Revibed Accused of Selling Unlicensed Vinyl Rips Online
Revibed crowdfunds vinyl digitization but admits it doesn't clear master rights. Artists like Terre Thaemlitz call it bootlegging disguised as preservation
What Revibed Is and How It Works
Revibed launched in March 2024 as an online marketplace that digitizes rare vinyl, cassette, and CD recordings through a crowdfunding model. Users collectively fund the purchase and conversion of out-of-print physical media, receiving digital files in return. The platform retains the original physical copies and continues selling the digital files publicly after the crowdfunding campaign concludes.
The Business Model's Legal Gap
The company markets itself as a cultural preservation initiative, but operates in what cofounder Anton Khodos describes as a "grey zone" regarding master recording rights. While Revibed maintains a licensing arrangement with SABAM covering composition royalties, it admits it does not clear master rights—the permissions needed from whoever owns the actual recording. The platform keeps all profits from ongoing sales while crowdfunding backers receive only their initial digital copy.
Why Artists and Labels Are Calling It Bootlegging
Artists and labels accuse Revibed of operating an unlicensed digitization scheme disguised as cultural preservation. The platform crowdfunds vinyl purchases, then retains physical copies while selling digital files publicly—claiming a "grey zone" on master rights despite holding only a composition royalty arrangement with SABAM.
Terre Thaemlitz and the Mille Plateaux Case
Producer Terre Thaemlitz publicly condemned Revibed in May 2024 for selling his work from the defunct Mille Plateaux catalog without permission. Rights reverted to artists after the label's 2003 bankruptcy, yet Revibed listed releases anyway—offering no sales reports or apologies when confronted. An anonymous label founder reported similar unauthorized listings, later removed after contact. Cofounder Anton Khodos claims under 5% artist dissatisfaction, though verification remains limited to platform testimonials.
The Broader Problem of Unauthorized Music Digitization
Revibed's crowdfunded digitization model represents a larger challenge in music rights enforcement: platforms exploiting the analog-to-digital gap to monetize recordings whose rights holders are difficult to trace. By targeting obscure releases from defunct labels, operators can often sidestep active copyright claims while framing unauthorized distribution as cultural preservation.
Orphaned Catalogs as Prime Targets
The strategy proves especially effective with catalogs like Mille Plateaux, which declared bankruptcy in 2003 and whose rights reverted to artists. Without centralized enforcement, individual artists must police unauthorized sales across multiple platforms themselves. Terre Thaemlitz publicly condemned Revibed for selling his work in May 2024, noting the platform kept no sales reports and offered no apologies. Meanwhile, these recordings continue appearing on iTunes, Beatport, and similar services, generating revenue that never reaches rights holders.
