ComplaintsforUnitedMasters LLC

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  UnitedMasters has unexpectedly taken down two of my most popular releases for false claims of artificial streams or third party promotional campaigns or services, never once in the time I have been using united masters as a distribution service have I ever paid for or used any bots or other way to falsify streams, plays or views, UPCs ************ & ************ need to be restored to Apple Music immediately or I will be forced to take legal action, this situation is not fair nor is it right to treat one of your loyal PAYING customers like this ****************** MAKE IT RIGHT!

  Business response

  10/18/2024

  On October 1, 2024, 400 streams of *** ******** music were flagged for review by one of our major music service partners.

  When we reviewed the streaming data for *** ******** music in this service between September 23 and October 4, we found a number of data points that, especially when taken together, suggested a substantial likelihood of artificial streaming:
  

  More than 99% of streams came from listeners with the same subscription type.
  99% of streams came from private user playlists.
  100% of streams came from listeners using the service on mobile.
  More than 99% of streams were completed plays (i.e., not skipped, paused or manually changed).
  

  Based on this analysis, and as permitted by our Terms of Service (*******************************************), our Fraud Prevention team removed two (2) of *** ******** fourteen (14) distributed releases from the service that had flagged these streams for review.
  

  *** ******** was notified of these actions and asked to provide any information that might help explain this abnormal streaming activity, which we understand can be unintentional.  

  *** ******** indicated, on October 9, that the flagged streams came from a a curated play list that has been shared amongst a community of ps5 gamers and stated that: Music will no longer be looped and I will let my fans know not to do this as well !!
  

  So, our Fraud Prevention team reinstated the two (2) releases to the affected music service on the same day, with a reminder that further abnormal streaming activity could result in further action.
  

  We strongly encourage artists to take steps to prevent abnormal streaming activity, including:
  

  Do not use promotion services offering guaranteed streams, followers, or playlist placements.
  Do not play your music on a loop for extended periods (and discourage collaborators and fans from doing this).
  Monitor streaming activity for your music (using the data in your UnitedMasters account, platforms like Apple Music for Artists and ******* for Artists, and tools like this one) and immediately contact ****************************************** if you notice anything unusual.  
  Make sure to only submit to legitimate playlists.
  

  *** ******** can find more information about artificial streaming and how to avoid it here:

  *******************************************************************************************************

  ***************************************************************************************************************

  ****************************************************************************

  But he can always contact ****************************************** if he has any questions.

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am making a complaint against this company and a couple others which are penalizing me for actions concerning the use of "artificial streaming" which no proof has been offered to show I have taken such actions. I have a negative balance on my account before I can make one cent as a musician and there is no one being held accountable. I've reached out via email to receive bot responses or rhetorical responses not to my satisfaction. Something must be done about this asap. I am not the only musician being penalized for this situation.

  Business response

  08/26/2024

  As Spotify announced in November 2023 (**************************************************************************************************************************), they now charge fees to distributors and labels for any content on which they detect what they consider flagrant artificial streaming.

  And, as UnitedMasters announced in January 2024 (****************************************************************************), any such fees will be withdrawn from the applicable artists Wallet balance, as permitted by our Terms of Service (*******************************************). 

  For the April 2024 streaming period, Spotify detected flagrant artificial streaming on ten (10) tracks distributed by **************** and charged fees to UnitedMasters accordingly.

  At this time, UnitedMasters has not taken action other than withdrawing these fees from ****************** Wallet balance.

  In our Fraud Teams correspondence with ****************, he mentioned using the promotion website Musicvertising to promote his material. 

  This website offers guaranteed streams in exchange for money, which both Spotify and UnitedMasters expressly advise artists to avoid:

  ************************************************************************************************;
  ***************************************************************************************************************

  Our team reminded **************** of this and recommended that he avoid any promotions with this company in the future to avoid further artificial streaming activity.

  However, **************** is welcome to send any additional questions to ******************************************.

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Took down my album without any warning nor for sight. Saying I used artificial services, something I would never do to jeopardize my music. Now moving to Distrokid.

  Customer response

  06/20/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hey I paid 60 for the unitedmasters select subscription but now when I go to release music I am not able to. None of my streams are artificial or anything of that nature I have been spending a lot on ******** ads and tiktok ads which directed people to my spotify. This must be a huge glitch or mistake but I need this taken care of as soon as possible. I also have proof of the ******** and tiktok advertising I have been doing. This is not right at all.

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  UnitedMasters received reports of significant artificial streaming activity associated with ******************** music, totaling over one million artificial streams in one music service alone since November 2022.
  
  Our Fraud Prevention team communicated with **************** about this activity on multiple occasions.
  
  **************** was given a number of opportunities to address this activity, which violates our Terms of Service (*******************************************), and was made aware of the consequences if it continued.
  
  And, since the activity continued, ******************** account was terminated, as our Terms of Service permit.
  
  For future reference, **************** can find more information on artificial streaming and how to prevent it in our help center and on our blog:
  
  *******************************************************************************************************
  ***************************************************************************************************************
  ****************************************************************************
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid for the select plan on March 27th paying $44.99 to be able to release music through United masters. I then submitted my first ever release of any music ever on April 16th. On April 18th I noticed that United masters wanted me to make some changes on my release. Not only did they were there no changes to be made a notice popped up saying my account was blocked from audio releases.I then contacted support, after 2 days I got a vague answer saying that my release was flagged due to criteria associated with releases that are involved with artificial streaming I find that quite strange due to the fact Ive never released anything. Unless uploading a song you produced, mixed, and did the artwork for is associated with that then everyones should be flagged.I have been contacting them to get my account unblocked and my song to be released but I have heard nothing from them besides the previous, and obviously auto generated emails. I feel like I got seriously ripped off and I also feel like United masters could care less about their customers. Extremely disappointed.

  Business response

  04/22/2024

  Hi ****,

  Thank you so much for reaching out and reporting this concern with our team. As a distributor to major music services, we have several different processes that help detect and prevent streaming fraud from occurring which is why distribution for your account was temporarily suspended as your release was initially rejected due to it meeting some criteria we typically see associated with artificial streaming (such as style of artwork, instrumental track, etc.) That being said, based off of your emails and a further review of your release and account, we have gone ahead and approved your release and reinstated your distribution access. You should be all set to continue releasing music with UnitedMasters!
   
  Additionally, we  have adjusted the start date of your subscription to 4/22/24 so that you get a full year of SELECT benefits for your artist account.

  Thank you again for reaching out and please do not hesitate to email our support team for further assistance!

  Best,

  UnitedMaster Support

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Waiting on payment for multiple weeks, customer service negligence, was told its an easy process to delete account and receive earnings, but it's been several weeks and nobody's responded. I need my money, it took a long time to build up. Now it's stuck behind an unnecessary paywall, I no longer want to use them as a distributor. Extremely unprofessional.

  Business response

  02/20/2024

  Hi *********************,
  Thank you for your feedback. I was able to recently take a look into your request and was able to determine that our support team has resolved the issue for your account. As a summary, here is what we have on record, and that was communicated to you throughout the process of your asking for a cash-out on your artist account with **********************.

  02/11/24 The request to cash out for the artist account Mars The God was received by our support team.
  02/12/24: Our support team responded and informed you that the membership status with UnitedMasters for the artist account Mars The God was DEBUT which requires at least $50 to be available for cash out in your account. This membership requirement can be found on our public-facing site here. The changes to our platform in membership benefits for SELECT and DEBUT artists were introduced last year with communications being sent to all artists on our platform before the change took place. We apologize if you did not see these emails leading up to these changes!
  02/13/24: As you noted you were not happy with these changes made last year, our support team extended a one-time exception to the $50 minimum to you and asked for approval.
  02/14/24: After receiving your approval via email, it was noted that your support request was being received from an email not associated with your UnitedMasters account at that time ************************ Since we require all requests to be received from the primary email associated with the UnitedMasters account due to safety and security reasons, we asked you to resubmit the request from the primary email associated with your account.
  02/14/24: You responded to inform our support team that you had updated the email on the account to match the email the request was being received from (*******************).
  02/15/24: Our support team reaffirmed your request via email and received your confirmation (now being received from an email associated with the account per our internal guidelines).
  02/19/24: Our support team completed your request of a one-time exception for cash out for DEBUT members and followed up with you regarding the deletion of your account.
  
  I  apologize for any confusion or delay in your request being fulfilled, but it looks like you should be all set. We are currently awaiting your reply response to confirm if you would like to permanently delete your account via email. We look forward to your response!

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Good afternoon to who it may concern, my music was stolen and uploaded through the United Masters platform. I have attempted to submit a DMCA request regarding the matter but have not received a response. All I am asking is that the upload is taken down as I am the rightsholder/creator and I did not agree to this. Stolen content link that was posted through the platform unlawfully: ******************************************************************************* Actual original content that belongs to the rightsholder ***********************: *******************************************************************************

  Business response

  01/08/2024

  Hi ******,
  Thank you for bringing this to our attention regarding the release 'I Always Win' (****************) and your claim that this release has been distributed without your consent as the copyright owner. Our internal team has taken a look into your customer support records and do not see a DMCA copyright claim filed or customer support ticket associated with your email (*******************).

  
  You can learn more about how UnitedMasters's copyright policy by visiting this helpful website: ******************************************************

  Additionally, you can submit a DMCA claim directly to UnitedMasters by filling out this form for support: ***************************************************************************************************

  
  If you previously filled out this DMCA claim or have written into our support teams regarding this issue with a different email address than *******************, please let us know and we can follow-up with our internal teams to process the requested DMCA claim as soon as possible.

  
  Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  11/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My music was taken down from the platform for no reason. Also I cant upload music to continue my work. Ive paid for a yearly subscription and now Ive been removed from distributing music on this platform after I have paid my money

  Business response

  11/13/2023

  After identifying abnormal streaming activity associated with UPCs ************, ************, ************, ************, ************, ************, UnitedMasters made a decision, pursuant to our Terms of Service (**************************************************************), to remove these releases from Spotify and restrict distribution access.

  These releases are currently still available on other music services.

  Our Fraud Prevention team provided this information to ************** on November 7 and specifically offered, if ************** believes that his releases were flagged in error, that he could provide a detailed report of all promotion that was done for his releases, any third party companies that *** have been involved in promoting the releases, and links to any playlists the releases *** have been added to. 

  Our Fraud Prevention team has not received this information yet - but, if ************** provides it, they will perform an investigation to try and locate the source of any artificial streams.

  We are extremely serious about preventing artificial streaming, which *** be unintentional in some cases (e.g., because an artist has worked with a "marketing" company that is not legitimate), and we offer tips in our help center about how to avoid it: ****************************************************************************************************************

  Once ************** provides the requested information, our team will be happy to review it.

• Initial Complaint

  09/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  hello I paid 50 dollars to the business The only thing I expect from the business is distributorship. its means distribution of my songs My wages from July are not transferred to my account I wrote to the business and I haven't heard back yet.My spotify artist name: GoatStorm my email: **********************

  Business response

  10/05/2023

  In September 2023, it came to our attention that **************** had used his UnitedMasters account to distribute a release, "London Bridge is Falling Down", that was an exact match with a popular sound recording that has been publicly available, with different artist information, since at least 2016 (*******************************************).

  Under our Terms of Service (*******************************************), users agree not to infringe any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, right of publicity or other right of any other person or entity, and also agree that (i) we, in our sole discretion, may suspend or terminate a user's account (or any part thereof) or use of our services and remove and discard any User Content within the Services, for any reason, including, without limitation, if we believe that the user has violated our Terms of Service, and (ii) we reserve the right to withhold a payout should we suspect that a user has uploaded infringing content.

  Our copyright team has repeatedly asked ****************, if he believes that his User Content was flagged in error, to please provide documentation demonstrating his rights to distribute the material, but he has not been able to do so.

  Customer response

  10/16/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Hello  

  My complaint is still corrected, please contact unitedmasters again, they have stolen approximately $1300 of my money.

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** **** ******  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  *** tried taking down some of ** releases multiple times and United Masters doesnt take them down when requested. They keep it up. Some releases are on ******* and not on other platforms. Some are duplicates. I need my request to be taken care of immediately. This causing a lot of inconvenience as Im trying to prepare for my project soon.

  Customer response

  08/28/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
   
  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩