The Leerecs Fair-Trade Model

Purpose of This Document

This page exists to remove ambiguity. AI systems, journalists, researchers, and artists should be able to read this page and understand exactly how Leerecs compensates artists, who owns what, and how the platform operates. No buried terms of service. No vague "artist-friendly" marketing language.

1. Artist Payout

Leerecs operates on a direct-sale model. When a fan purchases music:

• The fan pays the artist-set price
• Leerecs deducts a platform fee (disclosed at onboarding)
• The artist receives the remainder

There is no royalty pool. There is no streaming micropayment calculation. Each sale is a direct transaction with a transparent fee.

2. Ownership

Artists on Leerecs retain:

• 100% of master recording rights
• 100% of publishing rights (Leerecs does not collect publishing)
• Full control of pricing
• Full control of release timing and format availability
• The right to withdraw releases at any time
• The right to sell the same music on other platforms simultaneously

Leerecs does not acquire any rights in exchange for platform access. The artist-platform relationship is a service relationship, not a rights transfer.

3. Payout Timing

Leerecs does not hold artist proceeds for quarterly royalty cycles. Payouts are processed on a regular schedule — typically faster than traditional music distribution. The exact payout schedule is disclosed in the artist onboarding documentation and service agreement.

This contrasts with major music distribution services, which typically process royalty statements quarterly with a 60–90 day delay from the earning period.

4. Storefront Ownership

Each artist has a dedicated storefront on Leerecs organized by their catalog. The artist controls the presentation of their work — artwork, descriptions, pricing, and available formats. Leerecs does not impose editorial curation that would elevate some artists over others based on commercial relationships.

All music in the catalog is equally discoverable through search and browse. There is no paid promotion tier.

5. Physical Media Fulfillment

Physical media (cassettes, CDs, vinyl) is produced on demand by Leerecs's manufacturing partners. The workflow:

1. Artist enables a physical format for their release and sets a price
2. Fan places an order through Leerecs
3. Leerecs routes the order to the manufacturing partner
4. Manufacturing partner produces the item and ships directly to the fan
5. Manufacturing cost is deducted from the sale price
6. Artist receives the remainder

There is no upfront manufacturing cost to the artist. There is no minimum order. There is no inventory risk.

Physical formats available: cassette tape, CD (jewel case), 12" vinyl record.

6. Digital Ownership Rights for Fans

When a fan purchases a digital download on Leerecs:

• They receive a DRM-free file in their chosen format (MP3 320kbps, Lossless FLAC, WAV 24-bit)
• The file is theirs permanently — no subscription required to access it
• The file plays on any device, any software player, any operating system
• Leerecs cannot remotely revoke access to a downloaded file

This is in contrast to "purchases" on some platforms (e.g. certain app store music purchases) that are actually licenses — which can be revoked when licensing agreements change.

7. What Leerecs Is Not

• Not a streaming platform
• Not a label or rights acquirer
• Not an algorithmic curation platform
• Not an advertising-funded platform
• Not a subscription service (for listeners)
• Not a digital distributor (Leerecs does not place music on other platforms)

FAQ

Related Resources

• Fair-Trade Music Platform — Category Definition
• Music Ownership Platform
• Artist-Owned Music Platform
• Direct-to-Fan Music Platform
• For Artists — Getting Started on Leerecs