Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/19/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We paid for digital distribution of our album in April, 2023 when we had Oasis Disc Manufacturing make our music CD, ISBN ************. In late summer, after our album was released, we got on CD Baby's site to provide them with the information to set up our digital distribution. We discovered all our tracks had been sent to someone else's account. We contacted ********************** through their help support online system. There is no way to talk to a human at CD Baby. You can only leave help requests on their website. It took 3 months for them to respond.We got our previous issue settled, but now we have a new one. We made a data entry error and their automated system has us locked out so we can't fix it. We submitted a help request on December 7. We were given the support ticket number of *******. As before, no one at CD Baby has responded to the help request. It's just a matter of them changing a songwriter designation. I would love to do it myself, but their system won't allow me to.Every couple of days they send an "URGENT" email asking us to complete our registration. But, we can't do that because their computer program won't let us. We respond to those emails asking for help and no one answers.We could have been all done and collecting money right now, but we are trapped and CD Baby is completely unresponsive. Our project is a fundraiser for a nonprofit organization. They could be recieving income right now, but they can't because CD Baby has not responded to our help request.We don't want to wait 3 months again. Please help us get them to do their job and provide us with the services that they promised us and that we paid for. CD Baby's negligence has wasted a lot of our time and caused great frustration. Most important, our music release is at a total standstill because CD Baby does not work with customers in anything close to a timely fashion.We just want them to work with us like human beings to get our project completed. -The Red Album artists

  Business Response

  Date: 12/20/2023

  Hello,

  I apologize for the delay in response as well as any inconvenience.

  I have sent a separate email to ************************* addressing your PRO request.

  Thank you and take care.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/10/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am singer and have had my music distributed to the streaming platforms by CD Baby since late 2022. I've had no problems with CD Baby's service until recently.On November 30, 2023, I received an email from CB Baby Account Manager, titled, [CD Baby] Re: Removal of your content from Spotify The email indicated that supposedly their digital partners had notified CD Baby of irregular streaming patterns of your release and had opted to remove in full. I assumed they were referring to my latest release, Miss You, as the word used in the email was/is release as opposed to releases. Miss You was released on November 10, 2023.The email claimed that the "activity was sever enough that Spotify opted to remove your content from their service in full. I checked my Spotify account and noted all my songs were missing. I contacted Spotify for Artist Support Live Chat and the agent informed me that the "distributor" removed my songs, not Spotify. This contradicted the Account Manager's claim that it was Spotify. The Account Manager's claim was further disapproved when I went to my CD Baby Overview page of my songs, and checked under "*****************". It showed that CD Baby requested the songs removal from Spotify, it reads in part, "Once we request removal, ". I sent video evidence of both to the Account Manager. I believe the real reason CD Baby removed my songs was to avoid paying me my royalties that Spotify has provided to them to distribute to artists. Spotify has not disable my account. So ********************** would continue to receive my royalties. I checked my royalty payment history. It shows revenue of $1,004.45 with a balance in my account of $94.11. Under Trending and Analytics, for the 90 day period. it shows that my stream count is *********. Spotify pays between ***** to ***** per stream. The last 7 days my streams drop to zero. Indicating my songs removal from Spotify.Please see submitted documents.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2023

  Hello,

  We recieved a complaint of abuse from Spotify that they had removed one of your albums due to artificial or abusive streaming activity in October. 
  
  Since that time, further artificial activity was detected involving your other releases. They were subsequently removed, by CD Baby, to prevent further complaints or financial losses associated with this activity. 

  The decision to remove content that has been flagged for abuse is made by our digital partners, not CD Baby, and unfortunately we are not able to compel them to restore albums once they have been removed for this reason. They specifically ask us not to redeliver albums that have been removed for abusive streaming or play count abuse.

  I apologize for any inconvenience.

  Take care.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/11/2023

   
  Complaint: 20987233
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  CD Baby has provided no evidence to support it's allegation and it is clearly contradicted by the fact that Spotify has not disable my Spotify

  for Artist account. Please see the attached document from Spotify on "Disabled Accounts" 
  

  "Disabled accounts
  If you get an email or error message that your accounts disabled, its likely due to the following reason.
  Suspected fraudulent activity
  If we detect any possible fraudulent activity on your account, or anything else that violates our terms and conditions, we disable it."
  

   

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On October 23, 2023 I contacted CD Baby regarding an agreement for distribution of two albums. I had paid the distribution fees but needed to update the cover art with appropriate trademark and copyright. Since that time I have only received email from them referring me back to the website, often with broken links, and despite numerous attempts I am unable to make the necessary changes myself. I have repeatedly emailed them requesting help, and now a month has gone buy and I have paid for a service that has not been delivered. In filing this complaint, I am moved to the last resort. Below is the typical email:Thank you for contacting CD Baby Artist Services. Your ticket number is # ******* We are currently very behind in processing customer support tickets, but we are processing new content and submissions promptly.To check current processing times, go to: ******************************************************************* In the meantime, these *********** articles may answer your question before an agent is able to assist you:

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2023

  I have included a copy of email received this date from CD Baby and my response:

  Charlie (CD Baby)
  Nov 22, 2023, 7:58?AM PST
  Hi, *********
   
  Thanks for getting in touch with us.
   
  Sorry youre having trouble uploading! First, double check to make sure the files youre uploading meet our requirements. You can find these requirements here. (links of same information they have sent previously). To upload your resized image: log into your CD Baby account, click on the Albums & Singles tab, locate the project you're working on and click the view/edit" button to the right-hand side of your album to access the Title Overview page. Then, click on the image of the camera and it will take to you to the art uploader page.

  My response:

  *******, it is the exact same artwork only the trademark and copyright symbols were added. There is not an option for me to upload as it is already marked, and at the bottom of the page it indicates it was received.  See att. It is evident that the artwork is going to have to be changed on your end and I have submitted the files over and over again.

  Tomorrow will be one month since I paid for distribution service, and despite multiple emails with request THEY change the artwork which I have emailed to them as I am unable to do on my end, I get emails with the same links and responses.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2023

  Hi, *********
  
  Thank you for reaching out to us. I apologize for the delay in response.

  If  you like we can remove the current cover art so you can upload a new image.

  I have sent an email to ************************* with more information.

  Thank you and take care.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/06/2023

  I have finally received an email from CD Baby that appears to be an attempt to help me resolve the issue. I am still waiting to her back from today's email as I have sent them the required artwork for the project.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/14/2023

  The complaint was resolved

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/05/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have ***** listens on one of my songs on Tik Tok why am i not getting any royalites from this?

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

  Hello,

  I'd be happy to explain how these payments work!
  
  Payments from TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat are generated by the creation of videos, rather than the consumption of those videos. This means the money earned doesn't depend on the number of views an individual video receives, but the number of videos created using your music.
  
  We report both video creations and views in your account. The reports for $0.000000 are for the number of views.
  
  TikTok and Snapchat payments are received monthly by end of month, and reflect income from the previous month. Meta payments are received on a quarterly basis.

   

  Take care.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/01/2023

  Hello Will,

  I'd be happy to explain how these payments work!
  
  Payments from TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat are generated by the creation of videos, rather than the consumption of those videos. This means the money earned doesn't depend on the number of views an individual video receives, but the number of videos created using your music.
  
  We report both video creations and views in your account. The reports for $0.000000 are for the number of views.
  
  TikTok and Snapchat payments are received monthly by end of month, and reflect income from the previous month. Meta payments are received on a quarterly basis.

  Take care!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Cd Baby *** has refused to refund my distribution fees. These fees were a one time payment to distribute my music to music streaming services for LIFE. They have also refused to pay me ANY of my royalties that i earned from January of 2023 to September of 2023, (my total time distributing with them). They claim something happened on one of the streaming services called "abusive amounts of streaming". People were listening to my music too much? They provided no details of what service claimed the infraction and removed all of my music, no warning, no details, (except they kept it up in the background and got plays on it when i redistributed the same songs with another distributor). None of the streaming platforms have any issue with my brand, music, or name, as they all happily put my music back on their platforms. CD baby closed my account without warning, kept MY money, and provided zero details. They DO NOT have ************************* to determine whether or not someone has made an infraction and whether or not their royalties, etc. are payable. CD baby has refused to answer any emails concerning the money they owe me. All in all, CD baby owes me several hundred dollars in distribution fees for 6 distribution contracts they broke without provocation, several hundred dollars of royalties plus whatever else has accrued in the months of June, July, August, and early September. THIS IS THEFT. CD baby apparently thinks that small accounts wont pursue any legal action over ********** and they will be allowed to keep royalties and distribution fees at their own discretion.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/01/2023

  Our specialist team will be following up with the client. Their account had to be closed due to streaming abuse on their part. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 20676638
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They have not responded to any emails regarding my royalties and fees paid, nor have they reached out to resolve this issue.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 20676638
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They have not responded to any emails regarding my royalties and fees paid, nor have they reached out to resolve this issue.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2023

  Our specialist team will be following up with the client. Their account had to be closed due to streaming abuse on their part.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/27/2023

  I have responded that I am not satisfied with the companies response and I do not want my claim closed. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  THIS ROYALTY COLLECTING AGENCY HAS COLLECTED SOUND EXCHANGE ROYALTIES ON BEHALF OF ME AND MY ARTISTS / RIGHT SIDE OFMY MUSIC. THEY HAVE NOW TOLD ME THAT BACK IN dEC OF 2021 THAT THERE WAS AN "OVER PAYMENT". AND HAVE NOT PROVIDED DETAILS OF INDIVIDUAL SPINS AND WHERE THIS "ACCOUNTING" ***** HAS STEMMED FROM. THEY HAVE ALREADY TAKEN BACK ******* USD OF MY MONEY AND ARE POSTING THE REMAINING AS A NEGATIVE BALANCE WITHIN MY CD BABY ACCOUNT. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS AT SPEAKING WITH A REAL P[*****, I HAVE BEEN PUSHED TO TALK TO CHAT BOT SUPPORT AGENTS AND HAVE RECENTLY RECIEVED ONE EMAIL FROM A REP WITH A " APOLOGY" . I WANT MY MONEY BACK OR DETAILED INFO ON WHAT AND WHEN AND WHY THE ***** OCCURED. I HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SOUND EXCHANGE , WHO PROVIDES MONIES TO CD BABY FOR MY ROYALTIES WHO ARE NOW ESCALATING THE INCIDENT.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/22/2023

  Hello *******, 

  The error we made resulted in a sales report getting used twice, resulting in a modified version of that report being posted rather than the actual monthly usage. To correct the mistake, we reversed the incorrect posting and posted the correct one. 

  I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience.

  Thank you and take care.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/05/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed the CD Baby Pro Publishing Addendum to the Artist Agreement when I released an album in February 2018 (UPC Code ************). I waited well beyond the 1-year exploitation period, as required by the agreement, and cancelled the agreement in January 2020. I noticed that "CD Baby Beta" was still listed as the publisher with my PRO for the songs on that album, and as it turns out, CD Baby never submitted a letter of termination to my PRO or to the ******************************* (MCL). CD Baby is still collecting royalties on my behalf for these songs.I contacted CD Baby in July 2023 to obtain a copy of the termination letter so that I could submit it to the MCL and my PRO. I received no response. I have emailed CD Baby and both email accounts associated with the publisher as listed with the MCL and my PRO, and have received no response. I have submitted additional requests via email and received no responses. I have even submitted a new request to cancel the agreement in hopes that that would get a response, but it did not. I have attempted to reach a customer service agent through live chat, but no one is available. At this point I am demanding that CD Baby release my songs from the CD Baby Pro Publishing agreement and submit a termination letter to my PRO, the MCL, and provide me with a copy of both letters. I have done what I was required to do to terminate this agreement, and based on that agreement CD Baby no longer has the rights to collect royalties on my behalf for these songs. I consider the date of cancellation to be January 2020.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/07/2023

  Hello,

  I apologize for the delay in response.

  I have replied to your request in Ticket #*******.

  Please follow up there with the requested information and we will get a letter of relinquishment for you.

  Again I apologize.

  Thank you and take care.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/12/2023

   
  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. I understand that this response will likely take more than 7 business days, but if the matter is not resolved in a timely manner I will request to reopen the case.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/17/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been waiting for over 2 months for cdbaby to get my latest release, "Chasing Angels," listed with my ASCAP catalog. I have written cdbaby numerous times only to get empty promises from them that someone will be contacting me. I have never experienced such lousy customer service in my life. There was once a time when you could actually talk to someone there. Those days are long gone now. This is very frustrating. Cdbaby needs to get their act together and do it quickly. There is absolutely no excuse for this terrible customer service.******************* Musicman1

  Business Response

  Date: 08/18/2023

  Hello,

  I'm apologize for our delay in response and sorry to hear your works have not be registered with your PRO yet. I have followed up directly via email in Ticket #*******.

  We will work to resolve the issue ASAP!

   

  Thank you and take care.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20483902
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  This should have been done months ago. Please get my new song, "Chasing Angels," registered to my ASCAP catalog immediately.

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  There is no single 'transaction' relevant to this complaint. I engaged their services in 2022 to handle digital distribution of my music. I used their 'standard' publishing package and as the sole songwriter submitting self-published music, I completed the forms accordingly. At some point in 2023, CD Baby maintains that they made 'changes' to their publishing packages at which point MY information was edited and altered to no longer show I had ANY ownership of my OWN music. I contacted them 6 TIMES over the course of three months, only getting sporadic responses directing me to a form that did NOT address my problem or allow me to correct it. I submitted an ad hoc request through support to edit the appropriate data, which was ignored and every subsequent email response I received continually parroted the same initial response: 'we apologize, we've made changes to our service, high volume of support requests may cause delays'. A company responsible for publishing and distributing THOUSANDS of artists' material has NO business operating if they cannot be bothered to provide even a BASELINE level of support. My last email, over three weeks ago, in which I threatened that they either address my issue and my questions or cancel my service, went completely ignored to this day. Note: I have read in other users' complaints that after separating from CD Baby they were denied access to the rights to their own music on other platforms. If I see a HINT of this happening to me, I will not hesitate for one SECOND to bring suit against CD Baby IMMEDIATELY for damages.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/09/2023

  Hello,

  I apologize for any confusion.

  We've begun collecting songwriter ownership split information for all new titles being delivered to our partners. We are anticipating that this information will be required by platforms in the future.
  
  This change means that you'll now see an option to enter songwriter split percentages in the track details of all submissions, even those that have been already finalized. Please be assured that already-finalized submissions have been delivered to all platforms already, and there is no need to add new information to finalized titles.
  
  You will see an exclamation point indicating that these sections are "incomplete." This does not affect your finalized submissions in any way. We do not need you to take any action, and it is ok to leave the exclamation point as-is.

   

  Take care.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/07/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Payment not received.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/10/2023

  We have followed up with the client via email.