TuneCore Reviews 

To TuneCore Legal & Support,

For 3 YEARS you have withheld $7219.18 from my account [mailin] with NO explanation.
Your last response: "we stand by our decision not to pay" with zero reason given.

This violates your own Terms of Service Section 9 and basic contract law.

I DEMAND within 10 business days:
1. The specific reason for withholding funds
2. The specific track(s) and platform(s) involved
3. All evidence supporting your claim

Failure to provide this will result in formal complaints to:
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- My legal counsel for breach of contract

I have all streaming data, contracts, and records ready.

Regards,
Songül kurt
+905353280811

I’ve been with TuneCore for several years, but my recent experience has left me deeply disappointed.

One of my releases was rejected under TuneCore’s GenAI Music Content Framework. The problem is not simply that the release was rejected – it is how the situation was handled.

The music in question was composed, performed, produced, mixed, and mastered entirely by me using conventional industry-standard tools such as Omnisphere, Keyscape, and Diva. No generative AI music tools were used at any stage of the production process.

TuneCore repeatedly informed me that their review process had identified a tool used during the creation process that allegedly relies on datasets that are not fully licensed. Naturally, I asked which tool they were referring to and what information or documentation they needed from me to review the decision.

Unfortunately, those questions were never answered.

Instead, I received multiple responses repeating the same policy language and advising me to review the documentation of my tools. When I explained that these are conventional virtual instruments used throughout the music industry and asked for clarification, TuneCore still refused to identify the specific tool they believed was the issue, provide any evidence, explain their review process, or tell me what documentation I could submit to challenge the decision.

As a customer, I find this extremely frustrating. If a company is going to reject a release based on an AI-related determination, it should be able to explain what triggered that determination and provide a meaningful review or appeal process.

My disappointment is not with the existence of an AI policy. Companies have every right to create such policies. My disappointment is with the lack of transparency, the inability to obtain clear answers, and the fact that I was effectively accused of using non-compliant AI tools without being given any evidence or opportunity to address the claim.

I hope TuneCore improves its review and support processes so that artists receive clear explanations and fair treatment when disputes arise.

Having to pay to accept your split as a collaborator is absolutely crazy.

Although I never write reviews I feel this is a very important one to warn others. I made the account on trustpilot just to write this review.

I have been on tunecore since 2016 - Yes, for 10 years. In a blink of an eye, all my tracks were removed, account suspended, and all my money earned through royalties have been stolen by Tunecore.

Their reason is simply "irregular streaming activity linked to your release". They dont specify what release, or any evidence what so ever.

I ONLY use meta ads for my music through a landing page, and I have shared all the meta ads invoices and screenshots of my meta ads account with them, without any success. I am in the process of re-uploading all my music through another distributor... Its devastating to be honest, I am empty for words.

I urge you guys to use another distributor other than Tunecore, for your own sake! Take care!

They distributed my music so that's a win. It was my first release and they don't share your artist bio or any other details so that's a nightmare. Also zero customer support. Their ai support bot got stuck in a loop, never even allowing me to file a ticket.

BEWARE! I have been with TC for about 6 months or so, migrated from Distrokid. TC's engine, tracking, etc, is all very robust and communicative but I just last week stumbled on a very dark side of their operation, by accident. I wrote them simply to ask if my payouts from Spotify, etc, plays would still travel through to my Payoneer account (you are shoe-horned into Payoneer when you go with TC). Their response was this, from a "Charley C.":

6/25/26 -"To answer your question directly: when you close a TuneCore account entirely, your releases must be taken down from all platforms, including Spotify."

This was mortifying of course and I shot back that I didn't sign up with them to become a Tunecore junkie and WHY exactly were the compelled to take down ALL my music (with them I suppose, hopefully not with any other distro service I'd uploaded from elsewhere)? Was this part of their fine print or? I have got nothing but silence since then. Maybe they're too busy taking down people's music, or their c.s. guys don't know what they're talking about and are misrepresenting the whole thing. This is abominable if true, and I've never heard of another distro service doing this. Distrokid certainly didn't when I left them, and CD Baby doesn't either. Some musicians have dozens/hundreds of songs/albums up there, I luckily as yet only have about ten tunes, but I am on twelve playlists worldwide and it is still and enormous hassle and whiplash to have all your stuff pulled and then have to re-upload it. I will modify this review on further clarification and evidence of a lighter touch.

Tunecore saying they provide free plan and when you open the account they ask for payment or u can just choose free plan ,you choose free plan and when creating release you get asked to select a payment and there is nothing called “free” at all

Tunecore is now saying everyone's location is in India by default, so you have no choice but to use "Payoneer" for payouts, and they make it super hard to sign up for it, they are hoping you just give up so they can take your money. This use to be a good service, but it's gone full on scam now.

there is no way to cancel your subscription there is no way to conduct support I spent one month trying to reach out to them it’s a broken loop there is no way to contact anybody they keep charging me money for six artist in my account but I have one artist and there is no way to cancel all of the subscriptions

They take your money and run.
Customer support is awful. The service is poor. The tutorials are worse than useless.
Save your money because they will take your money and run.

This app is not recommended. It claims to have been developed using AI, but only the text was edited with it. No one should open another account here. This app is useless and not... People are being fed false information here and are preventing the release.

DO NOT USE TUNECORE. They are FRAUDS. Takes weeks to get a song out and If you use any AI they will end your account and steal your royalties. They are worst distribution patform out there. Way behind the times and cower to people who complain about people without a band or other means to make music and get a record deal and use AI to make music.

I Asked to Withdraw My Royalties. Then Everything Disappeared 😡😡😡

I used TuneCore for only about six months.

During that time, there were no complaints about my account. No warnings, no notices about suspicious activity, no requests for clarification, and no allegations of any kind. I paid for the service, released my music, and continued building my audience like any other independent artist.

Everything changed when I submitted my first royalty withdrawal request.

Until then, there had been no indication that anything was wrong.

The payment never arrived.

I contacted support expecting a routine explanation for the delay. Instead, after some time, I received a message stating that TuneCore had conducted an "internal review" and found evidence of "abnormal activity." Based on that conclusion, my entire catalog had been removed from all stores, my account had been permanently closed, and I would no longer be allowed to distribute music through TuneCore.

No further explanation was provided.

I was not told what this alleged "abnormal activity" actually was.

No tracks were identified.

No dates were given.

No transactions were specified.

No evidence was presented.

I wasn't asked to explain anything, provide documentation, or respond to the accusations before the decision had already been carried out.

In other words, I learned about my supposed violation only after the punishment had already been imposed.

The consequences were immediate. My entire catalog disappeared from streaming platforms. Months of work were erased overnight. I had to urgently move to another distributor, rebuild my releases, and deal with the disruption caused by having my music suddenly vanish.

What troubled me even more was what happened afterward.

I began asking TuneCore what I believed were very simple questions.

Who made the decision to permanently close my account? Was it a specific employee, a department, a committee, or another decision-making body within the company?

I received no answer.

Who authorised the withholding of my royalties?

Again, no answer.

I then asked what had happened to the royalties that had already accrued but were no longer being paid to me. Were they still being held by TuneCore? Returned to the stores? Transferred elsewhere? Redistributed in some way?

Once again, there was no response.

As a result, I found myself in a situation where a company not only refused to pay earned royalties, but also refused to explain who had made that decision and what ultimately happened to the money after it had been withheld.

I understand that platforms have the right—and sometimes the obligation—to combat fraud. If genuine violations occur, they should absolutely be investigated.

But even the most basic standards of fairness require transparency. Artists should be told what they are accused of, given an opportunity to respond, informed about who made the final decision, and provided with a clear explanation regarding the fate of royalties that have already been generated.

None of that happened in my case.

If I had known that my very first royalty withdrawal request could be followed by the removal of my entire catalog, the permanent closure of my account, the withholding of my earnings, and a complete refusal to disclose either the evidence, the responsible decision-makers, or what became of the withheld royalties, I would have thought very carefully before trusting TuneCore with my music and my income.

Perhaps my experience is an isolated case.

Perhaps it isn't.

But if you distribute your music through TuneCore, ask yourself one question:

Are you prepared for the possibility of receiving a final verdict without explanation—and never finding out what happened to the money your work earned?

My general experience with Tunecore is simply a Frustration.

I am dissatisfied with TuneCore’s service as an independent artist. I have experienced repeated issues where my music failed to appear on selected platforms, such as Boomplay, without clear explanations or effective support. The lack of transparency makes it difficult to trust the distribution process.

As an independent musician, I sometimes feel that artists without major industry backing are not treated equally. The recurring distribution problems create the impression that TuneCore and Believe may prioritize or protect artists with closer commercial relationships, while independent artists face unnecessary obstacles. While I cannot prove this, the lack of transparency fuels such concerns.

I am also concerned about TuneCore’s restrictive approach toward artwork involving third-party AI tools. Artists and producers who use AI only to enhance or improve their original artwork can still face difficulties, which feels discouraging and unfair.

Overall, my experience has been one of limited transparency, inconsistent distribution results, and policies that can leave independent artists feeling disadvantaged and unsupported.

Account closed, entire catalog erased, funds withheld: accused with zero evidence.
I've been an independent artist for several years (150,000+ followers combined across platforms, several million monthly views), and I'd been using TuneCore for a while to distribute my music, in good standing, paid up, without a single incident.
Recently, I requested two royalty payouts. The first went through normally. The second never arrived. I opened a support ticket to understand why. Two weeks of silence. Then this reply, copy-pasted word for word:
"After an internal review of your account, we have determined that there was evidence of abnormal activity. As a result, all of your content was taken down from all stores (...) We have made an internal decision to close your account for violating these terms, and we will not send any new content from your account to stores."
No lead, no date, no track named, no evidence. Just a final verdict dropped by email, with no chance to respond before it was executed. The result: my entire catalog pulled from every platform overnight, account permanently closed, money owed kept with zero refund, and a ban on republishing even under a different account.
I offered to prove everything: my real audience, my history, how I actually work. Nobody bothered to check any of it before wiping it all out. You're told you've been found guilty without anyone having actually looked into the case.
Reading the other reviews here, I clearly am not an isolated case: same scenario, same template email, same silence afterward. This is starting to look less like an incident and more like a method.
I had to rebuild everything in a rush with another distributor, losing the stream history and playlist placements built over months in the process. That's the real cost of trusting TuneCore: your work can vanish overnight on an unexplained suspicion, with no appeal, and they keep your money too.
Avoid this if you care about your catalog and your income.

Worst distribution platform. Take your money then refuse to release your music.

It is concerning that a large company would make the cancellation process entirely impossible to locate. The "Cancel Subscription Plan" button appears to be intentionally obscured, compelling users to contact support. In this instance, support's response arrived two weeks after the renewal date. We advise caution when engaging with this company.

STAY AWAY FROM TUNECORE!

If you are just starting out in music, do yourself a massive favor and stay far away from TuneCore.

They have a predatory clause in their Terms and Conditions that effectively gives them absolute power to steal from you:
"By agreeing to the TuneCore Terms and Conditions, you have agreed that in the event that TuneCore has any reason to suspect your account or releases have been subjected to, involved in, or generated revenue through any improper conduct, that we may take down your releases, block your ability to withdraw funds, and/or permanently close your account."

Everything seems fine at first—until you actually try to withdraw your money. Suddenly, you’re hit with a "Withdrawals Are Temporarily on Hold" notice. You reach out for support to resolve it, and instead of help, they just permanently shut down your account without providing any real explanation. It’s an absolute joke.

Here is my experience: I used Suno to create my music. I released 5 tracks without any issues. When I tried to release my sixth, they rejected it citing "AI content." Fair enough—I stopped using their service immediately. However, since I had already paid their $25 annual fee, I left the first five tracks up while I transitioned to a new distributor, still foolishly trusting them.

My first attempt to withdraw $45 failed. I assumed it was just because it didn't meet their minimum threshold. The following month, after clearing the $50 minimum, I tried again. They immediately locked my account. No warning, no justification, just a cold response claiming they have the "right to do it."

I stopped using them the moment they blocked my AI content, and even when I tried their recommended "Google-Flow" method, I was still rejected. I’ve been a subscriber since October 21, 2025, but I’ve barely been able to use their services. This has been a total waste of time and money.

Avoid this company at all costs. They are unreliable, unprofessional, and they will hold your royalties hostage for no reason.

Tunecore were great when I started because despite their system bugs and error issues, most of the staff were helpful. Some of the staff were downright rude and I did have to make a formal complaint twice about one particular agent. But something has channged. They accused me of using AI in a track that didn't use any AI. I offered to provide them with proof. But even though I emailed back and forth with several agents over several months not a single one would help me. They just kept copy and pasting the same reply that didn't address my help request. Very bad service and would highly recommend you look elsewhere. I have switched over to Distrokid now and have had no problems at all. I don't think Tunecore is a scam but it's a very bad company that doesn't care about its customers at all.

Poor customer service , poor distribution. Not worth it to somewhere else and not go with them , FLAWD detected , better shop elsewhere wnere