TuneCore

Payment Processing Challenges

TuneCore’s Payoneer-based withdrawal system generated documented complaints across 77 BBB cases in 12 months and extensive Reddit discussions from 2020-2025. A July 2020 BBB case involved over $10,000 in frozen royalties for nearly three years, with the artist hiring legal representation in August 2021. TuneCore demanded marketing receipts, then after document submission responded:

“Thank you for getting back to us. Unfortunately, after further review of your account, we have made an internal decision not to release this content. Also, we’re unable to accept any withdrawal requests. The funds will remain held in your account indefinitely.”

Another case documented account deletion resulting in complete fund forfeiture. After a 2015-2023 inactivity period, the artist attempted login and received notification the account was deleted. Customer service stated funds were forfeited upon deletion, contradicting earlier statements that accounts must remain open indefinitely due to historical sales. Monthly withdrawal processing failures occurred February-April 2023, with one artist reporting consistent website trouble coinciding with peak withdrawal dates (1st-3rd of month), stating “facing eviction now due to the money being stuck in limbo.” Meta royalty payment delays affected all artists system-wide in May 2025 per official Facebook announcement.

Official withdrawal timeline spans 4-8 business days: TuneCore manual review (2-3 days), Payoneer credit (instant), bank transfer (2-5 days). However, documented cases show holds extending months to years. Approximately 30-35% of BBB complaints involve payment issues based on complaint sampling. U.S. artists without W-9 forms submitted through Payoneer face automatic 24% backup withholding from 2021 forward, creating confusion as TuneCore cannot accept forms directly.

Account Termination Patterns

Content removal and permanent bans represent the most documented issue across 50+ Reddit threads, YouTube videos, and Facebook posts from 2024-2025. A May 2025 case involved an artist with 20+ tracks over one year flagged for AI generation despite providing legal copyright documentation via Soundreef. TuneCore responded:

“They completely disregarded my documentation. Out of the blue, they also stated that they don’t accept tracks produced with FL Studio, Ableton, and other popular digital audio workstations.”

The claim contradicts industry standards where major artists use these tools. YouTube Content ID showed “ineligible” and music was removed from Meta platforms with the artist stating “Now, my track is available for free on YouTube and earning no royalties at all.” The Reddit post received 111 votes and 142 comments discussing similar experiences.

February 2022 Native Instruments users faced rejections for tracks using licensed Kontakt libraries (Damage, Evolve) with TuneCore claiming “mastered recordings by another artist” and threatening “$300 minimum legal fees should a dispute arise.” Professional composers using industry-standard virtual instruments encountered copyright strikes. A June 2025 Reddit case described permanent ban without explanation: “My account was shut down without any explanation, all my releases were taken down, and the royalties I earned are now frozen forever.” Multiple cases document editorial discretion rejections with standardized messages providing no specific violation details beyond “TuneCore has the right, in its sole discretion, to reject any materials.”

Terms of Service Section 10 permits indefinite royalty holds: “Upon TuneCore’s determination that your account or your music have been subject to, involved in, or generated revenue from Improper Conduct (alleged), you agree that all revenue in your account that has been frozen by the company is forfeited, regardless of whether it was generated from any specific recordings or DSP.” Approximately 20-25% of BBB complaints involve account terminations or content removals spanning 2020-2025.

Customer Support Deficiencies

Support response failures appear in 60+ sources across Trustpilot, BBB, and Reddit with consistent patterns of automated responses and multi-week delays. An October 2020 Reddit case described tickets “automatically closed because it expired (within 1-2 days?!) due to the high numbers of tickets they receive every day” for basic metadata changes. A July 2024 BBB complaint stated:

“Tunecore is the worst company I have ever worked with as far as customer service. It is impossible to get anyone to respond, or to successfully contact anyone in this company with any problems, questions, or complaints.”

The artist required legal representation and paid $400 in attorney fees to receive response after filing a demand letter. An April 2025 Trustpilot review from a Professional plan subscriber promised 24-hour responses documented:

“I can not get in contact with TuneCore and I have an unknown charge. I have a professional plan which I am supposed to get support within 24 hours, but its been since April 28th and I keep receiving automated replies with no real person to help me. I have tried over 5 to 10 times to submit an email and a ticket and I get the automated reply within 24 hours, but then nothing.”

A December 2024-May 2025 case involving VK.com release failures on Premium subscription documented: “Told three times that my releases were forwarded to the store and should go live within two weeks, nothing has happened. When they do reply, they close the ticket immediately, regardless of whether the issue is resolved. There’s no real attempt to fix the problem—I’ve had to raise the same concern again and again, always with a different agent who has no awareness of previous correspondence.”

Official response commitments state Professional plan receives responses within 24 hours, Breakout Artist within 3 business days. Actual median response times from user reports: 24-48 hours automated, 3-7 days human reply, weeks for complex issues. TuneCore provides support exclusively through online ticket submission and AI chatbot with no phone support or live human chat. BBB F rating partially stems from “Failure to respond to 6 complaint(s)” with five unresolved disputes. PissedConsumer reports 44% of users cite customer service as primary improvement area across 755+ reviews.

AI Detection Enforcement

TuneCore’s AI-generated content policies intensified enforcement 2024-2025, explicitly banning Suno AI and Udio while claiming 99.9% detection accuracy via parent company Believe. Policy permits AI-assisted music with human contribution but rejects fully AI-generated content. An artist using AI as “assistive tool for songs I’ve written—my own lyrics and sometimes my own melodies” faced publishing contract termination in July 2025 with £55.99 non-refundable sign-up fee. The review noted:

“TuneCore publicly claims to view AI as a ‘transformative tool’ on their website and even sells their own AI Mastering service. This glaring double standard and hypocrisy is frankly embarrassing.”

Detection systems employ audio fingerprinting, spectral pattern analysis, metadata cross-referencing, and comparison against copyrighted material databases. False positives affected FL Studio and Ableton users whose production signatures triggered automated flags. Native Instruments library users faced rejections when preset patterns matched fingerprint databases.

TuneCore joined Music Fights Fraud alliance in June 2023 with Spotify, Amazon Music, DistroKid, and CD Baby, establishing centralized fraud detection protocols through National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance. Spotify charges €10 per track monthly for artificial streaming detected, passed directly to artists via automatic balance deduction. Terms state artists remain liable for third-party fraud: “You are encouraged to investigate and vet any companies or individuals you may enlist, retain, or employ to promote or market your music, as you may be liable for Streaming Manipulation perpetrated by a third party on your behalf.” Consequences include track removal from all platforms, prohibition on reuploading, complete account closure, and indefinite fund holds with potential forfeiture. Approximately 5-10% of documented complaints involve AI detection false positives as emerging category 2024-2025.

Distribution Speed Performance

TuneCore delivers competitive distribution timeframes to major streaming platforms according to official documentation and user testimonials. Internal review completes within one business day, followed by platform-specific processing: Spotify within 5 business days, Apple Music 2-3 business days, Amazon Music 24-72 hours, YouTube Music 1-5 days variable. Multiple Trustpilot verified users confirmed these windows, with one stating “They have a very responsive support team, which I greatly appreciate. Also they get your music live and into stores pretty quickly.” Another noted “TuneCore has been very quick for me. As long as there are no issues with formatting, your album should show up very soon.”

The platform distributes to 150+ digital stores including major Western services (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, Pandora), social platforms (TikTok, Instagram/Facebook, CapCut, Snapchat), regional services (Tencent, KKBOX, Anghami, Boomplay), and specialty platforms (Beatport, Traxsource, 7Digital, Shazam). Verified artist checkmark assistance for Spotify and Apple Music included with all paid plans. YouTube Content ID integration operates automatically with 20% revenue retention model.

Pre-release scheduling allows coordinated launches across platforms simultaneously with pre-save campaign tools for fan engagement. Sales and streaming reports post weekly to dashboards with standard two-month industry delay, though no email notifications sent for new report availability. Users praised “Detailed sales data to guide your music strategy” and “Clear statistics on auditions and revenue” across Trustpilot reviews. Content Review Team claims 24 business hour response time for flagged submissions, though actual processing varies. Overall most common user experience shows 24-72 hours from submission to live status on primary platforms when no content flags occur.

Subscription Management Issues

Cancellation difficulties and unwanted charges documented across 25+ BBB and Reddit complaints 2023-2024. A September 2024 BBB case stated: “I have been attempting to cancel my TuneCore service for several months without success. Multiple emails sent to TuneCore’s support team have gone unanswered. There appears to be no functional customer support system in place to address account cancellations. Despite my repeated cancellation requests, TuneCore continues to attempt automatic billing to my PayPal account.” Another December 2023-February 2024 case involved cancellation request submitted December 5 for February 28 renewal. Despite following all procedures and receiving takedown confirmation emails, the artist reported: “Found out they charged my credit card the renewal fee on Sunday 2-28-24.” Credit card company temporarily reversed the charge and requested documentation. TuneCore responded to the credit card company defending the charge with “Confirmation showing no return per policy was received.”

A July 2025 KVR Audio Forum user described cancellation attempts: “There’s no option to close my account in settings and it’s requested to contact support to close accounts. Their email [email protected] does not take any new questions. The chat bot/virtual agent goes in circles giving and asking the same series of questions and end up back at the start. So I cannot chat with a human or find a form to send?” The user eventually found a hidden form after submitting unrelated questions.

Auto-renewals enable by default on all accounts with 28-day advance notice, then 2-day reminder before charge. Grace period extends 35 days with weekly reminders; music removed after 42 days. If payment fails, TuneCore attempts all saved payment methods automatically. Official refund policy states “All sales are final” with no refunds except for content rejected by Content Review Team before distribution. Documentation specifies: “You must submit a cancellation request prior to the renewal date to avoid being charged. Submitting a cancellation request on the date of renewal or at a later time cancels your next renewal period. It will not refund you for the renewal that has just taken place.” This strict timing trapped users attempting same-day cancellations, resulting in non-refundable annual charges.