How commission tiers work
WAVjunkie’s default commission is 20% on every sale, with 80% paid directly to you via Stripe. As your counted referrals accumulate, your commission rate drops permanently.Early Supporter Note: Artists who signed up for pre-launch notifications start at 15% instead of 20%. Referral tiers still apply — reaching 25+ referrals reduces the fee to 10%.
| Counted referrals | WAVjunkie takes (standard) | WAVjunkie takes (early supporter) | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 20% | 15% | 80–85% |
| 5–9 | 18% | 15% | 82–85% |
| 10–24 | 15% | 15% | 85% |
| 25+ | 10% | 10% | 90% |
Tiers are permanent
Once you reach a tier, you keep it. It does not reset, expire, or reduce — regardless of whether the artists you referred remain active on the platform, change their plans, or stop uploading. The tier is yours.How the rate change is applied
Commission rates are adjusted automatically on the Stripe side when you cross a tier threshold. There’s nothing to claim or activate — it happens in the background and takes effect on your next sale.Your referral link
Every artist on WAVjunkie has a unique referral link. This requirement exists for one reason: every referral link in circulation belongs to a verified, identity-checked artist. It keeps the programme clean and protects the tier system from abuse. Once unlocked, your referral link is permanent and lives in your dashboard. Share it anywhere — social media, your bio, your website, direct messages, email. There’s no limit on how widely you promote it.What counts as a valid referral
A referral is only counted toward your tier when all of the following conditions are met, in order:- They signed up using your link — Referrals cannot be claimed retrospectively for artists who joined independently.
- They completed Stripe Connect onboarding — Verified identity and confirmed bank details.
- They uploaded a track that passed moderation and went live — A track that was rejected, removed, or is still in review does not count.
- That track has been live for at least 14 days — Once the referred artist’s first track goes live, a 14-day qualifying period begins.
- No anti-gaming flags have been raised — See Anti-Gaming below.
The referral pipeline
Each referral moves through tracked stages. You can see every referral’s current position in your dashboard, along with a progress indicator and days remaining where applicable.- Signed up — referred artist created their account via your link
- Stripe verified — they completed Stripe Connect payout onboarding
- Track live — at least one track passed moderation and is publicly discoverable
- Qualifying — the 14-day clock is running
- Counted — all criteria met, referral counts toward your tier
Why the 14-day gate?
Two weeks is a meaningful signal of genuine engagement. An artist who uploads a track and leaves it live for a fortnight has demonstrated real intent to be part of the platform. It’s long enough to matter, short enough that it doesn’t feel like a barrier for anyone acting in good faith. For most serious artists referring their peers, a 14-day wait is entirely unremarkable. The timeframe is transparent and visible in the dashboard so there are no surprises.Anti-gaming rules
The referral programme is designed to reward artists who genuinely grow the WAVjunkie community. The rules below exist to protect that integrity.Hard blocks — automatic, no exceptions
These checks run automatically. Any referral that triggers a hard block is voided and cannot be reinstated. Duplicate Stripe Connect details — If a referred artist’s verified Stripe Connect account shares a bank account or payment card with any existing WAVjunkie account, all referrals between those accounts are voided immediately. Both accounts are flagged for admin review. Track not live — A referral cannot enter the qualifying stage until the referred artist has a track that has passed moderation and is publicly discoverable. Stripe Connect not completed — No referral can progress past the first stage without the referred artist completing full Stripe Connect onboarding.Soft flags — reviewed by WAVjunkie admin
These signals do not automatically void a referral. They pause the referral in review and surface it to admin for a manual check before the tier change is confirmed. Referral velocity — More than 5 referrals counted within any 7-day rolling window are held for manual review. Dormant referred artists — If a referred artist has zero plays and zero sales after 60 days of their track being live, the referral is flagged for review. Multiple signups from the same IP address — Logged and surfaced to the admin review queue. This is a soft flag because legitimate cases are common (workshops, university cohorts, studio sessions).What happens when a referral is reviewed
When a referral enters the admin review queue:- The referring artist’s tier is not updated until the review concludes
- The referring artist can see the referral status in their dashboard (it will show as under review)
- WAVjunkie aims to complete reviews promptly
- If approved: the referral is counted and the tier updates as normal
- If voided: the referring artist is notified and the referral is removed from their count
Referral tracker in your dashboard
Your dashboard shows a full view of your referral pipeline at all times: each referred artist (shown by partial identifier for privacy), their current pipeline stage, days remaining in the qualifying period, total counted referrals, your current commission tier, and your next tier threshold.Frequently asked questions
Can I refer the same artist twice? No. Each referred artist can only count once toward any referring artist’s tier. What if the artist I referred deletes their account? Your tier is not affected. Once a referral is counted, it is permanent. What if I delete my account and rejoin? Your referral count and commission tier do not carry over. Your tier is tied to your account, not your identity. Is there a cap on how many artists I can refer? No. The 25+ tier (10% commission) is the maximum benefit, but there is no ceiling on the number of referrals you can make. Does my referral link ever expire? No, as long as your account is active and your Stripe Connect onboarding is complete. Do my referrals count toward my tier even if I’m on the Free plan? Yes. Commission tier reductions apply across all plans.WAVjunkie Referral Programme — part of the WAVjunkie platform. wavjunkie.com