I was very excited about the release, but unfortunately the song received 0 promotion. when I went back over the contract, I noticed that the promotion section had been removed, which made me realize that the 70/30 split was essentially for distribution only... I'm disappointed with how this particular release was handled, mainly because I believed that accepting the song meant there was some willingness to invest in it and support its release. That said, I’m rating the experience 3/5 because I also take responsibility for not making sure the promotional commitments were clearly stated in the contract before signing. I should have clarified that beforehand rather than relying on what I understood from our conversations. I hope to work with them again and have an experience that reflects the positive things other artists have said about working with them.
What artists say
What artists say
good distributor & starting point, but dont expect a label
theyre good, but you need to know what youre actually signing up for. theyre not a label that will push you, theyre a distributor with a few big playlists. thats the whole operation. the playlist network is strong and adds to them can do decent daily numbers. and to be fair, unlike most labels in this scene they barely charge anything back to you. they do mention recoupment in their agreements but most of the time they dont actually recoup anything. playlist adds and promo never really show up as chargebacks (if they ever do promote ur music), payments are sometimes a month or two late, but they do come. the catch is they only move when your numbers move. if a song starts popping theyll add it everywhere and maybe put budget behind it. if it doesnt, nothing happens. no development, no push, no plan for you. you bring the momentum, they collect on it. everything is numbers with them, they dont really care about the music beyond what the stats say. getting a song with them is the hard part lol. demos never get a response. your stats are the only thing which does the talking, not your music. the money side has some cracks. statements are kinda vague, the cut they take is usually 30 to 40%, which is steep for what is basically distribution plus playlists. on some of my songs they took a bigger cut than what we agreed on, and i only caught it because i track my own numbers. they also wont do contracts until a song starts going viral. until then your whole deal is a dm. the paper only shows up once theres real money involved, written on their terms, right when youve lost your leverage. if you do release with them, atleast go in knowing theyre a numbers first distributor with a strong playlist game. they can take a song further than most in this scene. just dont expect them to build anything for you, get every percentage in writing before release, and be sure to check every statement.
The Only Label You'll Ever Need
Very rarely do you find a label that genuinely treats its artists like family. I’ve never seen a team advocate for their artists the way Black 17 does. Couldn’t ask for more from a label, and honestly don’t see why anyone would go anywhere else. If you love music and money, I guarantee you’ll love Black 17.
best label with best support
Best label providing 80% of the money to their artist themselves best expirience working with them wil work more in future too haha