Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/17/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I submitted all required tax and payment information to UnitedMasters, which has been marked as reviewed and approved. However, my cashout button remains disabled, and I have not received any response to multiple support requests I sent over the past few days. My account is still active, and I have not been notified of any violations or issues. I rely on this payout and would simply like transparency and assistance in resolving the issue so I can receive the funds Ive earned through legitimate streams.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/30/2025

  By agreeing to our Terms of Service (*******************************************) (the Terms), Shannahdoah Sueing has agreed, among other things, that they will not distribute any User Content that infringes any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party.
  
  During an internal investigation, it came to our attention that a track distributed through Sueings account (THE ***** HURTS) included third-party material.
  
  This release was removed from distribution, as permitted by the Terms, and their account's payment access was temporarily blocked pending resolution of this matter.
  
  Sueing initially reached out to our team on April 15, 2025, to inquire about the status of the tax form they had submitted, which was pending validation at the time. 
  Our team responded that same day and let them know that their tax form was being reviewed.
  
  Sueing then inquired about their accounts payment access being blocked, and our team responded on April 16, 2025, informing them about the third-party material identified in their User Content. Our team requested any documentation showing that Sueing had obtained permission to use this material, which Sueing was unable to provide.
  
  Our team also informed Sueing that we would be withholding funds associated with the material in question, as permitted by the Terms.
  
  At Sueings request, our team has provided additional reporting detailing the amount of these funds.
  
  Sueing has been allowed to withdraw funds not related to this material.
  
  We ask that they make sure all their User Content, whether submitted in the past or in the future, complies with the Terms.
  
  They can find more information about common copyright issues in our help center (***********************************************************************************) and on our blog (***********************************************************).
  
  But, if they have additional questions about this, they should not hesitate to reach out to *************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/01/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]
  I am rejecting the businesss response because their handling of this situation was dishonest and inconsistent. At first, UnitedMasters told me my royalties were incorrectly displayed due to a visual bug. Later, they admitted that the $3,565 in earnings were real, tied to a specific flagged song, and removed based on copyright. Thats a direct contradiction. I never saw those earnings reflected clearly in my dashboard while the song was live, and they only provided royalty reports after I filed this BBB complaint. I was unaware the beat contained a sample, and the communication from UnitedMasters was confusing, inconsistent, and felt like they were trying to avoid accountability. While Im moving forward and will protect my content better next time, I am not satisfied with how this was handled, and I want other artists to be aware of how royalties can be stripped without warning or proper documentation. This case may be closed, but I do not consider it resolved. When I wanted to cash out thats when they locked it and then apparently investigated and took my funds but you had a chance to remove the funds if it was copyright.

  
   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********** ******
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/16/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been using these services for a while now and has been able to cash out with no problem yet since December this company has been taking all of my royalties with no explanation. When I reach out I never get a response yet when I check my dashboard it eventually shows me royalty adjustment and the company has then took all of my royalties except for $1/$2. Very unacceptable. Their is no reason for United Masters to keep 100% of my royalties when their site says they don't do that. Also they need to respond when people are reaching for clarity on what this company is doing with their money. I just had $1200 and now they have took everything but $4. This company is operating like scam artist and something needs to be done to stop them. I'm a independent artist and I work hard on my music. People are streaming my tracks in different parts of the world and no one is benefiting except United Masters. I WANT MY MONEY!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 04/29/2025

  This is the second complaint that *** **** has filed regarding this issue. While we already addressed this issue in December 2024, we will reiterate the information that has been communicated to *** **** numerous times, directly and through the Better Business Bureau. 
  
  By agreeing to our Terms of Service (*******************************************), *** **** has agreed, among other things, that he will not distribute any User Content that infringes any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party.
  
  *** **** has also agreed that, upon request, he will promptly provide us with copies of agreements and such other documents and information as we request, including the identity of, and contact information for Rights Holders, in order to ensure compliance with the Terms.
  
  On November 26, 2024, it came to our attention that there might be third-party material in a track from a release distributed through *** ***** account ********* despite the fact that *** **** had specifically indicated that it was entirely original when he uploaded it to our service.
  
  Our team removed the release from distribution, as permitted by our Terms of Service.
  
  *** **** has never responded to our requests for more information about this material: Not when our teams initially communicated with him about this on December 11, 2024; not when we responded, in detail, to his previous complaint with the Better Business Bureau; and not when we specifically requested this information from him, again, on April 16, 2025.
  
  To be clear, *** **** has emailed our team a total of 17 times about this same issue since December 2024. We have continued to reply to his requests in a timely manner. Our team has informed him of our concerns about the release, given him the opportunity to provide licenses or more context (which he has not), and informed him that we are withholding funds attributable to content he uploaded that we suspect is infringing, as permitted by our Terms of Service.
  
  *** **** has been allowed to withdraw funds not related to this material.
  
  If he has any additional questions about this or would like to respond to our requests regarding the material in question, as required by our Terms of Service, he should reach out to **************************************************************. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They are holding my royalties for no reason, plus they charged me for the membership, knowing they are not going to pay me anyhow. Plus, they have my tax 1099 forms but have not contacted accurate tax information to the ***. I want my royalties!

  Business Response

  Date: 03/15/2025

  By agreeing to our Terms of Service (*******************************************), *** ******* has agreed, among other things, that he will not distribute any User Content that infringes any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party.
  
  *** ******* has also agreed that, upon request, he will promptly provide us with copies of agreements and such other documents and information as we request, including the identity of, and contact information for Rights Holders, in order to ensure compliance with the Terms.
  
  On October 16, 2024, our team notified *** ******* that one of his tracks, **** ** *** ***** ***** ************), was included in litigation proceedings between Epidemic Sounds and Meta. Per our Terms of Service, we removed the infringing content from all digital service providers, restricted his accounts payment access, and asked *** ******* to provide documentation demonstrating his right to distribute this content. *** ******* did not respond to this email notification from our team.
  
  *** ******* then wrote in to our support team on December 18, 2024 and inquired about the payment access on his account being blocked. Our team responded promptly on the same day and reiterated the information that we had sent to him back in October. *** ******* was not able to provide any of the requested documentation to prove that he was the Rights Holder for this content.
  
  At this point, we have removed the payment restriction on *** ********* account, and he has successfully cashed out the remaining funds from his account balance. The payment to *** ******* was processed on March 5, 2025.
  
  *** ******* decided to take down all of his content from music services on January 20, 2025. This was after his UnitedMasters membership was renewed. It was *** ******* obligation to cancel his membership if he no longer wished to use our services. 
  
  And in response to his claim that we have not provided accurate tax information, this is incorrect. Amounts paid to *** ******** and only amounts actually paid to *** ******** have been reported to the *** as required.
  
  Should *** ******* have any additional questions or want to provide the requested Rights Holder documentation, hes welcome to reach out to *************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Ive been using United Masters as my distribution company for my music since 2022 and in the last 7 months I partnered up with a playlist company that I did extensive research on before using them to make sure I was getting real promotion with real vetted playlists to make sure I drive authentic traffic to my music because to me reputation is everything and I understand theres a lot of scams out there promising a certain amount of streams in exchange for money. The company I used was **************** who were not promising any of the sort. All they did was inform me that depending on my music certain playlists will accept me or decline me if the music is fitting and good enough for the playlist owners. I personally better all playlists that my music was added on and all checked out perfectly. After 7 months of consistent playlisting and pushing my music to the maximum level I reached about 195k streams and rapidly growing faster and faster. (I had a budget for each song which was ******* per song). United masters flagged my account saying my music was growing to fast and that they noticed abnormal growth patterns. I took this as an accusation hence I added the CEO Of ************ on the email so that everyone was held accountable. Playlistpush was more than willing to disclose their vetting process to prove the validity of their network of playlists and we asked United masters to disclose what they found as far as abnormal activity but United masters refused to explain what they found as abnormalities. They shut down my entire account and took down all my releases which in turn caused thousands of promotional dollars to go down the drain. At the moment Im in the process of hiring a lawyer and taking legal action against all parties involved. I was getting traffic to Apple Music, ******* and iTunes just by using Playlistpush hence I know the traffic was authentic and illegal inflation of numbers. United Masters is a scam and is not taking accountability. #Lawsuit!

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2025

  On January 20, 2025, during an internal investigation, our team detected abnormal streaming activity on *** ******** release, UPC ************ - specifically a ***** in streams-per-listener. The expected streams-per-listener number for a release is anywhere between 1-10 and *** ******** release showed a streams-per-listener number of 19. Also 91% of his streams in ******* were coming from a single source, which is not typical of a release that is being streamed organically.
  
  Per our Terms of Service (*******************************************), which *** ******* agreed to upon signing up for a UnitedMasters account, artificial streaming is strongly prohibited. As such, we took down the aforementioned release from ******* and notified him via email. 
  
  As part of our internal investigation process, we requested evidence of promotion efforts for this release from *** ******** Our team reviewed the information provided by *** ******* and let him know that the company that he used for promotion is one that weve seen in multiple instances of artificial streaming across other artists. We advised him to discontinue using their services, but he refused. As a one-time courtesy, we reinstated his release to ******* but let him know that if we continued to see abnormal streaming activity on his content, it would result in further takedowns and an account closure.
  
  Then on February 10, 2025, our team detected additional abnormal streaming activity on *** ******** content. The streams-per-listener number had grown to 44, which is much higher than the number we would see with organic listening. As we had previously discussed with *** ******** and per our Terms of Service, we proceeded with removing all of his content from all stores and closing his account. However, we did keep payment access open on his account, so that *** ******* could cash out any funds that remain in his account.
  
  As an additional piece of evidence, we also received reports of artificial streaming from one of our store partners related to *** ******** content. Between May 2024 and December 2024, ****** streams associated with his content were reported as artificial by our store partner.
  
  Should *** ******* have any additional questions, he is welcome to reach out to us via email at *******************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/03/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

   As per my attachments Ive been added on various playlists resulting in real streams and real Apple Music listeners and saves have occurred. If the company I used which is **************** was promoting me with falsified streams it would not be possible for my Apple Music plays and my iTunes plays to go up as well without promoting those outlets especially that all Ive been promoting my music with one company for the last several months which was specifically just getting all my music catalog specifically ****************************************** my streams to spike and go up at a rapid pace. Im an artist with a budget which allowed me to be able to accomplish such marketing strategies which not many artist can do without a budget. I offered to provide proof of such and playlist push also was willing to provide proof that all playlist have been vetted but United Masters refused to allow us to prove the validity of the streams nor was willing to provide proof of what they based their decision on. Ive done my own research on playlist push and *** also had a lawyer review playlist push and they are an accredited company they might have had one or two complaints against them but all companies do including United masters. Ive also done research on United Masters and they are notorious in kicking people out of their platforms without the proper vetting so they also are victims of complaints against them. No company is perfect but ultimately the point is that Ive had legitimate plays on various other outlets besides ******* hence meaning real listeners are finding my music and saving it due to the efforts playlist push has taken alongside me. Ive been added to over 2500 playlists and United masters has the audacity to say my music isnt able to spike in ways it has and thats blasphemy. They can say all they want but the fact still remains that Apple Music and ITunes and ******* have grown due to playlist push and my efforts to promote my music through them and Ive attached proof. United Masters has no proof my streams were falsified by bots and has refused to provide proof. Its there word against mine and playlist push and the proof weve set forth. 

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *******
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/06/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hi United Masters, you have taken my song-single down tilted Mastermind again due to what you believe to be artificial streaming. The promotion for Mastermind overall especially via ******* has been legitimate and the promotion is with ****** Ads PPC, ******* ****** Ads and press. I am not aware of any bots or using bad promotions only legitimate ways to push my single. Here is a small report of ways the song and its companion book (short story) are being promoted and its stats. I would appreciate my single being put back up reinstated on *******, bless. Which the promotions have been started back up-resumed starting January 2025. If this is not handled properly I will be taking legal action. I paid for this service for the biggest package to have your distribution represent my music.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2025

  Starting in July of 2024, we began receiving reports of artificial streaming from a store partner in regards to *** ******* content. Between July 2024 and December 2025, our store partner reported a total of ******* of *** ******* streams as being artificial. This is a significant number and indicative of flagrant artificial streaming activity. Per our Terms of Service (*******************************************), which *** ****** agreed to upon signing up for a UnitedMasters account, artificial streaming is strongly prohibited.
  
  The first takedown of *** ******* content occurred on August 29, 2024 for the release UPC ************, due to receiving reports of substantial artificial streaming from our store partner. *** ****** wrote into our Support team on September 8, 2024 inquiring about this release being unavailable on *******. We informed her of the reports of artificial streaming activity that we received and requested promotion evidence from her, as per our usual process when artificial streaming takedowns occur.
  
  *** ****** was cooperative and provided a lengthy report of the promotion efforts for that release on September 15, 2024. Our team reviewed the information provided by *** ****** and let her know that we would be reinstating her content to ******* given her cooperation in our investigation and since her participation in this artificial streaming activity was unintentional. Her content was promptly re-delivered to ******* on September 16, 2024.
  
  Then several months later, on January 26, 2025, our internal systems detected artificial streaming activity again on her release UPC ************ and as a result, this release was taken down from ******* and distribution access was temporarily restricted. *** ****** wrote into our Support team on February 4 inquiring about this release being unavailable on ******* again. Our team followed our usual process and requested promotion evidence from her regarding this release. 
  
  *** ****** provided the same promotion evidence as she did back in September 2024. Our team let her know that we expected to receive updated promotion evidence, as the activity was a separate instance from the prior activity. After several email correspondences, our team decided to reinstate *** ******* content as a courtesy, given that she is claiming the activity is unintentional. That being said, if we continue to receive reports of artificial streaming or detect artificial streaming internally on her content, it will result in an account closure, per our Terms of Service.
  
  At this time, *** ******* release UPC ************ has been reinstated to ******* and her distribution access has been restored. She is welcome to continue using our services, given that the artificial streaming activity stops. Should she continue to use our services, *** ****** must abide by our Terms of Service and we expect that there will be no further artificial streaming since we have given her multiple warnings at this point.
  
  If there are any additional questions that we can answer, *** ****** is welcome to reach out to us via email at *******************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/04/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  United Masters has (on numerous occasions) had my songs removed from *******, without a justifiable cause. Each time it happens, they take eons to respond, and give me invalid information (or no information at all). Or they (United Masters) claim the reason theyve removed my songs was due to artificial streaming. Theyve even gone as far as to say that Ive been paying for streams (even though the marketing tools Ive used were/are being promoted on the United Masters app. Every time I make progress or hit a new audience with my music, or whenever its time to analyze streams and payout I randomly have issues with my account and payout. It almost seems as if theyre (United Masters) is purposefully manipulating my account and streams to affect the payout.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2025

  On October 17, 2025, *** ****** reached out to our support team inquiring about why his release *** ************ was not live on streaming platforms. Our team responded promptly and notified him that we had internally detected artificial streaming on this release and that it was not removed from all stores, but only removed from ******** Per our Terms of Service (********************************************* which *** ****** agreed to upon signing up for a UnitedMasters account, artificial streaming is strongly prohibited. As such, we took down the aforementioned release from ********
  
  As part of our internal investigation process, we requested evidence of promotion efforts for this release from *** ******* He then provided a promotion service that our team investigated. We communicated to *** ****** that this service appeared to guarantee playlist placements, which is often an indicator of fraudulent activity. We advised him to discontinue using this service in order to avoid artificial streaming in the future. Our team then let *** ****** know that we would be reinstating his content to ******* given his cooperation in our investigation and since his participation in this artificial streaming activity was unintentional. *** ******* content was promptly re-delivered to ******* on October 21, 2024 - only four days after his initial email to our support team.
  
  Then on December 5, 2024, our team once again detected artificial streaming on *** ******* content. His release UPC ************ had 19 streams-per-listener, when we expect a normal range to be between 0-10 streams-per-listener. This release also had a drastic ***** in streams that was isolated to one day, which is not typical for a release that has organic listening. Due to these indicators, we issued a takedown for this release from *******, temporarily restricted distribution access on the account (due to this being the second instance of artificial streaming) and notified *** ****** via email.
  
  *** ****** did not provide additional promotion evidence as requested in our notice that was sent to him on December 5, 2024. Then on December 18, 2024, *** ****** wrote in to our Support team again asking about the distribution access restriction on his account. Our team promptly replied on December 19, 2024 and provided the same information that was given to *** ****** in the December 5th notice, which detailed that we would need additional information to restore his account distribution access. *** ****** again did not provide additional promotion evidence and our team had to ask several times for any relevant information that could possibly explain the activity that we detected.
  
  After several back-and-forths, we decided to reinstate *** ******* distribution access and UPC ************ as a one-time courtesy, given that the artificial streaming activity would stop moving forward.
  
  *** ****** was still unhappy at this point and accused UnitedMasters of stealing streams from him. Our team let him know that we did, in fact, receive verified reports of artificial streams in relation to his content from one of our store partners and that these streams would not be paid out to UnitedMasters on his behalf. Those totals can be seen below:
  
  November 2024
  UPC ************ ****** artificial streams
  UPC ************ ******* artificial streams
  UPC ************ ******* artificial streams
  
  After all of these communications, the artificial streaming activity on *** ******* music did not stop, which resulted in additional takedowns from ******** We continued to receive reports of artificial streaming from our store partner (which was relayed to *** ******** found below:
  
  December 2024
  *** ************ **** *** * ****** * ***** ********** ******* *** ************ ******** ******* ****** * ***** ********** ******* *** ************ ********* * ***** ********** ******* *** ************ *********** *** * ***** ********** ******* *** ************ ****** ** *** ***** * ****** ********** *******
  
  Again, we requested additional promotion evidence from *** ****** on February 3, 2025. He let us know that he was using a promotion service that UnitedMasters has verified, so we decided to reinstate his releases UPC ************, ************, ************, ************, & ************ to ******* given his cooperation.
  
  Finally, *** ****** wrote into our Support team on February 12, 2025, after a ******* artificial streaming penalty fee of $30.83 was deducted from his account balance. Our team replied promptly the next day and let *** ****** know that ******* charged UnitedMasters penalty fees because they detected flagrant artificial streaming on his tracks Waiting, Gritted Teeth (Intro) and Hands To The Moon during the November 2024 streaming period. These fees were passed along to *** ****** as the owner of this content. Since *** ****** did not have enough funds in his account balance to cover these fees, his account balance went into the negative. We informed him that as he continues to earn legitimate royalties, they will be added to his account balance and once he gets out of the negative, he will be able to cash out again.
  
  Should *** ****** continue using our services, he must abide by our Terms of Service and we expect that there will be no further artificial streaming since we have given him multiple warnings at this point. If he has any additional questions, he is welcome to reach out to us via email at *******************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/17/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

  Well I find very ironic that United Master finds abnormal/artificial streams on the same day they have a temporary outage (which had lost all of my streaming data up until that point). its also very convenient for them to take my music down and flag me for using their verified promotion services and not promptly getting back to be (which they havent specified for being prompt in February). Also after confirming my response and proper usage of promotion along with my organic streams, it took 2 days to re-upload my music. I didnt even receive an apology for their mistake. Also they dont give detailed reports with a proper source to cross verify their information. At this point it could just be speculation along with whatever intent/ motive they (United Masters) have for manipulating artists streams.

  
   I have more pictures of our conversations if necessary. I have done nothing but work my **** off and to make and distribute my music fairly with United Masters and theyre punishing me for my success. In October (during the first time United Masters had my music taken down) I had cooperated with them and showed them the platforms I used to help promote my music through organic playlists. After theyd urged my immediate discontinuation of those platforms, I had only used their platforms since and have still been punished for doing so.

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2025

  While we do apologize for any inconvenience that *** ****** has experienced, we hope that he can understand that when artificial streaming activity is detected or reported, we must take action, as outlined in our Terms of Service. UnitedMasters takes this type of activity very seriously and we have no reason to fabricate this information in *** ******* case.
  
  Regarding *** ******* claims about our team not prompting responding to his inquiries in February, this is simply not accurate. I can confirm that we received an email from him on February 12, 2025, where he asked about the artificial streaming penalty fee that was deducted from his account. Our team promptly responded to him the next day on February 13, and let him know that this fee was charged to UnitedMasters by ******** due to his content being associated with artificial streaming. As the owner of this content, the fee is being passed along to *** ******* as per our usual processes.
  
  At this point, we have detailed to *** ****** and the Better Business Bureau that we have not only internally detected artificial streaming on his content, but also received reports of artificial streams from our store partner (which were detailed in our initial response) and fees from this store partner as a result of *** ******* music generating artificial streams. We have provided more than enough evidence to indicate that artificial streaming is definitively occurring on his content.
  
  As for his promotion efforts, while there are some companies that we recommend using, ultimately his music and related streaming activity is his responsibility as the artist and owner of this content. Should *** ****** notice any suspicious activity on his music or any suspicious playlists that his music has been added to, we urge him to reach out to us proactively with this information so that we can avoid any further reports of artificial streams.
  
  Lastly, to address his claims about his data being lost, I can assure *** ****** that if UnitedMasters temporarily experienced an outage in displaying streaming data, that does not mean that his streaming data was lost. All available streaming data related to *** ******* music is visible in his UnitedMasters account. If he feels otherwise, he is welcome to reach out to ********************************** to report this. That being said, if a service like ******* reports artificial streams, they also are likely to remove those streams from an artists total stream counts. Since *** ****** had multiple reports of artificial streams on his content, it is possible that ******* removed those streams from his stream counts and ******* for Artists account.
  
  As previously stated, *** ******* releases have been reinstated at this point and he is welcome to continue using our services, should he decide that he wants to, given that there are no more instances of artificial streaming on his content.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/27/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I released my song on ******* through united masters on January 17th, and used submit hub to submit my song to playlists as I've successfully done for my past 3 releases. However, this time for some odd reason I noticed my song was taken off of *******. After a process of what felt like pulling teeth trying to get an actual response out of customer service. **********************, not even *******, said they "identified abnormal streaming activity". I just did what I've always done to promote my song, and I fear this must be an error on United Masters end of things. I've sent them information of all the playlists I was accepted onto, and yet still no response. Therefore I'm filing this formal complaint to hopefully speed up the resolution process. Thank you for your time.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/29/2025

  On January 22, 2025, *** ******* reached out to our support team inquiring about why his release UPC ************ was not live on ******** Our team responded promptly and notified him that we had received significant reports of artificial streaming from a store partner. Per our Terms of Service (*******************************************), which *** ****** agreed to upon signing up for a UnitedMasters account, artificial streaming is strongly prohibited. As such, we took down the aforementioned release from Spotify. 
  
  As part of our internal investigation process, we requested evidence of promotion efforts for this release from *** ******** Our team reviewed the information provided by *** ******* and let him know that we would be reinstating his content to ******* given his cooperation in our investigation and since his participation in this artificial streaming activity was unintentional. *** ******** content was promptly re-delivered to ******* on January 23, 2025 - only one day after his initial email to our support team.
  
  Over the course of those two days, *** ******* sent our team over 40 emails, many of which included aggressive and inappropriate language. Shall he continue using our services, he must abide by our Terms of Service and refrain from such language moving forward.
  
  Should *** ******* have any additional questions, he is welcome to reach out to us via email at *******************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/02/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/20/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On August 30, 2024, I paid $59.99 to United Masters (UM) for a yearly plan called "Select" for use of their music distribution services. With two music releases through **, both has issues with distribution to ******* that I had to complain about to UM numerous times. I am not receiving the distribution services for which I paid UM.The first release "Relapse" that went live in early September, 2024, it did not appear on my existing music artist page "*** **** Music" as I indicated to UM upon submission that they should send to. After numerous complaints, this was finally resolved weeks later. But for a month, the issue confused my followers and may have impacted my ability to procure more subscribers, a promotional method that is essential to me, an independent music artist without a label deal for distribution.The second release "LetEmBe (remix)" does not appear at all in the ******* Music app's "Songs" list on the "*** **** Music" artist page along with all my other music releases. Instead, the old version from 2019 was rebranded as a new release. As a result, my new music content is not accessible to my subscribers on the ******* app. I have complained numerous times about this for months and the issue has still not been resolved. I'm forced to involve online consumer protection agencies as I am not receiving the proper distribution services as advertised for which I paid.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/29/2025

  On Nov. 21, 2024, *** **** contacted our support team to report an issue with his track LetEmBe (remix) on ******* Music.  Our team responded promptly to *** ***** email and requested additional information to investigate this issue, which we did thoroughly.
  
  Our team confirmed that this release had been successfully delivered to ******* Music and was available on *** ***** ******* channel. We also sent *** **** ******* links and screenshots to demonstrate that this was the case.
  
  *** **** clarified that his concern was the release not appearing in a specific section of the ******* Music app (the Songs section), which we explained was an issue with *******s user interface display, not the actual distribution of their track to ******** and therefore not in UnitedMasters control.
  
  Nonetheless, our team contacted *******s support team multiple times for assistance. We even escalated the matter to a direct contact at ******** who confirmed that the issue was caused by a lag with new releases in their system, which was not specific to UnitedMasters, and that there wasnt anything that UnitedMasters could have done differently to avoid this issue.
  
  All of this information has been communicated to *** ****************** we regret that this issue has negatively affected *** ***** experience with our service, our team has responded promptly and thoughtfully throughout our many communications with *** ***** and we have gone to great lengths to resolve this issue with one of our music service partners.
  
  That said, while we do not feel that a refund is appropriate in this case, we will continue to follow up with ******* and let *** **** as soon as they have resolved the issue.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/02/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  In my 15 years of releasing music content through a 3rd party (CD Baby, DistroKid) to streaming services, there was never a single issue with distribution to ******* or to their songs list in the ******* Music app.

  Both of my two music releases through United Masters since September, 2024 resulted in distribution issues with *******, the second of which still has not ever been resolved.

  Therefore, United Masters' explanation that these TWO issues with their distribution to ******* are "typical" has no merit. Over *********************************************************************************************************************************** 15 years points directly to the ineptness of distribution services offered by United Masters, and that CLEARLY the customer is not receiving the services of proper and successful online distribution of creative content for which the customer has paid **********************. As such, a full refund of funds paid to United Masters is due the customer, me.

  If settlement cannot be reached through this open case at the Better Business Bureau, I may need to escalate this matter with consumer protection agencies, the Office of the State Attorney of ********, and the ************************'s online fraud department.
  

  Sincerely,
  
  *** ****
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2025

  While we regret that *** **** had a frustrating experience with his releases in the ******* Music app, he is mistaken about the causes of those issues.

  In his complaint, *** **** says: In my 15 years of releasing music content through a 3rd party (CD Baby, DistroKid) to streaming services, there was never a single issue with distribution to ******* or to their songs list in the ******* Music app.

  But, from a brief review of his catalog, we were able to find two (2) releases distributed through another distributor (not UnitedMasters) that do not appear in the Songs section of his ******* Music profile (*********************************************************************************)l:

  Ayamonte by the Sea (Light Remix): *******************************************
  Down to my soul ("Light Version" Remix): *******************************************

  According to *******s team, the second release distributed through UnitedMasters by ***************** (remix), was initially unavailable in that section because the sound recording itself was not sufficiently distinct from the original version of the track, not because of anything that UnitedMasters did.

  (That is presumably also why Ayamonte by the Sea (Light Remix) and Down to my soul (Light Version Remix), which were distributed by someone else, are not available in that section.)

  That release is now available in the Songs section of *** ***** ******* Music profile, unlike the two releases distributed by someone else, because of the UnitedMasters teams diligent follow-ups and escalations with *******.

  When we emailed *** **** to confirm the availability of LetEmBe (Remix) in the Songs section of his ******* Music profile, he raised a new complaint about his tracks not appearing in the proper chronological order in this list.

  But here, too, *** **** is mistaken.

  Here are the distributors and release dates of the tracks listed in the screenshot *** **** appended to his BBB complaint (which I have reattached here, for reference):

  Historia du Luar: CD Baby, March 11, 2019
  Relapse: UnitedMasters, October 1, 2024
  LetEmBe: Distrokid, November 12, 2020
  Carcassi: Etude No. 3 (Op. 60, No. 3): Distrokid, November 30, 2020
  Aphrodite:  Distrokid, August 18, 2023
  High: Distrokid, June 23, 2023
  Transactional: Distrokid, October 13, 2023
  Downtime 3 (Sub Dude Remix): Distrokid, October 8, 2021
  Sor: Etude No. 5 in B Minor (Op. 53, No. 22): Distrokid, November 30, 2020
  Through the Eyes of a Child: Distrokid, April 14, 2020
  Chopin: Nocturne No. 19 in E minor (Op. 72, No. 1): Distrokid, November 17, 2023
  Through the Eyes of a Child (the Lo-fi remix): Distrokid, April 14, 2023
  Down to my Soul: Distrokid, October 28, 2022
  Etude #1: CD Baby, March 11, 2019
  The Single Life: Distrokid, July 23, 2022
  Sometimes: Distrokid, January 22, 2021

  Regardless of distributor, these tracks are clearly not listed newest to oldest, as *** **** has asserted they should be.

  It is also easy enough to check whether the Songs sections of other ******* Music artist profiles are ordered newest to oldest - here are the first three that I checked:

  U2 (*********************************************************************************): None of the artist's most recent releases appear near the top of the list.

  **** ***** (*********************************************************************************): None of the artists most recent releases appear near the top of the list.

  Metallica (*********************************************************************************): None of the artists most recent releases appear near the top of the list.

  That said, it is unfortunate that *** **** did not take the time to verify the accuracy of his claims.

  And, in fact, UnitedMasters has invested an enormous amount of time in responding to *** ***** support emails and raising his concerns with *******s team.

  Regardless, it seems clear that it is in our mutual interest to part ways with *** ***** so we have initiated a refund of his subscription fee.

  And we have asked him to please let us know when he has transferred his releases to another distributor so we can remove them from our service.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/04/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

  Though United Masters had originally refused outright any refund or liability in the two issues with improper distribution to ******* and therefore, violating the terms of their service.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ****
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/16/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to file a formal complaint against UnitedMasters, a music distribution service I have been using for my music distribution needs. My song, 7 Cities, was recently removed from ******* by UnitedMasters due to a claim that it violated their terms and conditions because of abnormal streams. However, this accusation is completely unfounded, and the removal of my song was done wrongfully.United Masters has not provided any clear or specific evidence explaining what constitutes abnormal streams in this case, nor have they given any adequate reasoning as to why my song was flagged. I have followed all the terms and conditions of the platform and have not engaged in any fraudulent activity. The removal of 7 Cities has had a direct and negative impact on the momentum this song, hindering my ability to reach my audience.I have provided evidence to UnitedMasters proving that my streams are legitimate and organic. I am seeking a the immediate reinstatement of my song 7 Cities on *******.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/17/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *********
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/26/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On the 23/12/24 I purchased full content ID rights to one of my songs that had been published with UnitedMasters for over 4 years, the song was published 20/12/24 and had close to ****** streams on all platforms combined. I purchased this as I realised I was getting thousands of streams from ******* and instagram on other peoples videos that I wasnt getting paid for. A few hours later all my content was removed. As soon as united masters realised they would have to pay me for all those streams they immediately took down all my songs in order to get out of paying. They did not inform me or ask me for any information and then I get a fabricated email from them claiming that I requested and authorised for the songs to be removed. You've issued a successful takedown of . Please allow 7 days for this change to take effect across streaming and social platforms.If you'd like this release to be re-distributed, please re-upload the release in your account.If you did not request this takedown, please reach out to **************************Which when I contacted them regarding this matter they changed their story and stated that it was due to copyright infringement, which is absolutely baffling for them to make this claim as I own %100 of the content in my music as I co produce all my work. They were also completely unable to show any evidence and cannot even tell me which song is infringing, and how it is infringing. Not to mention that if what theyre saying is true than theyve allowed me to continually have my music up for over 4 years that they are now claiming is infringing copyright, i find it very hard to believe that they would leave infringing material up for 4 years, but when they are required to pay more money theres instantly an issue.Thanks in advance for your assistance

  Business Response

  Date: 01/09/2025

  By agreeing to our Terms of Service (*******************************************), *** ****** has agreed, among other things, that he will not distribute any User Content that infringes any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party.

  
  When our team delivered *** ******* two releases, TEN TOE$ and INTRO, to ******* Content ID at his request, we discovered that these releases had been submitted with ***** belonging to tracks by a different, very prominent artist.
  
  ***** are unique codes that music services use to identify tracks, and we cannot distribute these tracks with ***** that belong to another artist's material, so they were taken down on December 23, 2024.

  
  We take it seriously when a release is submitted with inaccurate identifiers (or other inaccurate information).

  
  Our team has communicated extensively about this with *** ******* He has asserted that these releases were previously distributed through another distributor and that he mistakenly obtained the ***** from a ****** search (although we have been unable to verify either assertion).

  
  Based on *** ******* assertions that this issue was accidental, we have offered to allow him to re-upload the releases without the inaccurate *****.

  
  However, we ask that *** ****** please make sure that he provides accurate information when uploading releases to UnitedMasters, as further issues can and will result in the restriction or termination of his account