What you get. What you give up. How we compare to labels and other funders.
Raise capital to record, produce, and market your music. Amounts range from $5,000 to $100,000+ depending on your current streaming and audience.
Artist Exchange does not buy your masters or publishing. You own the recording forever. You can re-license, sample, or repurpose it.
You own the song compositions and sync rights. You can license to TV, film, games, and ads independently. Artist Exchange takes no cut.
Investors get 15-25% of the project's streaming and sync revenue. You keep 75-85%. This is a true partnership, not a predatory deal.
Your investors become your most motivated marketers. They share your music, repost stories, and advocate for you because their returns depend on it.
Your artist page on Artist Exchange drives discovery from thousands of potential investors and fans. Free marketing you don't get elsewhere.
Unlike label deals where you owe back marketing costs, your fans' investment is upfront and not recoupable. You only share revenue, not debt.
Real-time earnings dashboards. See exactly how many streams you got, on which platforms, and how much was distributed to investors. No mystery accounting.
On the specific project you raise for, investors own this slice. This applies only to that project (EP, album, etc.), not your entire catalog.
Context: vs. labels, you keep way more (they take 80-90%)
You commit to delivering the project by a deadline (usually 90 days post-funding). If you don't ship, investors can claim non-delivery.
Context: vs. labels, they often fund multiple artists hoping 1 hits (you're not guaranteed support)
You must send Artist Exchange monthly statements from your distributor (DistroKid, CD Baby, etc.). No hiding earnings. It is transparent.
Context: vs. labels, they bury accounting behind layers of middlemen
Investors cannot tell you what to make or how to make it. This is your art. But the contract specifies what project you are funded for.
Context: investors are hands-off backers, not board members
Your offering is a security registered with the SEC under Reg CF. This means more compliance overhead than a simple SoundCloud release. But it also means legal protections.
Context: vs. labels, you control your own destiny (and deal with less bureaucracy)
The real competitive set is not other platforms. It is the alternatives you face as an emerging artist: label deals, advance funders, Kickstarter, or going solo.
| Factor | Artist Exchange | Label deal | Beatbread / Indify | Kickstarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital raised | $5k-$100k+ | $20k-$5M+ | $5k-$250k | Varies |
| You keep masters | 100% | 0% (label owns) | 100% | 100% |
| You keep publishing | 100% | 50-100%* | 100% | 100% |
| Revenue share | Keep 75-85% | Keep 10-20% | Keep 50-80%* | Keep 100% |
| Recoupment trap | None | High | Varies | None |
| Requires streaming history | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Marketing support | Fan promotion | Label machinery | Varies | Community |
| Reporting transparency | Quarterly detail | Black box | Often opaque | Varies |
| Investor audience | Retail fans | None | Institutional | Backers |
| Speed to funding | 30-45 days | 6-12 months | 2-4 weeks | 30-60 days |
| Who controls release | You | Label | You | You |
*Label varies: indie labels sometimes offer 50-50 splits. Major labels offer 10-20% to artists on first albums.
You are an emerging hip-hop artist. 8k monthly listeners. No record label. You want to fund your debut album (10 tracks). Cost to record, mix, master, and promote: $12,000.
Result: In a 1M-stream best case, you make $3,200 on Artist Exchange vs. $600 on a label deal. That is 5x more. Plus you own your masters.
Fill out the artist application. We review your streaming history, social presence, and project details. Approval in 5-10 business days.
Verify your identity and review the investment agreement. Our legal team explains your rights and obligations.
Work with us to determine a realistic funding goal (typically 1.5-3x production costs). We suggest a share percentage based on comps.
Your project goes live on Artist Exchange. Fans can invest starting immediately. Raise runs for 45 days or until fully funded (whichever is first).
Once fully funded, you have 60 days to record, produce, and release. We stay in touch and make sure you are on track.
Month 3 post-close, distributions start. You get 80% of revenue each quarter. Investors get 20% (or whatever share you agreed to).
No problem. The raise automatically closes after 45 days or when funded (whichever is first). If unfunded, all investor money is refunded and the project doesn't proceed. You can re-list later.
Yes. Each project is its own raise (doesn't dilute previous investors). You could raise for EP1, then album, then tour. Separately. Each gets its own investor pool.
You do. Use DistroKid, CD Baby, Tunecore, etc. (free or cheap). Artist Exchange doesn't distribute. We reconcile your streaming reports and calculate payouts.
Depends on the label deal. Typically, new releases after signing are label property (your investors don't get a share). But your original project keeps paying out. Be mindful of this when you raise.
No. Investors have no creative control. They fund you, they don't direct you. This is a key difference from label deals.
Artist Exchange takes no upfront fees. We take 10% of investor payouts (so if investors earn $1,000, we take $100 and you see the rest). This aligns incentives: we only make money when you succeed.