On this page you will find our terms and conditions. Read them carefully, so you know what you can expect from us and what we ask of you. We have done our best to make our conditions understandable to everyone. If you still have questions, please contact us.

Definitions

‘User’: you, as an Indepentia customer and user of our system.
‘Release’: a collection of songs that you send together through the system.
‘Store’: an online music platform, streaming service, or social network such as Spotify, iTunes, or TikTok.

General

Indepentia is an online platform that allows you to post your music on streaming services and other online platforms. We also collect the royalties that these platforms pay out for you and you can have them paid out. Indepentia is therefore the intermediary between the user and the store.
Creating an account on our website and uploading a release is free of charge and obliges you to do nothing. Only when you are going to send this release you have to choose a subscription.
We do everything we can to make our website and your account as accessible as possible, but we cannot give any guarantees.

Subscription

To send your music to stores you need an active subscription. You can take out a subscription via the website.
Depending on the subscription you choose, you can send releases with one or more artist names. Some subscriptions also include extra features, such as being able to choose your own release date or label name.
The minimum subscription period is one year. If you do not cancel before the renewal date, your subscription will automatically be renewed for another year after 365 days.
If you do not wish to renew, you can easily cancel your subscription through your account up until the day before it is due to expire. One month before your subscription is renewed, you will receive an email with a reminder. So you know what to expect.
Upgrading to a subscription with more artist names is always possible. The costs already paid for your current subscription will then be deducted from the new costs.
Downgrading to a lower subscription level is not possible.

Distribution

In order to distribute your music through Indepentia, both your music and the cover image and associated metadata must meet a number of conditions. You can find these conditions in our FAQ. If your release does not meet these conditions when you send it, it will be ‘rejected’ in the system and you will have the chance to change it free of charge and send it again.
We expect your music and cover image to be of high quality. Of course we understand that not everyone can afford expensive mastering engineers, but do your best to deliver the best possible product to us.
The exact terms and requirements of stores may change over time. Therefore, you may have to modify a release afterwards to keep it online in the stores.
After sending your release, it can take up to +/- 4 weeks before your release can be found online, depending on traffic and processing times at the stores. Indepentia has no influence on these processing times.
It is always possible to have your music removed from the stores, you remain in control. Please note that a takedown can take up to 4 weeks.
Indepentia does not distribute racist, pornographic or otherwise offensive material.
Your release will be offered to all appropriate affiliated stores, but a store can always refuse a release. If a store refuses a release, no refunds will be given. Of course you can change the release and try again.
Indepentia can always refuse a release at its own discretion. The reason for refusal does not have to be made known.

Fair use policy

With an active Indepentia subscription you may in principle upload and distribute as much new music as you like. To protect our service and other users, we do have to take action against abuse. If you upload far more songs or releases than the average of other users with the same subscription, we will contact you to see if Indepentia is right for you.
Certain types of material are not allowed or are restricted. Here you can find some examples of what is and is not allowed.
We reserve the right to block accounts that show excessive use or to (temporarily) stop allowing new material to be uploaded. If you have any doubts about whether your use is allowed, please send us a message.

Rights

By distributing your music through Indepentia, you give us a license to publish this music in our affiliated stores and collect royalties for it.
You should not upload your music to several distributors at the same time, as this can cause conflicts in the stores. An exception is if you want to transfer music to or from another distributor.
You retain all rights to your music. This means that you can remove your music from the stores at any time, and you also remain free to use, sell and publish your music in any other way.
You can only upload and distribute music that you have created, written and performed yourself. That means no remixes, covers or other adaptations unless you have received explicit permission from the copyright holder.
If you use samples or ‘beats’ in your music, we may ask you to produce a license for them as proof that you are allowed to use and distribute them.
If you upload music that you do not fully own the rights to distribute, a copyright holder may file a claim with a store. In this case we will block a user, refusing further uploads and withholding royalties (temporarily) until proof of license can be presented or an agreement is reached with the rights holder. If this agreement is not reached, your subscription will be terminated. In this case you will not be entitled to a refund of distribution fees paid. Any claims by the rights holder will always be recovered from the user.
Occasionally we add new stores to our offer. Often we will automatically distribute your music to these as well. You can always exclude a specific store by sending us an email.

Royalties

Royalties are reported to us with a 4 to 5 month delay. So it will take at least that long before you will see the first royalties back on your account. Depending on our stores and partners this can sometimes be a bit longer or shorter.
We pay you 100% of all revenue that we receive for your music from our distribution partners and stores, we do not withhold any percentage. This will be shown in your account.
We can never predict or guarantee how much you will earn with your release.
You can request a payout through the website when you have earned at least 20 euros. Are you cancelling your subscription and not reaching the minimum yet? Then send an email for a payout.
It is possible that VAT, currency conversion or bank charges will be deducted before we or you receive any royalties. We have no influence on this, we always look for the most favorable way to receive and send your money.
If you are an entrepreneur, we will pay you VAT on top of your royalties. You may have to pay this to the tax authorities, please check this carefully.

Abuse

Use of streaming promotion services, where you buy ‘plays’, is not allowed by most stores. If a store detects this, your music is often removed from the service and royalties are not paid. Upon notification of such a violation, we are also forced in most cases to block your account for further uploads in order to protect other users.
If you upload material for which you do not hold rights, a rights holder may file a “copyright claim” with a store. This means your release will be removed from a store and you will receive a strike from a store. Your Indepentia account will also be blocked for further uploads, until an agreement is reached with the rights holder and the strike is lifted. Indepentia can never mediate between a claimant and user, so it is up to the user to come to a solution with the rights holder.

Support

We have put a lot of time and effort into our platform to make it as accessible and clear as possible. You can arrange everything through the website, from making releases to requesting a payment. If you do have questions we offer support via email and in some cases also by phone.

Complaints

Are you not satisfied with the services provided? Send us a message via our contact form and we will try to work it out together. We also like to hear what we can do better.