The Source

Business Model

The Source operates on a revenue-share model where digital distribution is marketed as free of upfront, per-release, or periodic fees, with compensation handled through a negotiated percentage of royalties retained by the service. Artists apply through an onboarding flow, and acceptance includes a revenue-share proposal and a non-exclusive distribution agreement. The agreement framing emphasizes non-exclusivity (artists can distribute elsewhere) and a contract structure that renews unless cancelled per the notice terms shown in the example agreement materials.

The site also distinguishes between “regular digital distribution” and paid optional services outside the standard revenue-share deal. In practice, this means the base path is “free + rev-share,” while specialized services (for example, certain rush handling or non-standard deliverables referenced in example documents) can be treated as separate billable work.

Platform Scope

The Source presents itself as a broad-coverage distributor, stating delivery to 200+ digital outlets worldwide and highlighting support for major streaming services plus social-delivery destinations . Product positioning centers on an end-to-end portal: release building, metadata/content management, delivery tooling, and royalty accounting that updates frequently. It also promotes a white-label platform option for labels or businesses that want to operate distribution tooling under their own brand.

Public-facing messaging emphasizes relationship-based support and operational responsiveness. A company representative describes support as handled by humans and generally quick, and ties the revenue-share model to aligned incentives around promotion outcomes. Site testimonials similarly frame the experience as collaborative and service-led, emphasizing personal support and ongoing improvements to online services.

Policy Enforcement

The Source’s published enforcement posture is heavily shaped by content integrity and streaming-fraud guidance. Its terms reserve broad discretion to suspend or terminate access for violations, including copyright issues and behavior associated with artificial streaming or other fraud patterns. Its onboarding warnings also caution against paid-promotion services that promise guaranteed streaming increases, due to the risk of fraudulent methods that can trigger takedowns and account consequences.

The most concrete “system-output style” guidance appears in the fraud documentation, which states that flagged activity can lead to payouts being withheld, content removed, and portal access blocked:

“Any generated royalties from artificial streams will be witheld from payout, or, if already paid, deducted from future royalties (up to 18 months after the fact or, in many cases, indefinitely). The offending content will be taken down. Your access to the content portal will be blocked. Pending the outcome of the subsequent investigation, your account may be terminated permanently…”
(The Source support article, “Artificial Streaming and other fraud”)

Operationally, this establishes a strict compliance model where store signals around fraud or policy breaches can directly impact royalty availability and account access under published rules