FAQs Artist
Why did you set up Indmill?
Everyone's got a song in them but few get to release it and fewer still make any money out of it. Indmill lets anyone sell their music conveniently and attractively priced to a marketplace used to "sharing" music. Good causes benefit with a share of the revenue.
Why are you selling music so cheaply?
Because there's no need for digital music to be expensive any more. We take such a small cut of each sale that Indmill artists get about as much per sale as they would have got through a record company. Who knows, you could well sell more thanks to our bargain prices.
Will I still own my music if I sell it on Indmill?
Yes. We do not claim ownership of any material uploaded to the site. If you choose to stop selling through Indmill we will honour any sales that have already begun but we will remove your music and artwork from the site.
How much will I have to pay to sell my music on Indmill?
Nothing. There is no start-up fee to join the Indmill community. Just create an account, upload your album and tell your fans it's there. You will however be required to cover the monthly cost of transferring any money earned to your bank account - which is currently 24p in the UK and 50ยข in the USA.
How much will I make from each sale?
Almost all of it. We take just a 10% cut (excl VAT on EU sales).
Why do you give money to charity?
We believe that artists are essentially decent people who might enjoy the idea of working towards a more ethical record industry. By giving 5% from our share of every sale to good causes, our company can make a sustainable, long-term effort at making the world a slightly better place.
Do I have to give any of my profits to charity?
No, although we would love it if you did. And you'd get a lovely badge like this 
appearing next to your album or single, making it eligible for our charitable chart.
Which charities get the money?
We have handpicked a range of charities for you to choose from. If you know of a worthy cause that isn't featured, then please let us know and we'll do our best to make it one of our charity partners. All charities must be properly registered, for example in the UK with the Charity Commission.
Who receives the transaction fees you charge customers?
We aim to keep these fees as low as possible while covering the costs charged by our payment processors, HSBC and PayPal. As Indmill grows we should be able to make them lower still. But our small share of the revenue means we will always need to pass them on to customers, together with associated costs like online fraud and VAT (which we have to pay to the taxman even though payment processors don't charge it to us). Any profits left from transaction fees will be donated to Indmill charities at the end of the financial year.
How do I format my music for upload?
Encoded as 256/320Kbps MP3s without VBR (Variable Bit Rate). There's a full guide available, from signing up as an artist to formatting your music for acceptance and releasing it for sale here.
Is there a size limit on how much material I can upload for sale?
You can release as many albums or singles as you can record. But albums must be between 30MB and 100MB. Singles can be no bigger than 30MB. This will allow you to release a normal 12-track album or four-track single/EP.
Why are you selling only whole albums and singles?
Because we don't agree with the unbundling of music. Your fans get your whole album the way it was intended to be heard for little more than it costs to purchase a single track from certain music sites.
How will customers find my music?
You can link to your Indmill downloads from any site that will let you. Click on the "Put a badge on your site" link from your release's page to generate a piece of HTML code for an Indmill advert or, if you want to, you and your fans can easily create Facebook and Twitter links to your releases by clicking the relevant icons. Easy!
How will I know how much music I am selling?
You will be able to sign in to indmill.com at any time for a live sales report. Then, within 30 days of the end of the month, we will email you a full report on that month's sales, detailing:
- how much music you've sold
- how much VAT has been collected
- how much VAT you owe (NB only if you are VAT-registered)
- how much you have raised for charity
- how much Indmill will keep
- how much we will be paying in royalties on your UK sales to MCPS-PRS (NB only if you are registered with a music collecting organisation)
- how much you can expect to be paid and when.
and - most importantly
When will I be paid?
Every month, within 30 days of the end of the month. The delay is to protect ourselves (and you) against card fraud and to allow time for foreign currency transactions and funds to clear into our accounts.
Where will you sell my music?
We currently offer music to customers in the UK and USA, with longer term plans to push further afield.
Why do you sell music for different prices in different countries?
The price of a loaf of bread or a cup of tea varies from one country to the next. So does the price of music. We've tried to set the price so it's fair for both artists and customers. It's a tricky balance, but we hope we've got it right.
Will you charge sales tax (e.g. VAT)?
Yes, we are required to add VAT to all sales in the EU. Unless you are VAT registered, we will pay this to the taxman. But we are not based in the US so won't add any US sales taxes.
Will I have to pay tax?
Yes, if you owe it. Wherever you live, you must complete the correct tax returns and pay what you owe. We aren't going to cheat the taxman and we suggest you don't either. If we are asked we will have to reveal what you've earned.
Can I release cover versions on Indmill?
In the UK, yes, but not in the United States. Don't blame us. Blame Songfile, the American organisation that licenses cover versions, for making it so complicated. We are trying to solve this problem but we can currently only sell cover versions in the UK (MPCS-PRS, the UK collecting organisation, makes it nice and easy). Just tell us which songs, if any, are cover versions when you upload your music. Each time you make a sale of a cover version, we make a small deduction from your earnings as a royalty payment to the people who wrote the tune. It's not much - between 2p and 4p (plus VAT) from each sale per cover version - but it's only fair.
Can I release music containing samples on Indmill?
Yes but only if you can provide us with written proof that you have sample clearance from the originator of the sample.
Is Indmill an illegal download site?
No. If we get reports of material which infringes on someone else's copyright for sale on the site we will remove it immediately and, if necessary, pass on all details we have of those responsible to the authorities. We are here to sell music on behalf of our legitimate artists, not make money for copyright thieves.
I am already a member of a royalty collecting organisation (such as MCPS-PRS in the UK, ASCAP and BMI in the US, GEMA in Germany and SACEM in France). Can I sell music on Indmill?
Yes, as long as you tell us. We are obliged to pay some of your earnings on your UK sales as royalties through the UK's collecting organisation MCPS-PRS. It will work out as less than half. You must register the music with MCPS-PRS, or other collecting organisation, to make sure you get these UK royalties in due course. We will pay you the remainder of the money from UK sales directly each month. You will get all your revenue from US sales paid directly in full.
I am not a member of one of these organisations. Can I still sell my music on Indmill?
Yes, you can. Indmill allows everyone to sell their music online. We recommend joining a collecting organisation so that if someone wants to cover one of your songs, or use it in a wider media context such as advertising or film, you will receive a fair cut.
I already have my music for sale elsewhere. Can I still sell my music on Indmill?
As far as we are concerned, yes you can. The agreement you sign with us is non-exclusive, meaning you are free to sell your music anywhere else and for any price. However, if you have already signed an agreement with another retailer or distributor, we suggest you read it carefully to check they don't mind you using Indmill.
I have an existing music publisher. Can I still sell my music on Indmill?
Provided you check with your record label/manager and any agreements you may have signed with them, we can't see any reason why not.
Will I have to sign anything?
You will be required to agree to our Artist Terms and Conditions before you can sell music on our site. We've asked our lawyers to make it as simple and straightforward as possible, but if you are unsure of anything, we suggest you seek expert legal advice. Because our Artists can download other Indmill music from their accounts, you will also be required to agree to our Customer Terms and Conditions on sign-up.
Will I get paid for streaming previews of my music?
No. These low-quality 30 second previews allow your customers to sample before they buy. They don't pay us to do so and the collecting organisations we have spoken to, such as MCPS-PRS in the UK and ASCAP in the USA, do not ask them to.
Do you allow paid adverts on Indmill? Who gets the money?
Not currently and we have no plans to. If we ever do we would want to share the revenue as we do now, with artists and charities. If we figure out a way we like of doing it, we'll let you know first.
