Complaints

This profile includes complaints for DistroKid's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  DistroKid

  34 3rd Ave # 183 New York, NY 10003-5504

• 

  DistroKid

  228 Park Ave S PMB 75830 New York, NY 10003-1502

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:01/24/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 trying to contact a live person on this site for months after attempting to contact a person I get nothing bout some sort of bot response from the **** A.I tool my account payout failed months ago I never received the money my account is also messed up I payed money for service and it didnt catch payment this is unacceptable on so many levels if this treatment continues Im going to be forced to go to court

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/17/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by DistroKid regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  Distrokid distributes music to itunes, *******, all major platforms. I pay a yearly fee to release music *** produced. when a song or album is released you can pay a $50.00 one time fee in case you want to leave a legacy, meaning if you quit the service or you die the song is on these platforms in perpetuity. The problem is there are choices of online stores to put these releases on that they allege cost money, so like a fool I tried various ones on most of my releases, but then they charge an annual subscription in perpetuity!! Thats not right, because at any time I can go in a year later and add stores for more money, but I can never ever remove them??!?!? The only way to remove these stores according to DistroKid is to take the song down and start all over again with entirely new bar codes and statistics, so all those sales and streams would be reset to zero, and of course the $50.00 legacy fee would be embezzled by DistroKid. Of course he lives on ******** while we artists get screwed by hidden fees like this, its highway robbery to not be able to edit these stores out of my song catalog!!!!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by DistroKid regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/15/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  **Description of the Problem:** I have distributed my song *"Botellas Vacas"* exclusively through DistroKid. However, another entity, ************, has been claiming my royalties from ******* without my authorization. Despite contacting DistroKid multiple times, the issue remains unresolved. This is not a case of duplicate distribution or errors on my part. I rely on DistroKid to manage my royalties, and their failure to address this situation has resulted in lost earnings and frustration. Previous responses from DistroKid have been generic and unhelpful, despite their assurance that they claim 100% of my royalties. I am requesting an immediate investigation, correction of the unauthorized claims, and reimbursement of the royalties lost due to this error. I also expect measures to be implemented to prevent this from happening again.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/14/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 upgraded my account to a higher more expensive one and I was issued a refund for the difference. They sent my refund to an account I no longer have and further more they didn't send to the account that I actually made the purchase and is on file with them. I have asked *********************************************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/10/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 September 9, 2024, I emailed DistroKid, directing them to not renew the upcoming yearly charge for twelve of my cover songs (That renewal was due October 6, 2024). Here's my email:Hello,Please stop automatically relicensing and distributing any of my remaining cover song licenses. A few recently got relicensed, and that's okay with me for one year, but from this point on, please do not relicense any cover songs I have submitted. A few are coming up for licensing in the near future. Please let them expire, too****** ****** *** **** **** ** ******October 06, 2023 Download ****** **** October 06, 2023 Download ***** ** ***** ************* *** *******)October 06, 2023 Download *** *** **** **** ********* *******)October 06, 2023 Download ***** S**** *** ******** *******)October 06, 2023 Thank you!***** ******** October DistroKid renewed the charge for the cover songs despite my request. I contacted the support department but was directed to use the automated refund request page. When I did that, I clicked on the "Request a Refund" link, but it did not work. It still doesn't work. I contacted support again to no avail. I then received an email from DistroKid that said they had frozen my account because my bank had refunded me my money.:I replied to the email and got the following response:Hi,Your email has been received by our email administrator, but this inbox is not monitored.Please visit:****************************************** ************************************************* I clicked on ****************************************** but the web page just sat, blank, with a little wheel spinning. I tried ****** Chrome and Firefox browsers and got the same result. I had directed my bank to dispute the charge because DistroKid's website has essentially put up an electronic wall that prevented me from getting a response or contacting anyone in the organization. Now DistroKid has frozen my account, even though I paid for a year's subscription for my other original songs.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by DistroKid regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/02/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 signed up for their basic service for 1 year, and uploaded a couple of songs. Things were going well so when it came time to renew for the next year, I upgraded to their professional level service, and added a few new songs. Suddenly, a few days later, I was wiped off of all streaming sites that DistroKid had placed me on, and all of my songs were deleted from the internet. I asked Distrokid what happened, and they sent me this message:Hi,Hope you are well.We've been notified by stores and streaming services that one or more of your releases has been rejected due to editorial discretion.Unfortunately, stores are no longer accepting releases from you via DistroKid. Youll need to try another distributor for future releases.Please understand that DistroKid is unable to assist with reversing this and many DistroKid features have also been restricted as a result of this. We have no other information or context, and we are unable to get involved or take sides when this occurs. Were just the messenger, passing along this info to you in hopes you find it helpful.We understand that this email is probably frustrating to you, and we regret having to be the messenger of bad news. However, we hope this email is helpful, and we thank you for your *********************** DistroKid Support ********************************* I requested a refund, given that, by their own admission, my account was now worthless, but they have not replied. I have reached out 3-4 times requesting this refund, and they have gone silent. I can't even log back into my account without signing up (and paying) for a new subscription.Absolute trash experience, and I want my money back.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/27/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by DistroKid regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/02/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 an artist who distributed music through DistroKid. In August 2024, I earned $617 in royalties from *******, with additional royalties expected for September and October. On 27/10/2024, I received an email from DistroKid stating my account was restricted due to "editorial discretion" by stores. My releases were removed, and future uploads are no longer accepted. Despite this, the royalties earned prior to the restriction should remain unaffected, as they were generated and paid by *******. DistroKid has frozen my "Bank" section, preventing access to the $617 earned in August. No valid justification has been provided for withholding these royalties, which are my legal property under music distribution agreements. I contacted DistroKid support to request payment but received a generic response stating they are "unable to assist." This lack of transparency and refusal to process royalties already earned is unethical and potentially illegal. I seek the immediate release of the $617 and confirmation that future payments for earned royalties will be processed. I also request an explanation for the frozen funds and assurance this will not happen again. I have relevant documentation, including: The suspension email from DistroKid. My attempts to resolve the issue through their support team. This situation has caused unnecessary financial stress, and I hope BBB intervention prompts DistroKid to fulfill their obligations.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 an artist who distributed music through ************************* September 2024, I earned $818 in royalties from *******, with additional royalties expected for October and November.On [insert date], I received an email from DistroKid stating my account was restricted due to "editorial discretion" by stores. My releases were removed, and future uploads are no longer accepted. Despite this, the royalties earned prior to the restriction should remain unaffected, as they were generated and paid by ********DistroKid has frozen my "Bank" section, preventing access to the $818 earned in September. No valid justification has been provided for withholding these royalties, which are my legal property under music distribution agreements.I contacted DistroKid support to request payment but received a generic response stating they are "unable to assist." This lack of transparency and refusal to process royalties already earned is unethical and potentially illegal.I seek the immediate release of the $818 and confirmation that future payments for earned royalties will be processed. I also request an explanation for the frozen funds and assurance this will not happen again.I have relevant documentation, including:The suspension email from ************************* attempts to resolve the issue through their support team.This situation has caused unnecessary financial stress, and I hope BBB intervention prompts DistroKid to fulfill their obligations.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/26/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  Hello.I have a rather interesting issue that could potentially affect millions of people worldwide, regarding the companies DistroKid, LLC and Tipalti. I signed up in the summer of 2020. Set up my earnings to be directly deposited into my bank account. First payout in 2022, no problem. 2023, perfectly fine. October 2024, payment failed. My money was refunded, so I checked my DistroKid bank, and 36% of my money is missing! -$31.51 - $1.07 (disclosed fees) = $30.44 -Payment Rejected -$30.44 - $10.93 (undisclosed feed) = ***** in bank I tried contacting DistroKid, LLC several times. Their online chat is AI based, and sent me to email support. DistroKids email support is also an AI based service, which only reinforces their policies, and vaguely mentions rejection and transaction fees, but goes into no further detail. I spent DAYS going between the chat bot and email, and it was simply an echo chamber. DistroKid has been making it VEHEMENTLY clear that their payment processor is Tipalti. They make sure to state is on every single withdrawal you make, as well as what is currently in your bank minus Tipalti fees. So, I decided to check out Tipalti. They just do accounting software and automatic payments. So in my eyes, either Tipalti has rejection fees automatically built into their programming that DistroKid is failing to disclose, or DistroKid is setting the fees, failing to disclose them, and passing the blame onto Tipalti. I have reached out to Tipalti regarding the issue as well, and to nobodys surprise, they responded with an AI, auto-generated response that took no responsibility, and stated I needed to speak with DistroKid, which I already have. I have also checked DistroKid's latest "DistroKid Distribution Agreement", and nowhere does it mention any "rejection fees."

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/20/2024

  At this time, I have been contacted directly by DistroKid regarding complaint ID ********, however my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

  DistroKid still says Tipalti charges the fees. They also responded to a ticket that was previously closed, so I had no way to respond. (Email attached)

  Tipalti says DistroKid charges the fees. (Email attached)

  I am not the only one experiencing this issue, and it only takes a quick ****** search to see just a small sample of those speaking out against DistroKid and their poor business practices. (Screenshot attached)

  DistroKid asked me to reach out to my bank to ask about what happened on their end. The bank verbally confirmed the same issue as last time, "two zeroes were missed in the entry of the account number," as well as provided me with their "fee schedule" to prove they have nothing to do with rejection fees. (Document attached)

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

  Sincerely,

  **** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/26/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 used this service for a few years (2021 to be exact), and now I had to cancel it bc of how disappointing it became. I use to have quite a lot of music uploaded to the platform no problem and received royalties normally, until 2023, things became a mess. The platform wouldnt accept any of my songs, after paying for some of the features. I would place a release date, the date would come, and no stores have it up, as DistroKid still has it pending, trying again, still nothing with a different date. Even ignoring the features, I still get the same pending message. Even occurred on redoing some artwork, nothing changed on any streaming store. And later on, they raised prices to $40 a year and started charging little by little for the extras and gave no warning for upcoming charges. I really dont recommend the service to anyone unless they change and fix the issues instead of taking your money and you getting nothing in return.