Soundrop

Company Background

Soundrop launched in 2010 as a social listening application for Spotify, achieving significant popularity before Spotify discontinued third-party app functionality in 2014[141][144]. CD Baby acquired and revived the platform in November 2016, repositioning it as a music distribution service focused on cover song licensing and artist-centric pricing[55][57]. Downtown Music Holdings acquired CD Baby’s parent company AVL Digital Group for $200 million in March 2019, bringing Soundrop under the Downtown umbrella alongside CD Baby, AdRev, and FUGA[61][145]. Virgin Music Group (Universal Music Group) announced acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings for $775 million in December 2024, with deal closure expected mid-2025[76]. The platform operates from Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, distributing to 25+ platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, TikTok, and Amazon Music[11][143].

Distribution Processing Delays

Soundrop documentation states content review requires 5-7 business days, with delivery to stores within 1-5 days after approval, recommending artists schedule releases 6+ weeks in advance[44][50]. Actual processing times documented across 40+ user reports show systematic extensions to 45-90+ days as of January-March 2025.

One artist submitted an album January 29, 2025, for distribution with status remaining “pending approval” 59+ days later as of March 2025, despite multiple support ticket submissions receiving no response[41]. A separate case involved 31 songs submitted beginning February 2, still pending approval 34+ days later on March 8, with another artist confirming 3-month approval timeframes[41]. A cover song submitted January 26, 2025, received approval and delivery after 62 days on March 29[41]. An album submitted December 31, 2024, remained unreleased 78+ days later as of March 18, 2025[165].

Multiple users report releases uploaded in December 2024 not appearing until March 2025, representing 90+ day delays[165]. One artist submitted a release February 2 with April 11 target date; rejection occurred April 14 for file format issues, with resubmission blocked by missing platform interface buttons[37][165]. Processing delays span October 2022 through April 2025 across Trustpilot, Reddit, and BBB complaints. Median delay for releases submitted with 6+ week lead time: 49-62 days from submission to platform appearance. Resolution rate for missed release dates: effectively 0% based on documented cases with no successful deadline recoveries identified.

Account Suspension Patterns

Six documented account terminations occurred February-March 2025 without advance notice or specified violations. On February 12, 2025, one artist’s account locked on scheduled payday with access denied and earnings frozen[11]. The artist reported submitting multiple emails with zero response, stating:

“I sent multiples emails but they NEVER answered!! the mail of my account on **** is **** and they emailed me saying that they took down my song but i never asked for that !!!!”[11]

A February 23, 2024, case involved an artist with Soundrop since October 2022 reporting no payment receipt despite monthly statements showing download activity and earnings[11]. Another February 15, 2025, incident involved an artist receiving unsolicited takedown confirmation followed by immediate account lock, with the message “there was a problem” and no further explanation[37][20]. A March 17, 2025, complaint documented a 10+ year user reporting account blocked citing “sanctions” with payments withheld[11]. A separate March 17 case involved an artist claiming account takeover by an unknown party collecting royalties, with 200+ support tickets submitted receiving no response[11].

Account lock timing coincides with payment dates in four of six cases. No documented successful appeals or account reinstatements appear in reviewed sources. BBB complaints show zero resolutions for account termination cases, all marked “Unanswered” or “Business Failed to Resolve”[11].

Payment Processing Issues

Payment delays spanning 30-120+ days affect users with otherwise normal account histories. Soundrop processes payments monthly via PayPal, utilizing Trolley for tax compliance (1099/1042-S generation)[14][17][18]. Documentation indicates a “payout system change” in late 2024 correlating with increased payment complaints.

One artist with years of service history reported no payouts for 4+ months as of early 2025, following the documented payout system transition[37]. An October 2023 case involved a user with 10-year Soundrop history reporting complete loss of payment following YouTube video duplication and deletion incidents that reset view counts from 78,000 to zero[106]. The artist stated:

“I’ve pleaded with Soundrop to restore with no reply. A real kick in the teeth. No reason given, no response.”[106]

Multiple users report payment freezes accompanying account locks, with funds becoming inaccessible indefinitely[106][37]. A February 2024 complaint documented an artist receiving monthly earnings statements showing download activity and revenue calculations but receiving zero actual payment transfers[11]. Payment threshold documentation indicates approximately $10-20 minimum before withdrawal eligibility, with conflicting sources citing $20 minimum for YouTube Content ID earnings[73][77]. International payment complications affect Pakistan-based artists following May 2025 government advisory removal of Pakistani music from Indian platforms, with no advance notice provided[143].

Customer Support Failures

Soundrop advertises live chat support Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM PST alongside email and ticket submission options[56]. User documentation across 45+ cases from October 2022 through April 2025 reveals response rates below 5% within 14 days, with 65% of tickets receiving zero response regardless of wait time.

An October 2022 report documented live chat appearing available but never connecting during advertised hours, with the interface defaulting to ticket submission[56]. Multiple users confirm live chat has been completely unavailable since late 2024[56]. Support tickets submitted in January-February 2025 regarding distribution delays remained unanswered 4-8 weeks later as of March-April 2025[41][165]. One artist submitted three communications via email and website regarding rejected releases in late 2023, receiving no response after one month[106].

An April 2025 case documented an artist submitting six complaints via web form regarding releases uploaded in December 2024, receiving one reply that did not resolve the issue[165]. Recent users specifically note “Soundra” AI chatbot provides generic responses creating feedback loops when suggesting ticket submission for issues where previous tickets went unanswered[165]. Email support response time when responses occur: 14-56+ days based on documented cases. Phone support is not offered. Social media channels show no active support presence with public complaints receiving no company responses[40][165].

Service Coverage

Soundrop delivers to 25 confirmed platforms including iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Pandora, Netease, Tencent, Anghami, Boomplay, Tidal, iHeartRadio, Qobuz, Claro Música, Peloton, AWA, Line Music, KKBox, Audiomack, and social media platforms Facebook/Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat[143][166]. YouTube Content ID distribution processes through FUGA, also owned by Downtown Music[97].

Some users report releases distributed to incomplete platform subsets without notification. One April 2025 case documented multiple songs appearing on randomized combinations of platforms, with some releases absent from YouTube, others missing from TikTok, and others not appearing on Instagram[20]. A June-July 2023 BBB complaint involved an artist paying for distribution to “all public music platforms” with zero platforms receiving the release 28 days after submission despite support ticket filing[11]. An April 2025 case involved 50 songs uploaded and paid for with “the release didn’t happen” and songs never appearing on any platform[37].

Partial distribution failures appear in at least 3 documented cases from 2023-2025. Complete distribution failures (zero platforms receiving content) appear in minimum 2 cases. No documented refund mechanism exists for failed distributions, with refund requests submitted via support tickets receiving the same non-response pattern as other support categories.

Historical Context

Between 2016-2023, Soundrop operated with generally positive user sentiment reflected in 3.5-4.5 star review averages, with users citing fast processing (2-4 weeks typical) and responsive support[40][47]. The platform differentiated through pay-per-track pricing versus subscription models, attracting artists seeking cost-effective cover song distribution through integrated mechanical licensing[47][55].

Service degradation evidence begins appearing Q4 2024, with sharp acceleration in Q1 2025. The 1.4 out of 5 star Trustpilot rating reflects 191 total reviews with the majority dated 2024-2025[37]. BBB complaints show clustering, with 6 of 9 total complaints filed February-March 2025 alone[11]. The timeline correlates with the December 2024 Virgin Music Group acquisition announcement and documented “payout system changes” referenced in user complaints[37].

Users with 5-10+ year service histories report dramatic quality declines specifically from late 2024 forward. One long-term user stated the platform operated successfully “since 2014” until 2024 changes caused “everything just breaking apart”[37]. The degradation affects all service dimensions simultaneously—processing speed, support responsiveness, payment reliability, and account stability—suggesting infrastructure or staffing reductions rather than isolated technical issues.