Price
Artists can distribute music through Soundon free of charge. Note, there is no pledge or promise that the service will remain free. Their website states that the service is “currently” free, which means it could all change. When might things change? Nobody knows but the people at Soundon. Play at your own risk.
Percentage
Soundon allows artists to keep 100% of their royalties, but, it only applies to royalties generated from activity on TikTok and their own streaming platform, Resso. You can collect 100% of the royalties generated from streams on other platforms but only for the first year. After the first year, you’re subject to a 10% fee on your royalties.
Red Flags
Digital distributors have to negotiate deals to license the music of artists they represent to digital service providers. The percentage of revenue you’re paid for your streams is a result of those negotiations. The same company that owns Sound On also owns TikTok and the streaming platform Resso. This is a huge conflict of interest because the company is negotiating with itself. How hard will Sound On fight for a higher royalty rate if it negatively impacts TikTok which is owned by the same company?
Additionally, TikTok competes with other social media websites and Resso is a competing streaming service. How likely are social media platforms and streaming platforms to extend access to new tools and features to a competitor?
Artists are required to submit a scan of their Photo ID. No other distributor asks for this kind of information because there’s no need for it. You’re not trading stocks, you’re just distributing music. ASCAP doesn’t even ask for this type of information. With TikTok’s privacy issues, I’m very uncomfortable with handing them sensitive information.
What Makes Them Different?
What makes Sound On different is TikTok. Its whole pitch is preferential treatment on the social media platform and access to exclusive partnerships with TikTokers. The rub is that these features are a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” type of thing which effectively means they’re reserved for artists with exceptional performance. Who knows what else opens the door to these features? There is also a plan for direct advertising. It’s more likely artists are driven to use that service than receive any support from influencers.
