Artists today are choosing independence, even in the face of label offers. As a recent Spotify report revealed, independent artists accounted for more than half of streaming revenue in 2024. Among these artists, there is a growing contingent who prefer creative control and long-term sustainability--and many of these artists are working with artist services companies like Amuse.

Take The Walters, a quirky pop-rock quintet from Chicago. The band found themselves in an enviable position: Their track “I Love You So” became a viral TikTok hit seven years after its original release. They rode the wave, eventually racking up 1.7 billion streams on Spotify and 14.8M monthly listeners for the song. However, to be more than a flash in the pan, they needed a sustainable path forward as a band. They turned to Amuse for support in releasing their debut album Good Company in late March to help them forge this path while remaining doggedly independent.

The Walters are one of many Amuse artists who get the best of both worlds: artistic independence with stalwart industry-savvy support. Artists like Emei, Yot Club, 80purppp, Hotel Ugly, ARDN, Brooksie, Melvitto, and Stela Cole use Amuse’s support to reach and keep fans across platforms and media. Overall, Amuse has helped its artists hit milestones traditionally reserved for traditional stars: Headline tours across US and Europe, billion-streaming tracks, Billboard chart placements, US platinums, placements in Spotify's Billions Club and big sync placements.

From digital music distribution and metadata optimization to smart funding and marketing, Amuse’s offerings allow the artist full ownership of their creative vision. Amuse offered The Walters a licensing deal that let them keep their rights and creative autonomy for the long haul, while giving them intensive frontline support such as DSP optimization, playlisting, editorial relationships, marketing, design support, and UGC monetization help. The deal terms stand out and point to the benefits of independence for artists: Artists retain 50-85% of their royalties for an artist-friendly deal term of several years, after which 100% go to the artist.

“We have seen what really helps independent artists stay independent and make significant progress toward their goals, however they define them,” notes John Dahlback, Head of A&R at Amuse. “Our role is to support and facilitate, not to control or own. We see ourselves providing a tailored service offering that taps into artists’ specific teams based on their vision and needs. Every artist has a unique definition of success and we help them reach it.”

About Amuse
Amuse is a one-stop digital music distribution platform. We support independent artists with a powerful alternative to the traditional industry model. Powered by streaming data, Amuse’s in-house music distribution and tailored Artist Services let artists and teams independently manage their careers, all while maintaining ownership of their masters and full creative control.

Amuse, the global distribution and Artist Services platform, has established itself as a front-running music company with their smart and flexible offering designed to help artists at every stage of their career stay independent. Today, the company announces that they’re bringing even more transparency to their funding and licensing deals, by - in addition to their usual statements - introducing monthly, detailed financials and a Deal Tracker in their music distribution apps.

Like other Amuse tools and services, the Deal Tracker was purpose-built to support artists seeking greater transparency and autonomy—guiding them with accessible data and tools to make informed career decisions. Within the Amuse distribution apps, artists can now get a detailed breakdown of their pertinent deal and financial information in a layout designed with them in mind. Artists can see their recoupment balance, distinct from their regular balance or broken down per deal. They can view their balances from licensed and unlicensed earnings, and soon also withdraw royalties earned under Funding and Services agreements—all on a single app.

“As our roster of partner artists have grown, the Deal Tracker has been a longstanding idea within the team, and we are proud to finally release it,” says Erik Söderblom, CPO at Amuse. “Alongside our open-to-all self-service distribution, our Artist Services division supports over 300+ successful independent artists and teams with a one-stop offering stretching from tailored funding and hands-on catalog optimization to marketing strategy, frontline release strategy, sync and publishing, tapping into their individual needs. Transparency for independent artists–especially regarding their deal terms and royalties—is a critical step for them to take control of their career trajectory.”

Amuse is home to billion-streaming tracks and hundreds of thousands of artists, including The Walters, Yot Club, Emei, 80purppp, Hotel Ugly, ARDN, Brooksie, Melvitto, and Stela Cole. Dedicated to supporting the next wave of independent stars, Amuse offers artists and teams in-house digital music distribution, flexible funding, royalty and finance management, catalog optimization and other services to help them achieve their goals on their own terms. 

The Deal Tracker will roll out to all artists with Amuse licensing and funding deals during February and will be available across the company’s iOS, Android, and Web apps. 

"The music industry, and especially the major labels, is notorious for being opaque with artists getting very sporadic updates (if any at all) on how they are recouping toward deals,” says Söderblom. “This is a move in the direction of the transparent, easy-to-understand, and artist-friendly music industry we strive for at Amuse."

To learn more about Deal Tracker, visit: www.amuse.io/en/content/deal-tracker/. 

About Amuse
Amuse is a one-stop digital music distribution platform. We support independent artists with a powerful alternative to the traditional industry model. Powered by streaming data, Amuse’s in-house music distribution and tailored Artist Services let artists and teams independently manage their careers, all while maintaining ownership of their masters and full creative control.

ANTI SOCIAL CAMP HOSTED 200 RECORDING SESSIONS IN 3 DAYS, PARTNERING WITH AMUSE, SPOTIFY, REPUBLIC, YOUTUBE, TIDAL & RECORDING ACADEMY 

Anti Social Camp, the largest songwriting camp in the world, will launch its 5th annual event June 9-14, 2025 in New York City. Their mission is to celebrate songwriters, create new hit records and revitalize the New York City music scene. The camp has been featured in The New Yorker, Forbes, Billboard and Variety. Here’s a video recap. 

Artists from years past include Nile Rodgers, Jacob Collier, Miranda Lambert, Moby, Andy Grammer, Kimbra, WALK THE MOON, X Ambassadors, JP Saxe, Rob Thomas, Dasha, Linda Perry, Kota The Friend, Tenille Arts, Pom Pom Squad and hundreds more.

Today, Anti Social Camp’s longtime partner, Amuse, is excited to announce the arrival of Anti Social Camp, Vol. 2 — the second official compilation of music created at the camp. The album consists of incredible songs made at Anti Social Camp 2024. The album will be released on all streaming platforms on January 23, 2025. 

Anti Social Camp, Vol. 1 was released in March 2024 to critical acclaim in Brooklyn Vegan, Billboard and more featuring artists like Kota The Friend, Yonas, TT The Artist, Gomey, Calica and many more. 

“Anti Social Camp celebrates the age of collaboration in pop music,” said Danny Ross, Founder of Anti Social Camp. “Anti Social Camp Vol. 2 is our second official compilation and a dream realized. Amuse has given us invaluable support to curate and release 13 standout hits out of 200 records made at Anti Social Camp 2024. Unbelievably, these songs were made in 4-hour sessions last June with complete strangers — now they’re ready to be heard across the world. Anti Social Camp is a vehicle to remind the music industry of New York’s legacy, and the significant pool of talent here ready to change the game. Now let’s get ready to make Volume 3 in June.”     

“Amuse and Anti Social Camp see eye to eye on our commitment to support creators with democratized tools, resources, and services,” says Sofia Green, Director of Communications at Amuse. “Danny has built something really special at Anti Social Camp, and Amuse is proud to deliver a new wave of self-releasing and independent artists to worldwide audiences.”

Anti Social Camp 2025 Artist Applications are currently being accepted and will close on February 28. All accepted artists will attend free, while limited VIP badges are now on sale for all other attendees. 

ANTI SOCIAL CAMP VOL. 2 
LISTEN HERE
PHOTOS + ALBUM ART HERE
Release Date: January 23, 2025

TRACK LIST:
1. “The Bag” - Lachi
2. “The Victim” - Jillian Shea
3. “Bedsheet” - Carter Vail
4. “OK!” - Justin Starling, Molly Moore
5. “Thank You Baby” - Kidd Kenn
6. “Wanderer” - Maty Noyes
7. “Strange Addiction” - Shawn Hook
8. “Let It Be” - Eph See
9. “Runner’s High” - Josiah Bassey
10. “Digital Flash” - Courtney Paige Nelson
11. “Can’t Tell You” - Andrew Austin
12. “International” - Porsh Bet$
13. “Bay to NY” - ill Nicky

About Amuse
Amuse is a one-stop digital music distribution platform. We support independent artists with a powerful alternative to the traditional industry model. Powered by streaming data, Amuse’s in-house music distribution and tailored Artist Services let artists independently manage their careers, all while maintaining ownership of their masters and full creative control.

About Anti Social Camp
Anti Social Camp is an opportunity to rethink the concept of a songwriting camp, which is typically a gathering of recording artists, songwriters and producers grouped together with the goal of creating new songs and recordings in a short burst of time. Songwriting camps are usually private, exclusive affairs planned by major labels in global destinations, whether it’s a mansion in Bali or a castle in the South of France. 

In contrast, Anti Social Camp is the largest songwriting camp in the world as well as a front-facing festival. It’s like a SXSW for Songwriters. Creators are selected through a judicious application process open to the public in a global event that’s completely free for artists.

Headed by Daniel Copleston, previously at [PIAS] and Cooking Vinyl Records.

Sync placements can be career-makers for artists—opening an avenue for new fans to discover their music, offering new revenue streams, and creating a launchpad for future releases. Adding in-house Sync to its arsenal of services for the growing self-releasing and independent artist sector, Amuse welcomes Daniel Copleston as Head of Synchronisation.

Powered by streaming data, Amuse provides a modern alternative to the traditional industry model. Characterized by its one-stop-shop offering for independent artists and managements, Amuse’s open digital distribution service is complemented by a suite of boutique artist services supporting a selection of rising stars with tailored licensing deals, ranging from funding and revenue optimization to artist marketing, publishing, and now, sync. All artists stay in control of their masters and future releases. Amuse’s licensed catalog includes 8,000+ recordings from 300+ artists, such as Yot Club, Emei, Stela Cole, Hotel Ugly, Mind’s Eye, Julie, Vundabar and 80purppp. 

“Daniel is a fantastic addition to the Amuse team, and we are thrilled to welcome him,” says Sean Staranka, Head of Artist Marketing from Amuse. “The growth of our licensed catalog shows that people are resonating with these tracks, and our vast access to demographics and streaming data creates great synergies for sync opportunities. Daniel’s experience and eagerness to spearhead our move into sync services will bring great value to Amuse’s roster.”

Daniel Copleston most recently worked at [PIAS], the global family of independent record labels and artists. As Sync & Brand Partnerships Manager, he managed sync placements across several platforms, from TV shows and films to video games and advertisements. Prior to that, he was the Sync and Licensing Coordinator at Cooking Vinyl Records. 

“With brands releasing so much more content online today, artists have more sync placement opportunities than ever to help reach new audiences,” says Daniel Copleston. “Amuse artists are killing it in streaming. They have a huge untapped opportunity to get sync placements, and I’m really happy that I’m the guy they chose to make that happen.”

Click here to read more about Amuse’s premium artist services here and get in touch with their Sync Department.

About Amuse
Supporting a new generation of stars, Amuse offers self-releasing and independent artists a powerful alternative to the traditional industry model. 

Powered by streaming data, Amuse builds artist-friendly services for a new era of success. Providing fast distribution, flexible funding and boutique deals, artists from across the world come to Amuse to release, fund and develop the platinum selling tracks of tomorrow.

Stream Check takes the pulse of Amuse-distributed catalog to indicate streaming health

Streaming fraud is one of the greatest challenges facing today’s music industry. Detailed streaming data can be difficult to access as well as interpret, so legitimate artists often have no way of knowing if their music is being streamed by bots until it is removed from DSPs. Equipping artists with the resources to fight artificial streams proactively, data-driven artist services company Amuse introduces Stream Check, an industry-first to increase data transparency and identify fraudulent streaming.

“While there are plenty of bad actors who systemize streaming fraud, artificial streaming can also happen to artists who haven’t done anything at all. An artist may cluelessly use a third-party promotion partner who turns out to be a bad choice, or legitimate tracks are added to a third-party playlist that utilizes bots without artists knowing, but the artist faces the penalties,” says Amuse Interim Chief Product Officer Erik Söderblom. “Amuse is proud to offer artists a proactive solution that puts them in the driver’s seat with all the tools they need to monitor and protect their catalog and livelihood.”

Stream Check takes a nuanced approach to artificial streaming, educating artists about its consequences. While other distributors have adopted a reactionary strike system, or even monetized the possibility to reupload taken down music, Amuse offers a proactive alternative: a colorful catalog health bar that indicates what share of an artist’s streams were deemed artificial by Spotify during the last month.

If an artist’s Stream Check dashboard shows no artificial activity, they don’t need to take any action. On the other hand, a health bar in orange or red territory indicates that streaming fraud is taking place and that the artist is at risk of facing fines or seeing their music removed from DSPs. Luckily, Amuse also provides a knowledge base of proactive actions these artists can take against the artificial streams to eliminate these risks and restore their catalog’s health.

“As a particularly data-focused company, Amuse has spent years building an internal system to prevent streaming fraud and collecting monthly Spotify Withheld Streams reports. Thanks to all of this groundwork, we developed the Stream Check feature in a matter of weeks,” explains Louise Frodsham, Director of Customer Operations at Amuse. “We are thrilled to unveil this feature to all artists who distribute their music through Amuse, and we look forward to continuing to educate and surface data that empowers them to fight this industry-wide problem.”

About Amuse
Supporting a new generation of stars, Amuse provides smart funding, digital music distribution and additional services to the self-releasing and independent artist community. 

Amuse uses the data generated by its distribution platform to build artist-friendly services for a new era of success. Offering flexible funding and licensing deals, artists from across the world come to Amuse to release, fund and develop the platinum selling tracks of tomorrow.