r/musicbusiness

Ok so here's a new one for me.

Client calls & says they've 'written' a song with Suno, could I recreate it from scratch & hire a session vocalist to sing it.

They are thinking this way, they can avoid the 'made with A.I' tag on the music.

I pushed a little further on what they meant by 'written', & they basically fed in their lyrics & suno spat out some generic pop bollocks. Apparently he had to 'prompt quite a few time to get it right', poor lamb.

So the way I see it, is that by re-recording the A.I generated version, he would be swerving mechanical copyright, as he would own the recording once he's paid me.

Surely the song itself is a co-write with him & Suno though, as the a.i 'wrote' the top-line, chords, arrangement etc?

Anyone have experience on how this works in practicality? &/or the fine print of the Suno terms of service?

Even if it was re-recorded, would 'the algorithm' pick up on the fact that this is a 'cover' of something 'owed by Suno', when he uploads to the usual platforms?

Obviously I think the whole project is a horrible idea that is bereft of artistry, but as a working producer of over 35 years, I need to put food on the table, so have to put my feelings aside.

EDIT:Lots of opinions, thank you, but I'm looking for someone who has either tried this before, or understand the copyright law re:suno

Hi everyone,

I have a question for those who've worked in artist development, management, marketing, A&R, PR, or anyone who's been involved in breaking artists.

Context:

I'm an independent artist making dark alternative pop (artists like Sombr, Ari Abdul, Isabel LaRosa, Chris Grey, Billie Eilish, and Tate McRae are probably my biggest references).

I'm fortunate enough to have around $10,000 available to invest per release. I know money can't buy fame, and I know the music has to connect first, so let's assume the songs are genuinely competitive.

So,

If your sole objective was to maximize the odds of an artist becoming successful, how would you approach it?

How would you allocate that budget? What would your roadmap look like? What would you prioritize, and what would you avoid?

I'm interested in hearing about everything that actually matters:

• Production
• Visual identity
• Content strategy
• PR
• Ads
• Playlist strategy
• Networking
• Management
• Live shows
• Release strategy
• Anything else that you believe has a meaningful impact

If you've worked with artists who've broken through, or watched campaigns fail despite large budgets- I'd love to hear what separated the winners from everyone else.

I'm not looking for a guaranteed formula. I'm trying to understand how people in the industry think about maximizing the probability that an artist breaks through when real capital is available.

Thanks!

Music that has real depth and meaning but also wit. Like Dylan and all that shit. How do you cut thru all the shitty talentless acoustic guitar troubadour hacks when you have an artist who is the real deal?

This specifically relates to artists who release things digitally through a DIY tool like Distrokid- what is your opinion on removing music that you think no longer represents your skill as an artist?

Because releasing music is so easy to do nowadays, I release recordings fairly often, and I'm still early in my career and am making noticeable progress. But then I listen back to my old recordings, and I think they're pretty bad, and don't want people to judge my present musicianship by those recordings. I've never removed them from streaming services, because I have some mental holdup about "honesty" or something like that, but I'm starting to think I should be more restrictive about which of my recordings are available to the public. What are your thoughts on this?

Self-explanatory. I'm mixing an instrumental for a singer I'm working with. She sent me the stems of all tracks for the instrumental, which was written by another guy. However some of the instruments were so badly recorded that I had to re-record guitar parts, synth parts, bass part....
I also added new parts, mainly guitars, that enhance the song. I presented it to the singer, and she agreed that it sounds better with what I added. However, I'm her mixing guy. I'm not sure if I should ask to credit me for songwriting on that specific song too. Since I decided on my own will to re-record and add new parts, I don't know where this falls morally. What would you do ?

Is this a new practice, im prepping a 11 song CD which has 3 cover songs, im a new manufacturer I am the label, not them, but in the 11th hour they asked for proof that i obtained mechanicals? I did it, i paid harry fox and showed them the receipt, but i think its not their business to see that ...they're not releasing the album, I am. I've never had this happen before and I've made CD's before.

After reading what I have to say, I sincerely hope that you are smart enough to never use distrokid.
I have been attacked with false copyright claims, which has resulted in frozen assets of up to $45.000, removal of my songs on all platforms which has caused damage to my brand which has over 1 million listeners per month. I have made counter claims on the affected songs, but Distrokids support is probably the most useless support available in the market. Do yourself a favor, find a distributor that cares about their artists and has their artists’ backs in such incidents.

Hi All!

Looking for opinions, feedback, general knowledge on gaining more interest from record labels for a release. My band is a death metal band that has been around since 2008ish. Unfortunately we havent been the best at releasing new material or truly engaging on our socials outside of new gigs which I feel has hurt us while pitching our latest record. Previously releases did garner some praise and attention but didn't draw in streams as I hoped. Feedback I've gotten from labels that have replied without just telling us they aren't interested included that we need to be more visible on our socials and or streaming. So I'm kind of at a stand still as to what to do now. Do we self release this and push for more engagement with ads or is it possible to generate more interest/streams as I continue to pitch to labels for this? Also looking for just general feedback on how to improve our over all visibility. Unfortunately out of a 5 member band Im the sole runner of our social media accounts and my day job is very demanding so its tough to always drum up engaging posts. Any help/thoughts/feedback is much appreciated!!

I’m sorry if this isn’t quite the right place to ask this — let me know if there’s a better sub for it. I’m just a musician trying to get my hard-earned royalties back from the claws of a distributor, and could use some help finding the right person for the job.

A well-established distributor has withheld a significant amount of my royalties. I have solid documentation on my side.

Looking for a US-based entertainment/music attorney with real experience specifically fighting distributors, not just general contract review.

If you’ve been through something similar, I’d appreciate hearing who you worked with — feel free to DM me. Thanks!

I'd like to get my music placed in movies/TV/commercials/etc. Have about 15 songs ready to go.

What's the best way to go about this? Should I get a sync agent? Sign with a publisher? Is there a good organization that helps you navigate these waters?

I've registered with a PRO already.

Thank you in advance.

Ok yall strap in.

About 3 weeks ago I decided to start working on music for a debut album and promoted a few songs on tiktok with tt promote to see what happened, and one of Hallwood’s A&Rs contacted me.

Its so important to note that before we got in contact i only had about 650 followers on tiktok, was getting around 60-70 likes per song without using promote, i have no music out yet, limited production experience and my skillset mainly consisted of writing music in my bedroom.

After talking with the A&R and sending in a few demos, they reached back out with a contract (crazy to me still). here are the deets:

Distribution agreement contract

60/40 royalties split

50/50 synch commission (20/80 if in connection with placement procured by myself)

$10,000 advance for marketing

7 year post-term license until full reimbursement for advance

i keep my masters (yay!)

required to deliver a 12 song lp album (which isnt too bad as most of its already written)

First negotiation and matching rights

So what do we think????? this is BEYOND new to me but I am ready to take my music career to the next step and really dive in.

Please let me knowwwww!!

I’ve been thinking about the wave of people trying to push Suno songs onto Spotify, Apple Music, etc. as the main way to “make money with AI music.”

I get the appeal. Streaming feels like the obvious path because that’s where music already lives.

But it also feels like the most overcrowded, lottery-style version of monetization.

You upload tracks, hope the platform accepts them, hope listeners find them, hope the algorithm helps, hope you don’t get buried under thousands of other AI tracks, and then hope the stream payouts add up to something meaningful.

That’s a lot of hoping.

The more interesting path, to me, is using Suno as the creation tool and your own website as the business layer.

We’ve already helped set this kind of thing up for a few different types of creators: musicians building artist/album pages, gamers adding theme music and lore tracks to campaign sites, and authors using songs to support fictional worlds, characters, and stories.

That’s what made the idea click for me. A website gives you more ways to build around the music:

• articles and SEO traffic
• embedded songs inside relevant pages
• email list building
• merch
• downloads
• custom song services
• memberships
• ads if the site earns traffic
• fictional artist projects
• DND/game/community soundtracks
• brand jingles or niche music portfolios

A streaming platform turns the song into one more track in a massive catalog.

A website can turn the song into content, context, a brand, a service, a community, or a product.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t distribute AI music to streaming platforms if they’re allowed to and the terms make sense. But if the goal is monetization, I’m not convinced “upload songs and wait for streams” is the best strategy.

It might be better to ask:

What audience is this music for?
What website could be built around it?
What problem, mood, story, niche, or community does it serve?
What can people do after they listen?

Curious how others are thinking about this.

Are you aiming for Spotify/Apple distribution, building your own site around your music, doing both, or just creating for fun right now?

I've been going down a rabbit hole on how indie artists lose money after they release — metadata mistakes sending streams to "unidentified," or splits never being agreed in writing and turning into arguments later. For those who've self-released: has anything like this happened to you? What went wrong? Trying to figure out if this is rare or basically everyone.

What’s up, everyone.

My name is Martell Sincere, and I perform under the stage name M.P.K. - Muzt Put'in Knowledge.

I’ve been an independent songwriter, musician, rapper, singer, vocalizer, co-producer, and content creator since I first started recording music back in 2007.

For a long time, music has been my primary therapy and my vital release from my mental health conditions.

Beyond that, it ties into my deepest dream: to perform my music on stages worldwide and travel the globe, honoring my late mother who always inspired me to share my talents and abilities with the world.

Outside of music, I carry an enterprise mindset!

I’m a vlogger, foodie, fashion/tech reviewer, aspiring weight loss model, and a solo content creator with over 1.4 million views on YouTube.

You can check my track record and catalog out on both SoundCloud and BandLab under the handle martellthacool.

I’m posting here because I am incredibly frustrated with how the music industry operates in America, specifically when it comes to the endless networking garbage, cliquish hierarchies, and complete lack of real opportunity for solo artists who choose to stay authentic.

I haven’t recorded a single song in three years. Back in 2023, I had a massive fallout with the local scene after dealing with a series of dishonest, fraudulent producers and flaky promoters.

I was lied to, scammed out of my hard-earned money, and had people take advantage of my labor only to turn around and literally delete my master files and music.

These text-back gatekeepers always claim they have the "connections" to help advance your career, but it’s a complete lie designed to exploit independent talent.

This year, in 2026, I decided to take control of my destiny again. I invested in myself and purchased 10 original, exclusive instrumental beats from an awesome independent beatmaker.

I’m based out of Toledo, Ohio, and I am trying everything I can to make a serious career comeback, get back into the booth, and evolve my sound.

I don't want to stay boxed into just one lane...

I want to learn, expand, and explore global musical styles ranging from Afrobeats and Latin fusion to K-Pop and beyond.

But the moment I tried to step back in, I ran into the exact same brick walls.

The producers around here aren't serious or interested in collaborating unless there's a heavy check upfront.

Look, I completely understand that running a professional recording facility isn't cheap, and time is money.

But there is a massive difference between running a business and treating people like a transactional "pay pig" while offering subpar talent, closed circles, and zero respect for an artist's vision.

How are independent solo creators supposed to navigate an industry that values superficial networking over raw substance and dedication?

How do you bypass the local gatekeepers when you don't have a massive circle or a corporate team backing you up?

I refuse to change who I am or act like a puppet just to get a foot in a door that shouldn't be locked in the first place.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my message.

I sincerely appreciate the support and would love to hear your perspectives.

Sincerely appreciated,Martell

As a music producer I send every month a ton of beats to different artists. Sometimes I found by accident by scrolling people using my beats, and some of them releasing song without reaching out to me To clear them up.
My question for producers : do I really have to register a copyright for every beat I sent or is there other options.

When creating an ISRC code.

It asks a yes/no question, is this song immersive. What do they mean by, is it immersive?

I’m about to start my TikTok journey to build a fanbase and connect with other musicians. One thing I’ve been thinking about is copyright.

I take copyright very seriously because I’ve seen firsthand, in another creative field outside of music, how damaging it can be when someone’s work is copied.

My dilemma is that registering everything before sharing it seems to take away some of the spontaneity and excitement of creating and posting. On the other hand, smaller creators can also become targets for copying.

I’d be really interested to hear your perspective. How do you approach this?

Edit: thank you so much guys for all your input and advice! 🙏

Long story short, I've been crafting an album for a while now but just recently realized that the producer whose beats are featured on more than 60% of my project has some undesirable lease terms for his beats.

Figured it'd be a smarter business decision to learn how to produce which also gives me more creative freedom when making my songs. Ended up buying the producer edition of FL Studio to reimagine my whole project from the ground up.

Here's my dilemma, right now I do not have any of the dark sounding instruments and muddy sounds for the darkwave/punk or alternative rock type beats I want to make.

The very same producer who I liked offers a beat/sound kit which features all the sounds, instruments and "one shots" he uses when creating his instrumentals. Keep in mind this producer was working for a major record label at one point, and these sounds and instruments are top notch recordings done by the producer.

There are no terms that come up when trying to buy his sound kit off Beat Stars, but it does mention it's "Non Exclusive".

Should I even consider buying his kit, what are the ramifications in doing so?

Ideally, I'd like to copyright my works and own my music entirely.

For people who’ve worked in music business: at a major label like UMG/Sony/Warner, is “Director” usually a true executive decision-maker, or more of a mid-level department title?

Would someone at that level normally have visibility into artist release timing, tour marketing, or major spend approvals, or would that sit with VP/SVP, business affairs, artist management, finance, or the promoter?

Not asking about a specific person, just trying to understand how the title maps to actual authority.
gement, promoter, business affairs, or senior execs?

I made, what I thought was a cover of a song, and want to release it on Spotify and other streaming platforms through Landr. They offer a service where I can obtain a licence so I can release a cover song. However due to technical reasons my song is not considered a cover and they say I need to obtain a licence for a derivative work, a service they do not provide. I tried mailing the record company that released the original song but I'm just a nobody so I'm not expecting a response and that was weeks ago. Is there a service or someone that can help me get the correct licence?