Hey folks—wanted to see if anyone had some advice for the situation I and others on the Amuse.io free plan have found ourselves in.
I got a notice from Amuse that my first release on the platform (live since 2018) will be taken down at the end of the month unless I re-upload with the proper metadata and sample rate. When I went to do so, I realized that they had discontinued their free tier and were requiring users to upgrade to a $20/yearly plan for any future uploads. Realizing what this would imply, I reached out to their support and they confirmed: this would mean that all releases of mine on the platform (2 EPs, 3 singles) would only remain live so long as I pay the $20 fee, and will be taken down if I ever lapse for any reason.
I’m pretty frustrated. $20/year isn’t a ton of money, nor do I have a ton of releases, but on principle: I chose Amuse as a hobbyist wanting to share my music with the world (I’ve actually gotten some playlist spots over the years!) my friends and family. I thought of it as an option to ensure that one day, a descendant of mine could stumble upon my stuff—silly as that might be, it felt rather sentimental.
So, I wanted to ask: does anyone have any alternative distribution platforms that a. offer an easy-to-use transfer service of some kind and b. have an option for a perpetual distribution? I don’t mind paying within reason, but I’m feeling bait-and-switched by Amuse and would rather give someone else the money they’re now demanding for my music to remain live past 11/30.
Any advice, folks? Or is it time to give up the ghost and switch to Bandcamp?