Considering "The Ellison Awards" by the Academy of Emerging Music Arts & Sciences (AEMAS)? AEMAS asks for a non-refundable $500 per entry, per category, for consideration in an inaugural 2027 ceremony. We have not established any wrongdoing, but in our opinion artists should read the full terms, verify the organization and judging panel, and ask questions before paying.
Read our consumer advisory →§01 An open roster for AI music only
Here is a simple question that has become surprisingly rare in the music business: do you make music that you personally love listening to, and do you want other people to hear it?
Not music engineered to game a 30-second Spotify payout threshold. Not anonymous sound effects churned out to sit inside an automated sleep playlist. Real songs. A defined sound. An album that has an arc, lyrics that mean something, cover art you spent hours agonizing over, and production values you stand behind.
To be completely clear from the very first bar: BitwareTunes is an AI record label, and The Open Stage ONLY accepts AI music. We do not accept conventional non-AI studio recordings, traditional acoustic demos, or human-only session bands. This platform was built from the ground up for artists made of code, neural audio experimenters, prompt directors, and producers pushing synthetic instruments to their creative limits (whether using open-weight foundation models like YuE 2, commercial platforms like Suno or Udio, custom local weights, diffusers, or hybrid AI workflows). And because we celebrate synthetic craft instead of trying to pass it off as something else, the AI tools, models, and workflows used must be fully and transparently declared with every submission.
§02 The anti-slop economics
Let's state the financial arrangement upfront, without legal double-talk or small print:
To someone trained on the traditional streaming model, that might sound strange. In reality, it is our single greatest superpower, because it completely immunizes the platform against AI slop.
The entire reason mainstream streaming services are drowning in garbage audio is financial: fraudsters and spammers upload tens of thousands of raw, unedited AI tracks to siphon $0.003 fractions of a cent from the shared royalty pool using bot networks. The moment you remove the pooled micro-penny payout, the spammers vanish. There is zero incentive for a bot farmer to upload ten thousand unlistenable tracks to a platform that doesn't pay for bot clicks.
What remains is something pure: music made by people who actually care about the listener.
§03 The artist's deal: your stage, your rights, your support
So what do you actually get by releasing through BitwareTunes?
- A Dedicated Artist Page: Your act gets its own first-class page on bitwaretunes.com/music with your biography, lore, custom tint themes, high-resolution artwork, and complete album discography.
- Immediate, Frictionless Streaming: Every album and track is hosted in full on our high-speed, Range-capable web player and delivered to our native Android APK with zero paywalls and zero ads.
- Direct Fan Support Links: Your artist page features your own direct support link: BuyMeACoffee, Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon, or crypto. 100% of fan contributions go directly to your pocket. We do not touch, clip, or tax your support.
- You Keep 100% of Everything: You retain all ownership, master recordings, publishing, and copyrights. We take zero equity, zero IP rights, and zero exclusivity. You can release the same music on Bandcamp, YouTube, cassette, or vinyl whenever you want. We are strictly your host, your player, and your megaphone.
§04 The honor system
We believe in simplicity and mutual respect rather than forty-page contracts.
We fund the servers, the high-bandwidth audio CDN, the storage, the database infrastructure, the web player maintenance, and the Android application so that your music is always online, fast, and accessible anywhere on earth.
Our infrastructure is self-sustaining through our sovereign compute and Studio generation credits. We do not take a cut of your earnings, and we do not ask you for royalties, cuts, or tips. 100% of what your fans give you stays in your pocket. Our only expectation is craft: make music you are proud to put your name on.
§05 The bar: what gets through the door
We do not accept raw, uncurated machine dumps. If you generated 50 tracks in thirty minutes and want to dump them into a folder, this is not the place.
What we look for is curation, identity, and finish, anchored by two non-negotiable requirements:
- 100% AI Music Only: We are exclusively an AI record label. Every submitted track must be generated or substantially shaped by AI (e.g. YuE 2, Suno, Udio, ACE-Step, Stable Audio, AI stem synthesis, or neural DSP workflows). Conventional non-AI music will be declined.
- Mandatory Tool Declaration: You must declare every AI model, tool, and major production workflow used (e.g. model name, version, local vs. cloud inference, stem separation tools, and mastering chain). Anonymous undisclosed audio will not be reviewed.
- A Defined Act: A project with a distinct name, a clear musical aesthetic, and a world it inhabits (e.g. the Balkan folklore of Dva Brata, the Swedish post-punk of Osagt, or the seaside lofi of Cumbión Dormido).
- A Cohesive Release (5 Songs EP Minimum): A finished album or EP that feels like an intentional body of work rather than a random collection of disparate generations. A 5-song EP is the strict minimum that will be added from 6 October 2025 (standalone singles or 2 to 3-track demos are not accepted).
- High Production Standards: Clean mixing, good mastering, thoughtful lyricism, and visual artwork that looks like a real sleeve.
§06 How to submit: the step-by-step guide
To ensure your release is reviewed quickly and onboarded smoothly, please follow this checklist before reaching out. We aim to review every submission within 48 to 72 hours.
Prepare your audio & art
- Audio (5 Songs Minimum): Master lossless WAV files (16-bit or 24-bit, 44.1kHz/48kHz) or high-bitrate 320 kbps MP3. Filenames should be sequentially numbered (e.g.
01-morning-protocol.wav). Note that a 5-song EP is the strict minimum that will be added from 6 October 2025. - Cover Art: High-resolution square image (minimum 1400×1400px, preferably 2000×2000px, JPEG or PNG). We generate high-performance responsive WebP sleeves for web and mobile.
- Artist Portrait (Optional): A clean avatar or widescreen hero image for your artist header.
- Lyrics (Optional): Raw lyrics or markdown files for synchronized on-screen display in the web player.
Upload to cloud storage
Do not attach audio files directly to your email. Audio attachments trigger spam filters or bounce entirely.
- Upload your release folder to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or WeTransfer.
- Important: Set link sharing permissions to "Anyone with the link can view / download" so our team can access and audit your audio immediately.
Define your act, lore & AI tools
- Act Name: The official name of your project or persona.
- AI Tools & Models (Mandatory): State all generative models and tools used (e.g. YuE 2, Suno v3.5/v4, Udio, Stable Audio, ComfyUI pipelines, Demucs v4 stem isolation, DAW arrangement). Submissions without declared tools will not be reviewed.
- Bio & Concept: 1 to 3 paragraphs describing who you are, your aesthetic, and the musical atmosphere.
- Accent Color: A hex color code (e.g.
#00D2FF,#C47844,#D9A05B) for your act's visual glow in the player. - Links: Official website, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube, X, TikTok, and direct fan support links (BuyMeACoffee, Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon, crypto). 100% of fan contributions go to you.
Send the submission email
Send your complete proposal to submission@bitwaretunes.com (complete Open Stage submissions only) with subject format:
Artist Submission: [Act Name] (Open Stage)
Copy and fill in our submission template (all fields required, including mandatory AI tool declaration):
- submission@bitwaretunes.com — Complete Submissions Only: Use this inbox strictly for complete Open Stage submissions (5-track EP minimum, cloud link, mandatory AI tool declaration, bio, and cover art).
- hello@bitwaretunes.com — Questions Only: Use this inbox strictly for genuine questions. Questions already answered on the site will not get any response.
- press@bitwaretunes.com — Press Only: Reserved exclusively for press and media inquiries.
- Open Stage Only — No Sync Pitches, No Payments: We do not accept artists other than Open Stage, and we are not interested in any artist's work that is not for Open Stage. We do not want your sync pitch of your AI music, and we do not pay anything.
- AI Mailbox Filtering: AI is monitoring all mailboxes and no AI-generated mass mail is ever going to reach a human.
- A&R Review (24–72 hours): We verify AI tooling declarations and listen to your tracks end-to-end. If it fits the curation bar, our team replies directly with your release confirmation.
- Catalog Sequencing: We assign the release an official BitwareTunes OS catalog designation (e.g.
OS·007). - Audio Ingestion & Encoding: We master and encode audio to 320 kbps MP3 for ultra-low latency streaming, generate optimized WebP artwork, and author bilingual artist dossiers.
- Global Release: Your act goes live with a dedicated artist page on
bitwaretunes.com/music, listed on the label homepage roster, and synced to our native Android app.
§07 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Direct answers to the most common questions regarding submissions, payments, AI disclosures, and artist sovereignty.
Does BitwareTunes pay royalties, advances, or streaming payouts?
No, we do not pay anything. BitwareTunes does not pay advances, per-stream royalties, or mechanical licensing fees. We operate as a sovereign, non-exclusive promotional streaming stage and audiophile catalog.
In return, we also charge you zero fees and take zero commission. When listeners support you via your direct Ko-fi, BuyMeACoffee, Bandcamp, PayPal, or Patreon buttons on your artist page, 100% of that money goes directly into your pocket. We never touch, clip, or tax your fan revenue.
Can I submit a single track, or what is the minimum required?
A 5-track minimum is strictly required to be added to the roster. Initial artist onboarding requires a cohesive EP or album of at least five tracks. Standalone singles or 2–4 song demos will not be accepted for initial intake.
We look for an intentional body of work: a unified artistic identity, coherent world-building, and consistent sound design rather than one-off experiments.
Can I release singles or bonus tracks once I am accepted?
Yes, absolutely. The 5-track minimum is strictly the threshold for initial onboarding. Once your act is officially approved and your debut 5+ track release is live in the catalog, you are welcome to submit standalone singles, bonus tracks, deluxe expansions, and new albums at any time.
Is AI tool disclosure mandatory? Can I keep the tools private?
AI disclosure is strictly mandatory. We promote AI music and the tools used. We are an AI record label, and we take pride in human-directed generative craft. We do not hide AI behind vague buzzwords.
You must declare all generative models, neural engines, stem separation tools, and DAW/mastering chains used (e.g. YuE 2, Suno v3.5/v4, Udio, Stable Audio, Demucs v4, Matchering). Your tools and workflow are credited publicly on your artist profile and production notes. Unattributed audio or refusal to disclose tools will result in immediate rejection.
Who owns the music? Is the release agreement exclusive?
You retain 100% of your rights, master recordings, publishing, and copyrights. The Open Stage agreement is completely non-exclusive. You are free to distribute your music to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Bandcamp, vinyl, or cassette at any time without restriction.
BitwareTunes acts strictly as your host, your player, and your promotional amplifier.
What is your takedown policy if I want to remove my music later?
You maintain full takedown sovereignty. If you ever decide to remove your release (e.g. if you sign an exclusive major-label contract), send a written notice from your registered artist email to hello@bitwaretunes.com.
We will remove your audio and endpoints from the player within 24–48 hours (and completely clear edge CDN caches within 30 calendar days). Zero fees, zero penalties, zero hassle.
Does BitwareTunes use my music to train AI models or sell it to datasets?
No. Never. BitwareTunes will never ingest, train, scrape, or license your tracks to third-party AI training sets or data brokers without your explicit, separate written authorization.
What file formats and assets must I send for official submission?
To ensure quick review, please assemble a single shared cloud folder (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or WeTransfer) containing:
- Audio (5 Songs Minimum): Lossless 24-bit or 16-bit WAV (preferred) or high-bitrate 320 kbps MP3, sequentially numbered (e.g.
01-title.wav). - Cover Art: High-resolution square artwork (minimum 1400×1400px, 2000×2000px recommended, PNG or JPG).
- Act Lore & Bio: 1–3 paragraphs introducing your persona, aesthetic, and origin.
- Lyrics & Production Notes: Lyric sheets (for synchronized player lyrics) and a summary of your human direction + AI workflow.
- Links & Tint: Brand hex color code, official socials, and your direct fan support link (Ko-fi, BuyMeACoffee, PayPal, etc.).
Note: Please ensure your cloud sharing link is set to "Anyone with the link can view/download". Never attach audio files directly to email.
Can I see listening statistics and play counts for my releases?
Yes. The BitwareTunes streaming platform tracks verified lossless audio plays across our web player and native Android app. Public stream counters are displayed on release tracks, and aggregate platform telemetry can be viewed at bitwaretunes.com/music/stats.
Do applicants receive Discourse Community forum invites or free mastering credits?
No. Access to the private BitwareTunes Discourse Community forum and 1,000 free mastering credits on master.bitwaretunes.com are privileges reserved exclusively for officially accepted roster artists whose releases are live in the catalog. Applicant accounts start with 0 credits until approved and scheduled.
Do you accept sync pitches, non-Open Stage artists, or paid licensing deals?
No. We do not accept artists other than Open Stage, and we are not interested in any artist's work that is not for Open Stage. We do not want your sync pitch of your AI music, and we do not pay anything.
Which email address should I use, and why didn't my email get a response?
- submission@bitwaretunes.com is for complete Open Stage submissions only.
- hello@bitwaretunes.com is for questions only. Questions already answered on the site will not get any response.
- press@bitwaretunes.com is for press only.
AI is monitoring all mailboxes, and no AI-generated mass mail is ever going to reach a human.
Ready to Submit a Complete Open Stage Release?
Everything is set up. Use the pre-filled mailto button below or email submission@bitwaretunes.com (complete submissions only) with your cloud link, act info, and declared AI tools (5 songs EP minimum). Questions only: hello@bitwaretunes.com (questions already answered on the site will not get any response). Press only: press@bitwaretunes.com.
Launch Email Client →The stage is built. The player is online.
Bring the records.