![](https://d2yhzr6tx8qnba.cloudfront.net/images/db/1/ca/661679f480ca1.jpg)
- Target:
- Distribution companies, music stores, major labels
- Region:
- GLOBAL
- Website:
- lilyamis.blogspot.com
Dear #RespectIndieArtistsWork petition Supporter, I’m closing our petition a month earlier than planned, because as you know I have already contacted Spotify CEO Daniel Ek with an open letter weeks ago and as already expected I haven’t received any answer! No surprise!!!
I know there are more important serious issues and tragedies in the world such as the ongoing Russian/Ukraine war, the Israel/Gaza war, and several global and human crises. We are witnessing today’s history which is as awful, unlawful, cruel, inhuman, and heartbreaking as World War II.
And yet we can’t change anything about it because our world was and is a corrupt place run by incapable and mighty hungry world leaders that benefit from other people's misery. Why else do we have so many refugees around the world? Why else do we have so many people suffering from hunger and homelessness? As long as the ones, who are in power to make a change, don’t act, NOTHING will change for the better.
This harsh reality is, we have the exact same awful situation with today’s corrupt music industry with its awful and disrespectful treatment of indie artists. As long as indie artists allow and accept that fraud companies (distributors and streaming stores worldwide) toy with them and use their work for FREE,
NOTHING will change for the better! As long as artists tolerate these BS policies with no honesty, zero transparency, and fair payment, nothing will change!
I made the best out of the mess that I have experienced with my former corrupt distributor, the Swedish company Amuse.io. I shared everything publicly to warn other artists. Everything in life happens for a reason and to be honest, I’m glad that this happened to me. Because it was a wake-up call! I was caught in the middle of a corrupt system for 2 years and like most artists didn’t even realize the madness with a $3 payment for 1000 streaming. I still wonder who came up with this stupid concept! Nothing good in life is free. Why should music be free? Why?
I’m ending this petition with the release of my song FALLEN ANGELS, Lily Amis feat. Thir13een. This song is dedicated to all the corrupt companies and evil people in power, who misuse their position and disrespect human beings. Like a mafia, they steal from innocent, hopeful, and hard-working people with no shame and regret. They toy with people's destinies and mental health.
FALLEN ANGELS is an empowering track with a clear message for everyone who has signed this petition. With this track release, I made a final decision and have taken down ALL my tracks from ALL the steaming platforms, including SPOTIFY!
Music has always been my sanctuary, and I don’t allow any godless people to take away my joy for music. For my own peace of mind and soul, from now on, my songs will only be available on LilyAmis.Bandcamp.com. And I don’t have to be afraid to run promotions and campaigns and be afraid of AI playlists any more! This is a silly game and I don’t have the time and energy to play along. I distance myself from these hypocrites to feel the joy of music again.
Thank you again for your amazing support. Please make sure that you and your work are appreciated and respected, and don’t ever sell yourself short! Demand the respect you deserve!
Best wishes,
Lily Amis
Artists, especially indie artists, put all their heart and soul into their work. They invest time, energy, and money to create masterpieces. Indie artists are not mainly fame- and fortune hunters, but motivated to inspire and empower music lovers with their passion and leave a legacy. They want to entertain, raise awareness and spread messages through the miracle of music and the power of lyrics like I do with my songs as an indie lyricist who is fortunate and blessed to collaborate with an insanely talented British producer, singer-songwriter, and vocalist.
With the music distribution system today as it is, indie artists need a music distributor to make their songs available to listeners all over the world. So they put all their TRUST and hope blindly into someone else’s hands, whose main job firstly is to distribute and secondly to collect the royalties for the artist/the copyright holder!
To understand the music distribution system, read this helpful blog post:
https://soundcharts.com/blog/music-distribution
To understand the payment system for artists, read this helpful blog post:
https://soundcharts.com/blog/music-streaming-rates-payouts
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MY STORY:
After my recent experience with the Swedish Music distribution company Amuse.io based in Stockholm, I’m starting the #RespectIndieArtistsWork online petition to make sure that NO other indie artist and newcomer has to go through the same awful and unlawful treatment!
After two years of “partnership” and releasing 13 beautiful tracks, my artist account on Amuse.io was closed from one day to another in February 2024. I received an email saying that I no longer have access to my account and my tracks (babies) and so I couldn’t withdraw my royalties of two years.
I was shocked and felt helpless because I didn’t understand why, and I couldn’t communicate to the distributor. I sent emails, but didn’t receive any answer! This happened only three days before I was releasing my 12 track. So I didn’t know if my song would be released or not, which was very upsetting and unprofessional because of the promotion campaign that I had planned, like I do for every song release.
Losing full control over my work (my babies) was a wake-up call! Long story short:
My song was released as planned and Amuse.io had the audacity not only to hold back my royalties but also keep my 13 tracks “as hostage” for an entire month. They ignored my emails and didn’t care to take down my tracks from the music stores!
And no music store that I have contacted directly as the artist/copyright holder during an entire month was willing to take down my tracks with the exact same explanation:
“Our content team kindly advises you to reach out directly to your label or distributor to remove this content. Content of your artist profile is public information which we receive from third parties, including your label or distributor, and cannot be removed unilaterally by us.”
Meanwhile, I distributed all my tracks through a new distributor because Spotify Artist's Support told me that based on the Metadata, the new release would automatically replace the old release. And I thought this is THE solution to end this mess caused my Amuse.io.
Unfortunately, this was wishful thinking. It only worked on Spotify. All other music stores failed to replace my tracks and for a few days every single track was duplicated on all my artist profiles and I received the exact same answer from the music stores: “Regarding the duplicate content on your artist page, please continue to work with your distributor to resolve this issue as they are the ONLY ONE that can remove your content from the stores.”
If Amuse.io hadn’t finally taken down my tracks after more than a month - after my open letter on my blog and social posts to Amuses Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Roshanak Motman) I would still deal with this BS and would have ZERO say and control over my own work as the artist and copyright holder!
After my open letter, tweets, Instagram post, and stories, I finally received “an apology email” from Amuse.io saying the following: “Your releases were taken down as there are clear signs of streamfarming - please be careful about the companies you use when promoting your releases. As part of the deactivation process, your releases should have been taken down. Unfortunately, there was a technical error and this didn't happen. Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention, as we've now rectified the issue and your releases have been taken down.”
I didn’t even know what Streamfarming means! All I ever did was promote my tracks on social media and use Groover.co to promote my music to blogs, radios, labels, and Spotify playlisters. And as far as I know, promoting music is legal and not criminal!
As you can read, there is no mention of the royalties. Not one word!!! Also, NO serious artist in the world, who puts her heart and soul, time, energy, and money into a project and collaborates with a professional, blessed with the voice of an angel is interested in BOTS! What’s the point, when I want to inspire people with my meaningful and eye-opening song lyrics as an indie-lyricist? This doesn’t make sense!
So HOW and WHY on earth does a distributor have “the power” not only to insult and accuse a serious indie artist/copyright holder, BUT also the audacity to treat an indie artist like a criminal and keep the work “as hostage” and hold back the royalties? In what world/industry is such unprofessional and disrespectful treatment legal and OK?
With the #RespectIndieArtistsWork petition, I not only criticize and question the distribution companies' and music store's rules and “power” over artists/copyright holders' work but also the disrespectful treatment towards indie artists’ copyright in general. Especially in a time when AI (BOTS) are dominating the internet and causing damages everywhere.
Based on the system right now as it is, as soon as artists distribute music, they not only lose the “control and ownership” but also who, when, where, and how many times someone is listening to their music! Accusing serious artists of “streamfarming” is unprofessional. Treating artists disrespectful by denying access to their account and work and holding back the royalties is unlawful and morally wrong!
As the system is right now, distributors can discriminate indie artists as they wish with no consequences. Why? Because indie artists have no label, management, or law team behind them. This needs to CHANGE, considering der high number of daily song releases by indie artists worldwide, without whom the distributors and music stores would be screwed!
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I demand respect and transparency for indie artists:
1. No distributor should be allowed to close an artist's account and deny access
2. No distributor should be allowed to take artists' babies/work as a “hostage”
3. No distributor should be allowed to take down tracks without the artist’s approval
4. No distributor should be allowed to hold back royalties
5. No distributor should be allowed to insult, accuse and discriminate indie artists
6. Distributors discriminating indie artists with unlawful actions must face legal consequences
7. Distributors misusing their “power” must face legal consequences
8. Distributors should not have the right to withdraw Artist earnings as they wish or make extra charges without notice, when they identify “AI” streamings!
9. Indie Artists must have the right to demand Takedowns from music stores directly
10. Indie Artists must have the right to ask for more transparency/royalty reports from music stores directly
11. Indie Artists must be treated with the same respect as signed artists by major labels
And finally, my advice to indie artists who I hope will support and sign this petition:
Be careful who you trust your babies to. Don’t be a fool like I was and trust a company that promotes their service by using a celebrity name. In my case, I ONLY and mainly chose Amuse.io as a distributor because of Will.I.Am (American rapper and singer-songwriter), who was listed as one of the shareholders! I respect him as an artist and I thought he is trustworthy! I don’t know if he is or ever was an Amuse shareholder. Indie artists don’t fall for celebrity names!
Indie Artists, your voice matter now more than ever!
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Remember, ONLY YOU are the copyright holder of your work! Don’t allow distributors and music stores to misuse their “power” and “punish” you and take advantage of your dependency and helplessness. With AI activities with your music, you can easily become a target like me!
Sign, share and support this important online petition to end this unlawful and disrespectful treatment and discrimination with indie artists!
Music lovers, please use your voice and support Indie artists!
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Please sign and support this online petition. We need your help to be able to continue our journey as indie artists!
Visit LilyAmis.Blogspot.com and follow me on Instagram @lilyamismusic for more! Thank you!
The Respect Indie Artists Work! petition to Distribution companies, music stores, major labels was written by Lily Amis and is in the category Music at GoPetition.