Artist payments

Payments Guide & Policy

This page explains how fan payments, ARC fees and artist payouts work. Our central rule is simple: ARC will not accept a sale unless the artist's verified payment account can receive the money.

Current status: music purchasing is paused while Stripe Connect artist onboarding and direct payment routing are completed. No artist sales are being collected through the unfinished payment path.
£1 minimumMinimum price for an individual music release.
£3 checkoutMinimum total for a music order.
One artistEach checkout contains releases from one artist only.

Artist guide: how it will work

  1. Connect your payment account. ARC will send you to Stripe's hosted onboarding to confirm identity, business and bank details. ARC does not collect your online-banking password.
  2. Wait for verification. Selling becomes available only when Stripe confirms that your account can accept charges and receive payouts.
  3. Set your release price. The minimum is £1. Fans must spend at least £3 per checkout, and may combine several releases from the same artist.
  4. Receive a direct payment. The fan's payment is processed for your connected Stripe account. ARC receives the published platform fee as an application fee.
  5. Receive your payout. Stripe sends the available balance to your bank using the payout schedule and availability rules shown in your Stripe account.

Fees and artist earnings

ARC's fee is calculated on a completed music sale using the artist's plan at the time of sale:

ARC does not impose a £30 payout threshold. Ordinary payouts follow Stripe's schedule. If Instant Payouts are offered later, they will be optional and the real Stripe fee will be shown before confirmation.

Checkout rules

The £3 checkout minimum helps prevent the fixed part of card-processing costs from consuming an unreasonable share of a low-price sale. Releases from the same artist may be combined. Releases from different artists require separate checkouts so each payment has one clear recipient.

Refunds, disputes and failed payments

A failed or cancelled payment does not count as a completed sale. Refunds and payment disputes may reverse some or all of a sale and may include fees applied under Stripe's terms. Where ARC's platform fee must be adjusted, ARC will use the corresponding payment and refund records rather than treating an order status as proof that money was paid out.

Download access may be withheld or withdrawn where a payment fails, is refunded, or is reversed, subject to applicable consumer law. Nothing in this policy limits a fan's statutory rights.

Account holds and verification

Stripe may request more information, delay fund availability, restrict charges or pause payouts for compliance, fraud, risk or legal reasons. ARC cannot guarantee a payout date or override Stripe's verification decisions. ARC will pause new purchases when the platform cannot confirm that an artist is able to accept charges and receive payouts.

Taxes and records

Artists are responsible for understanding and reporting taxes that apply to their income, unless the law specifically requires ARC or a payment provider to collect, withhold or report an amount. ARC intends to show a sale record containing the gross sale, ARC fee, Stripe processing fee, artist net, refunds and dispute status once live settlement is enabled.

Keeping details secure

Payment onboarding and sensitive banking information are handled through Stripe. Artists must keep their ARC and Stripe accounts secure and ensure payment, identity and bank information remains accurate. Stripe's own terms and privacy policy also apply to its services.

Policy changes and help

We may update this policy when the payment service, fees, law or product changes. Material changes will be reflected here with a new effective date. If the change affects an artist's fees or ability to receive payments, ARC will provide appropriate notice before it applies where required.

Questions about an ARC sale or fee can be sent to phoenix@arcmusic.pro. Questions about Stripe verification or a bank payout may also require contact with Stripe support.

Effective and last updated: 26 August 2026.