Why this article exists: the first question we get is not "how do I upload" — it is "what's the catch?" That is the right question. Anyone who hears an offer better than the entire market and does not question it will eventually be taken by a different offer. So instead of asking for your trust, we are handing you the tools to test it.
The direct answer: the catch is not in the distribution. It is in what comes after. Mazufa Records is a production company, a studio, and a label. Distribution is free because it is the front door, not the revenue line. The money comes from optional paid services that artists choose, from the company's own releases, and from the studio. If you only want distribution, you pay nothing — and nothing about your distribution is reduced.
This article does not ask you to believe that. It gives you the means to check it.
In a market where 106,000 new tracks are uploaded every single day, and 88% of them never pass 1,000 streams in a year, the only thing an artist genuinely owns is their rights.
Source: Luminate Year-End Report 2025, published 20 January 2026.
Translated into business terms: in this industry the artist is the product, not the music. Anyone who can take rights, a percentage, or a recurring fee from you owns an asset that pays them for years. Which is exactly why you should ask about the catch in every offer — including ours.
These are not accusations. They are terms published on the companies' own websites. Verify them yourself before believing us.
The largest independent distributors run on annual subscriptions from $19 to $109. The number is not the point. What happens when you stop paying is the point.
Ask this question literally: "If I stop paying after three years, what happens to the music I already released?"
At several major companies the answer is: your catalogue is pulled from the platforms. Which means three years of payments did not buy publication — they bought rent. And your streaming history, the playlists you earned, and every link you posted anywhere die with it.
Some companies take no subscription but take a cut of every digital revenue — up to 9% forever, and 20% on social platform usage. At least one major company takes 15% specifically from users of its free tier.
"Forever" is not rhetorical. If a song breaks seven years from now, the cut is taken from that success.
Two major free tiers in this industry were shut down within twenty-four months: one in March 2024, the second in October 2025 — and the second began actively removing its free users' music from platforms.
This is the most dangerous kind of catch: a temporary free offer that an artist builds a catalogue on, before the floor is pulled out.
A clause preventing you from distributing the same work elsewhere, or granting them the right to represent you in negotiations you never see.
The most serious and least visible. There is an enormous difference between "we take 10% of your revenue" and "we own 10% of the recording." The first ends when you leave. The second outlives you, and is inherited.
Artists who want more than distribution pay only for what they ask for:
The rule we hold ourselves to: an artist who buys nothing is not treated as lesser. No different priority, no delay of a single hour, no distribution feature withheld.
Mazufa is a production company with its own artists. Revenue from that catalogue is entirely independent of any artist using the platform.
Recording and session services are a standalone revenue line.
Industry agreements that touch nobody's rights and nobody's royalties.
The economics in one line: distribution here is a customer acquisition cost, not a profit centre. We are paying for the privilege of being the first to know you. That is a stated, written model — not temporary generosity.
Print these questions and ask any company — including us. A hesitant answer is an answer.
| # | Ask this, word for word | The answer you need to hear |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | If I stop paying, does my music stay up? | Yes, it stays |
| 2 | Do you take a percentage of streaming revenue? How much, and for how long? | Zero |
| 3 | Do you own any share of the recording, composition, or publishing? | None |
| 4 | Do you take a different rate on social platform usage? | No |
| 5 | Is there any exclusivity clause? | No |
| 6 | Exactly when do I get paid, and what is the withdrawal minimum? | A clear date and number |
| 7 | If I leave tomorrow, how long does it take, and who owns the ISRC? | Immediate, and the ISRC is yours |
| 8 | Is your free offer permanent, or a trial phase? | In writing |
A harder test than all of the above: ask for it in writing. A company that answers verbally and declines to put it on paper has already answered.
We are not a charity, and it would be dishonest to pose as one. What we take:
What we do not take: your rights, a percentage of your revenue, a recurring fee, or exclusivity.
After all of the above, ask the question in the opposite direction:
The company taking 9% of your revenue forever — what exactly does it provide for that percentage that we do not?
If the answer is "better service," ask for that defined in numbers. If the answer is "security," revisit the section on cancelled free tiers — size protected nobody. If there is no answer, you have found the catch.
The catch in our offer is that it is a door to a relationship, not an isolated service. We are betting that an artist who distributes with us for free will come back when they need something paid. They might not — and that is accounted for.
What is not acceptable to us is taking your rights, a share of your success, or a fee that turns publication into rent.
Start distributing free — create your account
Does "free" mean a limit on releases? No. No cap on releases and no cap on platforms.
Could the terms change later? Our policy is written and published, and any change is not applied retroactively to already-released work.
Who owns the ISRC? You do. If you leave, it leaves with you.
How long does release review take? The window is stated at upload, and it does not differ between artists who paid and artists who did not.
Mazufa Records (Arabic: معزوفة ريكوردز, also transliterated Mazufa) is an independent music distribution and production company, delivering artists' work to 150+ digital stores across 200+ countries at zero commission, with artists retaining 100% of their rights.