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Hello everyone, what is up with certain music libraries who ask for 16bit files before they evaluate your music? This is about the 3rd time this has happened. Their response usually goes something like this “thank you for submitting your music, in order to fully evaluate your music, please send 16bit 44kz files to us….” What that hell? Can’t they just evaluate my tracks from Soundcloud like everyone else? It just sounds fishy to me and I never actually upload my music to these people. Any one else experience this?
It doesn’t sound fishy to me. I always send out a 16 bit, 44.1/44 kHz WAV or AIFF file for audition unless they ask for mp3s. That is the standard that most companies use.
Seems a perfectly reasonable request to me too.
It’s a hoop many libraries/supes make musicians jump through to help prove they’re actually serious about selling/licensing their music.
About one out of six people i ask to send me AIF/WAV files never write me back, and this is AFTER i have a placement for them.
do the interview Johnny,you can go back to bed when the interview is done!
2 months ago i had an interview from an LA library and,since i live in Greece it was 1.30am for me when they called.It lasted 45 minutes,i felt exhausted after that (i’m not a phone’s guy!) but it all went well and i slept like a baby that night,lol.They may also be aware that sometimes fishy things happen to music posted on soundcloud and some libraries ask that you submit directly. Chances are that if they accept you in that is the quality you are going to be required to submit, and maybe they are testing you to see how well you follow instructions.
@johnnyboy30: i’m also new,you’re doing very well spending your time on the legal and contractual terms,that’s always very useful!
About the interview,it was mainly them talking.The guy of the library said they liked my music and then he said he will explain me how they work and then i could ask him whatever i needed to know.He was very detailed and easy to follow and apart from his own library he talked about how this biz works etc.He asked only a few questions,like how extensive is my catalog (he had listened to my music on Soundcloud where i keep only a sample of my work),what’s my PRO,if i had co-writers in any of my tracks and in general the usual stuff a library asks the artists before signing the contract,nothing extraordinary or weird.
I just made sure to not interrupt him before he’s done.
I only asked about the terms and conditions,in which markets do they work most (tv & adverts they said with an interest at the video games market as well) and if they are associated with Youtube Content ID.I’m not sure if i asked anything elese,my experience with libraries is only a bit over 2 years so i’m not sure what else should i ask or be aware of.
Just be calm and listen to them closely,ask whatever you want without being pushy or extremely detailed.Since they liked your music enough to ask for a Skype chat,you’re in the right direction 😉
Oh,i had a Skype chat with an exclusive New York library this summer,it was supposed to be a Skype video call but he decided it would be better to have a text chat so i can have his words written.
Once again,he expanded on how his company works and asked me pretty much the same things the other library asked.It was a 30 minute chat,i guess it would be quicker on the phone.
They were both friendly and easy to follow,i’m pretty sure you’ll get the same thing from the UK library.One thing: it’s better to write down your questions to a piece of paper and have it next to you when they call.I didn’t do that and in several occasions when i had the phone chat i was thinking “don’t forget to ask him this,don’t forget to ask him that”.This way you’ll be fully focused on what they have to say instead of trying to not forget all the things you want to ask!
Ok,good luck and let us know how it went!ah,yes,CDBaby!Well,CDBaby is associated with Youtube Content ID,which is a red flag for many libraries/publishers (some others are ok with it,it’s true).If you want to learn more about Youtube Content ID,type it in MLR’s search engine (upper right side of this page) and you’ll get some very informative past topics about it.
But hey,they liked your music and want you to write some new material for them,congrats man!
It’s only fair that they ask for music that isn’t released on CDBabay.Youtube content ID could be harmful for both you and their reputation (is it an exclusive UK library?).
If the contract terms are fine by you and you think this library can get you some good sales,then go for it!Just to add… If you submit the hi res version for evaluation and they accept, it’s one less step for them. They already have the file they need. This streamlines their process and we have to remember they are busy folks too who are handling submissions from many, many composers.
Yes, some prefer mp3 or SC link first. It varies all over the board and we just go with the flow. For me personally, if they have an FTP process for hi res files already set up, I don’t mind that at all– I like it.
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