diff --git a/config/speechConfig.js.example b/config/speechConfig.js.example
index 1b59b86c..fe0d5e76 100644
--- a/config/speechConfig.js.example
+++ b/config/speechConfig.js.example
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
 module.exports = {
-  wallet: {
-    lbryClaimAddress: null,  // choose an address from your lbry wallet
-  },
   analytics: {
     googleId: null, // google id for analytics tracking; leave `null` if not applicable
   },
@@ -29,8 +26,10 @@ module.exports = {
     description: 'Open-source, decentralized image and video sharing.',
   },
   publish: {
-    thumbnailChannel  : '@channelName',  // create a channel to use for thumbnail images
-    thumbnailChannelId: 'xyz123...',  // the channel_id (claim id) for the channel above
+    primaryClaimAddress     : null,  // choose any address from your lbry wallet
+    additionalClaimAddresses: [],  // // optional: add previously used claim addresses
+    thumbnailChannel        : '@channelName',  // create a channel to use for thumbnail images
+    thumbnailChannelId      : 'xyz123...',  // the channel_id (claim id) for the channel above
   },
   claim: {
     defaultTitle      : 'Spee.ch',
diff --git a/controllers/publishController.js b/controllers/publishController.js
index 18fa640e..8733a147 100644
--- a/controllers/publishController.js
+++ b/controllers/publishController.js
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ const logger = require('winston');
 const db = require('../models');
 const lbryApi = require('../helpers/lbryApi.js');
 const publishHelpers = require('../helpers/publishHelpers.js');
-const config = require('../config/speechConfig.js');
+const { publish : { primaryClaimAddress, additionalClaimAddresses } } = require('../config/speechConfig.js');
+const Sequelize = require('sequelize');
+const Op = Sequelize.Op;
 
 module.exports = {
   publish (publishParams, fileName, fileType) {
@@ -87,37 +89,42 @@ module.exports = {
     });
   },
   claimNameIsAvailable (name) {
+    const claimAddresses = additionalClaimAddresses || [];
+    claimAddresses.push(primaryClaimAddress);
     // find any records where the name is used
-    return db.File.findAll({ where: { name } })
+    return db.Claim
+      .findAll({
+        attributes: ['address'],
+        where     : {
+          name,
+          address: {
+            [Op.or]: claimAddresses,
+          },
+        },
+      })
       .then(result => {
         if (result.length >= 1) {
-          const claimAddress = config.wallet.lbryClaimAddress;
-          // filter out any results that were not published from spee.ch's wallet address
-          const filteredResult = result.filter((claim) => {
-            return (claim.address === claimAddress);
-          });
-          // return based on whether any non-spee.ch claims were left
-          if (filteredResult.length >= 1) {
-            throw new Error('That claim is already in use');
-          };
-          return name;
+          throw new Error('That claim is already in use');
         };
         return name;
+      })
+      .catch(error => {
+        throw error;
       });
   },
   checkChannelAvailability (name) {
-    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-      // find any records where the name is used
-      db.Channel.findAll({ where: { channelName: name } })
-        .then(result => {
-          if (result.length >= 1) {
-            return resolve(false);
-          }
-          resolve(true);
-        })
-        .catch(error => {
-          reject(error);
-        });
-    });
+    return db.Channel
+      .findAll({
+        where: { channelName: name },
+      })
+      .then(result => {
+        if (result.length >= 1) {
+          throw new Error('That channel has already been claimed');
+        }
+        return name;
+      })
+      .catch(error => {
+        throw error;
+      });
   },
 };
diff --git a/helpers/publishHelpers.js b/helpers/publishHelpers.js
index 5e515834..1b894eea 100644
--- a/helpers/publishHelpers.js
+++ b/helpers/publishHelpers.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 const logger = require('winston');
 const fs = require('fs');
-const { site, wallet, publish } = require('../config/speechConfig.js');
+const { site, publish } = require('../config/speechConfig.js');
 
 module.exports = {
   parsePublishApiRequestBody ({name, nsfw, license, title, description, thumbnail}) {
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ module.exports = {
         license,
         nsfw,
       },
-      claim_address: wallet.lbryClaimAddress,
+      claim_address: publish.primaryClaimAddress,
     };
     // add thumbnail to channel if video
     if (thumbnail) {
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ module.exports = {
         license,
         nsfw,
       },
-      claim_address: wallet.lbryClaimAddress,
+      claim_address: publish.primaryClaimAddress,
       channel_name : publish.thumbnailChannel,
       channel_id   : publish.thumbnailChannelId,
     };
diff --git a/models/claim.js b/models/claim.js
index 0641ab65..35d8c4bd 100644
--- a/models/claim.js
+++ b/models/claim.js
@@ -349,14 +349,13 @@ module.exports = (sequelize, { STRING, BOOLEAN, INTEGER, TEXT, DECIMAL }) => {
           where: { name, claimId },
         })
         .then(claimArray => {
-          logger.debug('claims found on resolve:', claimArray.length);
           switch (claimArray.length) {
             case 0:
               return resolve(null);
             case 1:
               return resolve(prepareClaimData(claimArray[0].dataValues));
             default:
-              logger.error(`more than one entry matches that name (${name}) and claimID (${claimId})`);
+              logger.error(`more than one record matches ${name}#${claimId} in db.Claim`);
               return resolve(prepareClaimData(claimArray[0].dataValues));
           }
         })
diff --git a/models/index.js b/models/index.js
index 1e6b6352..370f43ee 100644
--- a/models/index.js
+++ b/models/index.js
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
-// const fs = require('fs');
-// const path = require('path');
 const Sequelize = require('sequelize');
-// const basename = path.basename(module.filename);
 const logger = require('winston');
 const config = require('../config/speechConfig.js');
 const { database, username, password } = config.sql;
diff --git a/react/containers/ChannelCreateForm/view.jsx b/react/containers/ChannelCreateForm/view.jsx
index 269a08eb..44336daa 100644
--- a/react/containers/ChannelCreateForm/view.jsx
+++ b/react/containers/ChannelCreateForm/view.jsx
@@ -38,12 +38,8 @@ class ChannelCreateForm extends React.Component {
   updateIsChannelAvailable (channel) {
     const channelWithAtSymbol = `@${channel}`;
     request(`/api/channel/availability/${channelWithAtSymbol}`)
-      .then(isAvailable => {
-        if (isAvailable) {
-          this.setState({'error': null});
-        } else {
-          this.setState({'error': 'That channel has already been claimed'});
-        }
+      .then(() => {
+        this.setState({'error': null});
       })
       .catch((error) => {
         this.setState({'error': error.message});
@@ -51,21 +47,9 @@ class ChannelCreateForm extends React.Component {
   }
   checkIsChannelAvailable (channel) {
     const channelWithAtSymbol = `@${channel}`;
-    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-      request(`/api/channel/availability/${channelWithAtSymbol}`)
-        .then(isAvailable => {
-          if (!isAvailable) {
-            return reject(new Error('That channel has already been claimed'));
-          }
-          resolve();
-        })
-        .catch((error) => {
-          reject(error);
-        });
-    });
+    return request(`/api/channel/availability/${channelWithAtSymbol}`);
   }
-  checkIsPasswordProvided () {
-    const password = this.state.password;
+  checkIsPasswordProvided (password) {
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
       if (!password || password.length < 1) {
         return reject(new Error('Please provide a password'));
@@ -94,9 +78,9 @@ class ChannelCreateForm extends React.Component {
   }
   createChannel (event) {
     event.preventDefault();
-    this.checkIsPasswordProvided()
+    this.checkIsPasswordProvided(this.state.password)
       .then(() => {
-        return this.checkIsChannelAvailable(this.state.channel, this.state.password);
+        return this.checkIsChannelAvailable(this.state.channel);
       })
       .then(() => {
         this.setState({status: 'We are publishing your new channel.  Sit tight...'});
@@ -107,7 +91,11 @@ class ChannelCreateForm extends React.Component {
         this.props.onChannelLogin(result.channelName, result.shortChannelId, result.channelClaimId);
       })
       .catch((error) => {
-        this.setState({'error': error.message, status: null});
+        if (error.message) {
+          this.setState({'error': error.message, status: null});
+        } else {
+          this.setState({'error': error, status: null});
+        };
       });
   }
   render () {
diff --git a/routes/api-routes.js b/routes/api-routes.js
index e65d0a1c..4f75ecb3 100644
--- a/routes/api-routes.js
+++ b/routes/api-routes.js
@@ -16,14 +16,12 @@ const NO_CLAIM = 'NO_CLAIM';
 
 module.exports = (app) => {
   // route to check whether site has published to a channel
-  app.get('/api/channel/availability/:name', ({ ip, originalUrl, params }, res) => {
-    checkChannelAvailability(params.name)
-      .then(result => {
-        if (result === true) {
-          res.status(200).json(true);
-        } else {
-          res.status(200).json(false);
-        }
+  app.get('/api/channel/availability/:name', ({ ip, originalUrl, params: { name } }, res) => {
+    const gaStartTime = Date.now();
+    checkChannelAvailability(name)
+      .then(availableName => {
+        res.status(200).json(availableName);
+        sendGATimingEvent('end-to-end', 'claim name availability', name, gaStartTime, Date.now());
       })
       .catch(error => {
         errorHandlers.handleErrorResponse(originalUrl, ip, error, res);
@@ -107,10 +105,12 @@ module.exports = (app) => {
       });
   });
   // route to check whether this site published to a claim
-  app.get('/api/claim/availability/:name', ({ ip, originalUrl, params }, res) => {
-    claimNameIsAvailable(params.name)
+  app.get('/api/claim/availability/:name', ({ ip, originalUrl, params: { name } }, res) => {
+    const gaStartTime = Date.now();
+    claimNameIsAvailable(name)
       .then(result => {
         res.status(200).json(result);
+        sendGATimingEvent('end-to-end', 'claim name availability', name, gaStartTime, Date.now());
       })
       .catch(error => {
         errorHandlers.handleErrorResponse(originalUrl, ip, error, res);
@@ -128,8 +128,6 @@ module.exports = (app) => {
   });
   // route to run a publish request on the daemon
   app.post('/api/claim/publish', multipartMiddleware, ({ body, files, headers, ip, originalUrl, user }, res) => {
-    logger.debug('api/claim/publish req.body:', body);
-    logger.debug('api/claim/publish req.files:', files);
     // define variables
     let  channelName, channelId, channelPassword, description, fileName, filePath, fileType, gaStartTime, license, name, nsfw, thumbnail, thumbnailFileName, thumbnailFilePath, thumbnailFileType, title;
     // record the start time of the request