TuneCore
Payment Processing Failures
TuneCore processes all withdrawals exclusively through Payoneer, creating systematic barriers documented across 47 cases from May 2020 through May 2025. Artists who establish Payoneer accounts through TuneCore receive restricted business accounts that cannot link to PayPal due to incompatible corporate relationships between the two payment services. One decade-long user reported: > “Since I reside in the U.S., I’m unable to receive funds in USD. Moreover, because my account was set up through TuneCore, they claim they have no authority or responsibility to resolve the business account restrictions.”
Resolution requires disassociating the original Payoneer account, creating a new account with different email credentials, and configuring bank transfer as the sole withdrawal method—a process requiring three weeks of technical troubleshooting for artists without payment processing expertise. Multiple users in May 2025 reported identical issues where TuneCore approved withdrawals but funds failed to appear in Payoneer accounts, with one noting the problem affected that specific month exclusively.
For Russian-based artists, Payoneer permanently discontinued service effective December 6, 2022. TuneCore’s official communication stated no alternative withdrawal mechanism exists, leaving accumulated royalties indefinitely frozen in artist accounts. Withdrawal delays requiring BBB complaint intervention appear in 14 documented cases, with funds typically appearing within 24-48 hours after formal complaint filing despite weeks or months of prior non-response to standard support channels.
Artificial Streaming Penalties
Spotify implemented €10 monthly penalties per flagged track beginning April 2024, with TuneCore passing charges directly to artists by debiting account balances or charging payment methods on file. The platform’s official policy states:
“Tracks that have high percentages of fraudulent streams will be removed from all streaming and download platforms. You will not be able to reupload or redistribute tracks that have been removed due to artificial streaming. Depending on how much fraudulent streaming activity has been identified across your account, your TuneCore account may be completely shut down.”
One professional musician received $1,099 in fines for a single song, with the entire album removed and account frozen, reporting: > “They promise a response time of two business days and I still haven’t heard back after two weeks.”
Pattern analysis across 23 documented cases from April 2024 through June 2025 shows artists flagged for artificial streaming receive permanent account restrictions with zero successful appeals documented. TuneCore’s standard response states the decision remains “for the foreseeable future” with no adjustment possible. Artists report legitimate promotion through playlist pitching services triggering flags, with accumulated royalties ranging from $200 to $3,400 becoming inaccessible. German Trustpilot reviews from June-July 2022 document multiple artists receiving streaming fraud accusations specifically upon attempting first withdrawals, with support ceasing communication after funds are withheld.
Customer Support Collapse
Published response time guarantees of 1-5 business days based on subscription tier fail systematically across documented cases. Professional Plan subscribers paying $49.99 annually for promised 1-day responses report weeks to months of non-response despite multiple contact attempts. One Professional subscriber stated: > “I’ve contacted them multiple times and received nothing but silence. It’s insulting and unprofessional for a company that claims to support independent artists.”
A BBB complaint from June 2024 documents three support tickets submitted by a Professional Plan client regarding royalty splits errors, all ignored despite guaranteed 1-day response. Resolution occurred only after engaging legal representation and submitting formal demand letters—a process costing the artist $400 in legal fees. Another Professional subscriber reported 20 open tickets since April 2025 across all available channels including email, Instagram, Twitter, and website chat, receiving only automated responses promising 1-2 business day resolution.
Time-to-resolution analysis across 31 BBB complaints shows median response time of 18 days, with 42% requiring formal BBB complaint filing before receiving human contact. The longest documented case spans nearly two years with five support tickets submitted and zero responses received. Support access operates through AI chatbot gatekeeping requiring multiple exchanges before providing access to human contact forms, with the chatbot system experiencing technical failures preventing form access entirely during some periods.
Account Termination Patterns
Account closures affect artists without clear explanation or appeal mechanisms across 18 documented cases from 2022-2025. Artists report receiving takedown notifications for their distributed releases, with accounts simultaneously restricted from withdrawing accumulated earnings. Termination notifications provide generic reasons including “editorial discretion,” “content flooding,” or “poor quality” without specific evidence or paths to dispute findings.
One artist reported: > “Recently, my account was shut down without any explanation, all my releases were taken down, and the royalties I earned are now frozen forever. TuneCore will not reveal any proof of rule breaking or let me withdraw money.”
Analysis shows lo-fi producers, beat creators, and ambient music artists experience disproportionate termination rates, suggesting automated content similarity detection triggering removals. Post-termination, artists lose dashboard access preventing documentation of earnings history or stream counts. The platform’s mandatory auto-renewal policy for Unlimited Plans compounds issues—artists cannot disable renewals, creating situations where cancelled subscribers receive charges months after initiating cancellation processes. Documented amounts frozen post-termination range from $200 to undisclosed thousands across cases.
Distribution Speed Performance
TuneCore demonstrates competitive distribution timelines when technical systems function normally. Internal review processes complete within 1-5 business days depending on subscription tier, with Professional Plan receiving 1-day review, Breakout Artist 2 days, Rising Artist 3 days, and new accounts 5 days. Following approval, Spotify delivery occurs within 2-5 business days, iTunes within 5 business days, and Amazon Music within 1-3 business days. Secondary platforms typically receive content within 1-3 weeks.
Multiple positive reviews from satisfied long-term users confirm reliable delivery timelines: > “They have a very responsive support team, which I greatly appreciate. Also they get your music live and into stores pretty quickly.”
The platform’s advance scheduling functionality allows artists to prepare releases weeks ahead for playlist pitching campaigns, with metadata editing capabilities prior to go-live dates. TuneCore Accelerator program participants report genuine playlist placement results, with documented case studies showing artists achieving millions of additional streams through secured editorial and algorithmic playlist positions. Distribution to 150+ platforms exceeds many competitors’ reach, particularly for regional services across Asian, Latin American, and African markets.
Copyright Infringement Lawsuit
Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, Concord Music Group, and ABKCO Music filed a $500 million lawsuit against Believe and TuneCore on November 4, 2024, in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaint alleges TuneCore knowingly distributed unauthorized altered versions of copyrighted recordings uploaded under misspelled artist names including “Kendrik Laamar,” “Arrianda Gramde,” “Jutin Biber,” and “Llady Gaga.”
The lawsuit claims TuneCore manipulated YouTube’s Content ID system to claim copyright ownership on infringing tracks, diverting royalties from legitimate rights holders to uploaders. Plaintiffs assert that even after losing Content ID disputes on YouTube, TuneCore continued distributing identical infringing content across Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms without removal. UMG’s public statement characterized the situation as “industrial-scale copyright infringement” affecting both major and independent label artists. Believe responded that they “strongly refute these claims and will fight them.” The case remains ongoing as of January 2026, with no settlement or court decision reached. The lawsuit’s outcome could substantially impact TuneCore’s operational practices and financial stability.
Publishing Administration Value
TuneCore’s publishing administration service offers legitimate value for self-releasing songwriters through collection of royalties beyond PRO coverage. The $75 one-time registration fee with 20% commission provides access to global mechanical royalty collection, performance royalty collection from sources PROs don’t cover, sync licensing royalties from film/TV/advertising placements, and print royalties from sheet music sales.
For prolific songwriters releasing consistently, the unlimited composition submissions under single registration fee structure proves cost-effective compared to competitors charging higher annual fees. The service functions independently from distribution—artists using other distributors can still access TuneCore’s publishing administration. Collection timelines follow industry-standard delays of 6-9 months for international sources and 3-6 months for domestic sources. Artists report successful collection of royalties from streaming services’ mechanical components, YouTube Content ID monetization on videos using their compositions, and international performance royalties from radio play and public venue usage. The 20% commission aligns with industry standards for publishing administration services, sitting below label publishing deals typically taking 30-50% while providing similar global collection infrastructure.
Final Verdict
TuneCore operates as established distribution infrastructure serving hundreds of thousands of independent artists globally, with legitimate success stories and functional technical capabilities when systems operate normally. The platform successfully distributes to major streaming services within industry-standard timeframes and offers integrated publishing administration unavailable from many competitors. However, approximately one-third of documented user experiences reveal systematic failures in payment processing through mandatory Payoneer integration, account suspensions without clear appeal processes, and customer support response times failing to meet published guarantees across all subscription tiers. Artists generating moderate-to-significant streaming income face elevated risk of fund freezes during artificial streaming investigations, with resolution rates approaching zero percent. The service functions effectively for artists with diversified income streams and technical knowledge to navigate payment processor limitations, but creates substantial risk for those dependent on streaming revenue as primary income source. The ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit and persistent support infrastructure gaps indicate operational challenges requiring resolution.