FAQ

No, at this time Metalabel is entirely built on Stripe. This means you need a Stripe account in order to receive funds through the platform. By using Stripe, we give collectors the opportunity to pay via Apple Pay and various bank cards in a secure manner. If you want to put out a release that is free and doesn't have shipping costs, you do not need to link a Stripe account.

Metalabel is a space to release creative work together. Per our terms and community guidelines, creators must provide clear and accurate offerings to collectors within a reasonable timeframe. Because of this, Metalabel is best used to release work that exists or will exists shortly. If you have more questions, read on or reach out to us.

Metalabel uses a magic code login system. This means that there are no passwords to remember.

Instead, anytime you login you will be emailed a unique code. To complete your login, enter this code on metalabel.comto access your account. If you’re a creator, you may also be prompted to enter a code when paying out earnings from a release as an extra step of security.

If you run into log in, here’s a few things you can try:

• Some browsers take a moment to process once the code is entered. Wait for a red error message (or a green success message) before reloading the page or resending the code
• double check that you’re using the desired email account. If you try logging in with an email address that does not have an account set up, you will be automatically be prompted to create one
• If you are receiving the code via the correct email but receive an error message when you use it, try clearing your browser’s cache
• if none of the other options work, write to us.

While Metalabel is a centralized space to release and collect creative work, each label manages their own order fulfillment.

Keep in mind that creators generally fulfill orders independently and by hand, and fulfillment timelines may vary.

This means that you must contact the label to get updates on any physical order shipments, shipping address changes, etc. To do this, locate your order confirmation email and find the “contact the label” link.

If you’ve reached out multiple times and have not received an answer, write to us.

No! Metalabel is open access, meaning anyone with a user profile account can create releases and labels. Read more for tips on naming your user profile and label.

Once you have successfully created your user profile, select your user icon on the left and click on the New release button from the main navigation. This will take you to the Release Builder. Follow our step-by-step guide on navigating the Release Builder.

They don't have to be. Releasing on Metalabel does not exclude you from releasing or distributing work through other channels.

There are four roles on Metalabel. To align with our ethos of creativity in multiplayer mode, we employ the "generous locking" philosophy to the platform. That means UI elements and functionality that are not actionable to a specific user role is presented in grayed-out or locked state. This helps everyone become aware of the view-only information and communicate with other members of the label to adjust their role and access as need arise.

Roles

Label admin

A label admin has all-access control over the label, as well as all releases within it. Considered the owner, user with "label admin" rights can create, edit, publish, and delete releases. They can set prices and splits, as well as issue payout to members of the label. By default they are automatically added to all releases within the label. A label can have more than one admin, but not zero admins. Generally the person who created the label is automatically assigned the admin role.

Label contributor

A label contributor is a user who can view all label level aggregated activities, such as roll-up financials from releases within the label, catalog of releases within the label, payout agreement, etc., but cannot make edits or execute any financial activities. However, the label contributor can create a new release for the label. The label contributor must be added to each specific releases within the label they didn't create in order to gain access to release details. 

Release admin

A release admin has all-access control over the release, such as ability to manage release details, invitations, media, fulfillment, and collectors. However, financial information pertaining to the release is  accessible in view-only mode. Changes to a release's financials is at the discretion of the label admin. The release admin cannot execute payout, but can receive payout as a part of the split. The release admin can only see details of the releases in which they are a part of, but does not have access to the aggregate view of the label itself.

Release contributor

A release contributor can view, edit, but not publish existing releases they are a part of. This role is handy to use for someone who is a contributor to your creative work and will be a part of your earning split, but does not necessarily have to participate on Metalabel administrative task of the release daily. 

What access do I have?

Access to the label you are a part of is visible in the side navigation. Access to each release you are a part of is visible in the release catalog.

How do I make changes to someone's access?

For label members, select Members from the side navigation. Select the person whose access rights you want to edit and select Edit Member from the 3-dot-menu. To remove them completely, select Remove Member. If you do remove a member, be sure to adjust the splits accordingly if they are a part of the payout split.

For release members, select the desired release and go to Contributor tab in the editor. Select the person whose access rights you want to edit and select Edit Contributor from the 3-dot-menu. To remove them completely, select Remove Contributor. If you do remove a contributor, be sure to adjust the splits accordingly if they are a part of the payout split.

No. There are no blockchains underneath Metalabel. Very early on we explored blockchains as a way to offer payment splits and to make creative work interoperable around the web. But after exploring the technology deeply, we designed new solutions for payment splits and interoperable work with tools that don’t require using crypto or a lot of complicated steps. 

On Metalabel, each labels and artist handles the shipping and distribution of their releases independently. If you have a question about your order—such as ones related to tracking details, status updates, or a missing order—please use the "Contact the Label" link provided in your order confirmation email.

At the moment, Metalabel does not handle shipping for releases. We can, however, connect labels to distribution partners. If you have issues contacting the label, please write to us at help@metalabel.com.

Yes, you can create a release that is downloadable for free by setting the price to $0.