DistroKid Removed My Music & Froze $200+ Royalties – Payment Request

36

I am an independent artist using DistroKid’s Artist Plus plan for two artists, based in Eswatini and receiving payments in US dollars. Around 26 June, DistroKid removed my entire catalog after what they described as an editorial discretion that was supposedly related to only one specific song. Instead of dealing with that one track, they took down all of my releases and also froze the royalties I had already earned. Since then my royalties have shown to have increased on the distrokid app which shows that my royalties were indeed paid out prior to the take down, I have been unable to access just over 200 USD in royalties that have accumulated since my last payout, which was around 18–20 June. Although this amount may not seem large, it is very significant to me as an independent artist who relies on this income. I have attached photos of the increased balance, specifically for the artist Sxkhile. Last time I withdrew I had royalties amounting around USD1.3K and now around USD1.5K over the last two months. I contacted DistroKid support via [email protected] and was told my account was under investigation for “suspicious earnings.” This explanation does not make sense to me, as I have never bought streams or engaged in any fraudulent activity. I noticed that my streams increased after I released a new song about a week before my entire catalog was suddenly removed, and I believe this organic spike is being misinterpreted. At this point I no longer expect further explanations from DistroKid and simply want to receive the royalties I have already earned. Even if DistroKid decides not to continue distributing my music, I request that my pending royalties be calculated and paid out to me without any further delay so that I can close this matter and move on.

Comments

Q&A: Explore Popular Queries

Check out the solutions and tips on this topic.

Similar Complaints

DistroKid Removed My Songs Without Explanation and Withheld Earnings

June 24, 2024 6:38 PM239

I paid DistroKid to distribute my original songs to music platforms, and everything went smoothly for the first month. H...

DistroKid Removed My Songs Without Explanation and Withheld Earnings
1 Support1 Comment