Bypass: Music Industry News for Independent Artists

Tuesday edition • 3 min read

Suno Will Pay You. Just Promise Not to Criticize Them

What's Up

Well, well, well. Look who decided to give back. Are the villains doing charity now?

Suno just rolled out "Spark," an incubator waving grants, mentorship, and marketing cash at indies. Right after SZA absolutely grilled them, too. Just watch the fine print.

So What

They've got a clause in their terms literally named "Good Vibes Only." You know where this is going. Sign on, and you agree never to criticize Suno during the program and "thereafter." As in forever. They're basically paying indies for a lifetime gag order. They won't even specify how big the grant is. But they're willing to tell you how quiet you've gotta be to get it.

Now What

We're not against AI tools helping artists. But that's all they should be. Tools. Not your replacement. Your voice is worth more than a check, on the mic or off it. So signing away the right to ever criticize them should be an instant HELL NO.

Normally, we'd hand you something to do here. This time it's the opposite. Don't sign Suno's gag order.

[Full story at Music Ally]

TIDAL Says No Money for AI, Sorry Not Sorry

What's Up

Hey, guess what. TIDAL isn't paying AI. Yep, it's their new policy: anything it flags as wholly AI-made gets a label slapped on it and doesn't get a cent.

So What

No fighting for scraps with AI. TIDAL isn't against AI outright. It just won't let AI slop skim royalties off human work. It even counts for their own indie upload tool. On top of that, they're telling distros to catch the AI before it ever lands. And TIDAL's got some company, too. Deezer, Qobuz, and Apple Music are already rolling out their own versions.

Now What

If you haven't already, make sure you're prioritizing platforms like TIDAL for your releases. You know, where AI isn't eating up your share. TIDAL's no-pay rule kicked in June 29, but the "AI" badge listeners see and the fraud sweep won't fully land until July 15.

[Full story at MBW]

For The Broke Indies, This One's For You

What's Up

Free DAW for you, free DAW for you, everybody gets a free DAW. Waveform 14 Free is Tracktion's new gift to you. No, it's not a trial that nags you to upgrade every ten minutes, and yes, it runs on all operating systems (Mac, Windows, and Linux).

So What

Before you go on thinking that v14's just a number bump, all their stock plugins got overhauled. The feature that has everybody talking (for better or for worse) is their new AI assistant. It does come with BYOK ("bring your own key"), kinda like bringing your own Play-Doh, except you're paying OpenAI or Anthropic by the use. Buuut, you can always pull the panel out if you don't want it (doesn't cost a thing).

Now What

Head on over to tracktion.com. Give it an evening, maybe you'll love not making your beats in a browser tab.

[Full story at Bedroom Producers Blog]