frequently asked

quick answers to the stuff people ask most. anything missing? write to hello@secondpress.com.au.

what is second press?: an independent music streaming app where 85% of every subscription goes straight to the rights holders / artists of what you played. no ads, no AI-generated music, no dodgy ethics.
how much does it cost?: $12 a month. cancel whenever. no free tier, no ads.
how does the 85% split actually work?: every subscription dollar (after card processing) goes into a monthly pot. the pot gets split between the rights holders / artists of what you played, in proportion to how much each one got played that month. if you put one band on repeat all month, whoever holds their rights (the band, or their label) gets 85% of your $12.
how much more does that work out to per stream?: roughly 5 to 9 times what the major streaming platforms pay. not a fortune, but not a third of a cent either.
can i cancel anytime?: yes. cancel from your account settings. your access continues until the end of your billing period.
is there a free trial?: yes. new subscribers get 7 days free. long enough to get to know the app, short enough to make sure artists keep getting paid. you can also browse the app and play 30-second previews of every song without subscribing at all.
what devices does it work on?: iOS app and the web. android is in the works.
can i listen offline?: offline listening is on the roadmap. not yet.
i want my favourite artist on here. how do i get them on?: tell them about it, send them to /artists, or shoot us an email at hello@secondpress.com.au with their info and we’ll reach out.
i'm an artist. how do i get on?: for now it’s invitation or application based. tldr: email us links to your music and your socials. if it’s a fit, we set you up with an artist portal where you upload masters, artwork and your photo yourself. full details at /artists.
i run a label. can my whole roster be on here?: yes. see /labels for how that works.
is my payment info safe?: all payments are handled by stripe. we never see or store your card details.
how do you decide which artists are on the platform?: every artist is invited or applies. it’s curated by hand, not algorithmically. the focus is independent music.
is second press properly licensed?: yes. every track on the platform is licensed directly from whoever controls the master - the artist if they own their masters, the label if it’s a label release. on the songwriter side, second press holds (or is in the process of obtaining) a limited digital music service agreement with apra amcos, the same kind of licence spotify and apple music hold for the composition rights. nothing is uploaded without permission.
i’m an artist signed to a distributor or label - can i still join?: depends on the deal. most distributor agreements (distrokid, tunecore, cd baby, ditto) are non-exclusive, which means you can put your music on second press too - no permission needed from them. if your deal is exclusive or you’re signed to a label that holds your masters, the label or distributor has to onboard you instead. not sure which one you’re on? email us and we’ll work it out together.
what about songwriter royalties (apra amcos)?: the platform pays apra amcos directly for the communication of musical works on top of the 85% it pays rights holders / artists for the master. if you’re an apra member, your songwriter share gets paid the normal way - through apra - separately from your master payout.
will you sell my data or run ads?: no. that’s the whole point. no ads, no data sold. just the subscription.
questions about billing?: email hello@secondpress.com.au and we’ll sort it out.
where can i read the legal bits?: /privacy and /terms.