Bypass: Music Industry News for Independent Artists

Tuesday edition • 3 min read

Re-uploaders, Pack It Up

What's Up

Instagram's done playing nice with the re-upload accounts. They already killed reach on reposted Reels back in 2024, and now, they're coming for carousel and photo posts.

So What

Harsh, yeah. But not as harsh as watching some re-upload account with two million followers eat up the reach you've been working hard to get. Pretty cool to see Instagram looking out for actual creators for once.

Now What

If you're one of those creators re-uploading stuff without using Instagram's collab tool, cut it out and do it right. Tag the original creator. It's a button.

[Full story at Music Ally]

Superfan Subscription is… DOA

What's Up

Okay, we owe you one. Remember when we said superfan subscriptions might be the thing? Yeah… about that. The model at this point is either dead or wheezing. Cherie Hu just published a piece at Water & Music basically pointing this out.

So What

Look, it's not that fans don't care or anything. That isn't the issue here. The problem is that artists don't work on a monthly schedule. You spend months writing, drop a release, and then there's a gap before your next release. That isn't a 9-5.

And guess what, fans don't spend on a monthly schedule either. $150 on merch and a vinyl in a week, and they're done spending. Trying to squeeze all that into a recurring monthly bill is a bad deal on both sides.

Now What

Stop thinking in subscriptions. Start thinking in moments. Fans want listening parties, release drops, merch, vinyl, and yeah, music. You don't need a monthly fee out of people. That's what companies like Spotify want to distract you from their bad streaming payouts.

[Full story at Hypebot]

Using Suno? TuneCore Won't Distribute Your Music

What's Up

TuneCore said it loud and clear: they want to wash their hands of AI tracks, especially AI tracks coming from so-called "pirate studios." And the first pirate studio they named (drumroll please)… Suno. Ouch.

So What

If AI is anywhere in your workflow, consider this your heads-up. If part of your track is from an unlicensed platform, TuneCore won't push it. Believe is telling every major DSP to do the same. You don't want to be on the wrong side of that.

Now What

For anyone who does use AI in their process, make sure the platform is actually licensed. ElevenLabs and Udio have deals with Believe. Suno doesn't. Don't let one shortcut blow up a release you've been working on for months.

[Full story at Music Ally]