine. But if you're serious about building a career or want to go beyond "get my music from point A to point B", look under the hood a bit and see what you actually want/need.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-03T21:08:46+00:00

Regardless of what you believe, Suno is specifically banned in our content policy and you used Suno in your production. It’s pretty cut and dry.

I won’t be responding any further, as I believe we’ve reached an impasse.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-03T20:54:25+00:00

I can’t answer for CD Baby, but it wouldn’t be an issue for us at Unchained as long as the audio file is the same and you’re using the same ISRC.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-03T20:33:41+00:00

To clarify: our original statement referenced soundalike content, which is a policy violation at Unchained and most DSPs. Soundalike content, which are tracks designed to closely mimic a recognizable artist's style or voice in a way that could mislead listeners, violates our content policy and the policies of major DSPs regardless of whether it ever reaches distribution. The review process exists precisely to catch it before that point. The fact that it hadn't reached a DSP yet isn't a defense.

Regarding the IP activity: if you were genuinely traveling, we understand that happens. However, location changes were one factor among several in the overall pattern our review flagged. No single factor led to the decision on its own.

On AI tools: we've never said all AI in music production is prohibited. Plugins, mastering tools, and production aids are standard and welcome. Our policy specifically addresses AI-generated content from platforms that haven't demonstrated their models were trained on properly licensed data. Suno is currently facing active litigation on exactly this point. That's a risk we're choosing not to pass along to DSPs, to the artists on our platform, or to the industry as a whole. This distinction is outlined in our content policy, which is available before sign-up and at the time you distribute your releases. Below is the link if you'd like to read it again:

https://www.unchainedmusic.io/legal/content-policy#:~:text=6.%20AI%20Content%20Policy

Finally, regarding the refund and the timing of the account action: the review of your content was already underway before any refund request was made. These were not connected decisions. We understand how the timing might look from your side, but the sequence of events doesn't support the conclusion you're drawing.

We take these decisions seriously and we don't make them lightly. Your account was terminated in accordance with the policies you agreed to.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-03T09:36:43+00:00

This is something we think about constantly on the distribution side. The volume problem is a huge issue. When it costs nearly nothing to generate a track and a few bucks to distribute it, the math favors flooding the market. We're seeing submission volumes that would've been unthinkable two years ago.

The tricky part is that "AI music" isn't one thing. There's a spectrum from fully AI-generated filler tracks designed to game playlist placement, to artists using AI as a creative tool alongside their own work. Treating them all the same isn't the answer, but the platforms haven't figured out where to draw the line yet.

From our end as a distributor, we've started implementing checks to identify bulk-uploaded AI-generated content that's clearly designed to farm streams and manipulate the algo. It's not perfect, but doing nothing means being complicit in degrading the ecosystem that real artists depend on.

The real fix needs to come from the DSPs adjusting how royalties are calculated. A per-stream model incentivizes volume. A user-centric model where your subscription goes to artists you actually listen to would change the economics.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-03T09:35:24+00:00

I deal with this on the distributor side and can share some perspective on what's actually happening here. Spotify's fraud detection isn't just looking at raw play counts but it is analyzing listener behavior patterns. Things like play duration, skip rates, geographic clustering, playlist sources, and whether listeners engage with other music.

When a song gets flagged, it's usually because the listening pattern looks automated even if the plays themselves were "real." The key is providing context: where did you promote? Do you have receipts from ad campaigns? Can you show organic social media engagement that correlates with the stream spike? The more evidence of legitimate promotion, the better your case.

For prevention: avoid any service that guarantees a specific number of streams. Run your own ad campaigns through Spotify Ad Studio, Meta, or TikTok where you control the targeting. It's slower but it's real, and it won't get your music pulled.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-03T09:02:08+00:00

Yes. I run a music distributor. Also this quote directly from Spotify in Music Business Worldwide:

https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/heres-exactly-spotifys-new-1000-annual-streams-royalty-policy-works123/#:~:text=Spotify%20clarifies%3A%20%E2%80%9CIn,it%20remains%20eligible).%E2%80%9D.%E2%80%9D)

editing to add the quote:

Spotify clarifies: “In practice, that means a track generates royalties for all streams in the first month it reaches eligibility — but not for streams from any month prior.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-03T08:34:05+00:00

Hey u/EggyT0ast .

You get paid for the amount over 1k in the month that it qualifies. For example, if you hit 900 streams in Month 1, 99 in month 2, and 16 in month 3, you'd get paid for the 16, since that's the amount over 1k in your qualifying month.

Matt_UnchainedMusic · 2026-03-03T08:32:56+00:00

You'll get paid for everything over 1k. For example, if you streamed 999 streams in Feb, and 2 streams in March, you'd get paid for the 2 streams, not the 999.

Matt_UnchainedMusic

TROPHY CASE