Thinking About Joining
I'm not that familiar with music licensing. How does it work?
The world of music licensing is all around you. Any music you hear in a commercial, movie, video game or on a TV show was licensed. When you, as an artist, license a track to a company, you give them the right to use your music for whatever purposes you've agreed to. In return, that company will pay you for letting them use your music. And here's the best part: You're not actually selling your song. You still retain all the rights to your music so you can license a song over and over again. Zero risk and endless opportunity - every reason to put your music to work.
What fees are involved?
Everybody's favorite question. At MusicDealers.com, there are no signup fees. Zero. Our contract is simple: We work on a percentage basis so we don't get paid unless you get paid, and any licensing fee or revenue created by us is split 50/50 between you and MusicDealers.com. Put it this way: We don't get a check unless you get a check, and our check is the same amount as yours.
If I place a track through Music Dealers, do I get paid royalties?
Another huge benefit of MusicDealers.com: About 75% of our placements pay royalties. In other words, your placed track can keep paying you for years past the point of license. But in order to receive royalties, your music must be registered with a P.R.O. a.k.a. Performing Rights Organization. Check out a list of P.R.O.'s worldwide here. The minute one of your songs is placed, MusicDealers.com will notify your P.R.O. of the exact media and details of the placement. Your P.R.O. will then track your plays and send you royalty checks directly. We can't stress enough how important it is you register your songs with a P.R.O. Doing so gives your music the power to work a lot harder for you. Who doesn't want more checks in the mail?
Is my music still 100% mine?
Unquestionably, undeniably without a doubt: YES. This is a totally non-exclusive website. We do not lay claim to any of the rights to your music. Even when you place a track, it's still 100% yours. License it again, put it on an album, remix it and play it at your mom's birthday party, whatever. It's your music, do what you want with it.
Can I work with other companies/ Is this a non-exclusive contract?
When we say no strings attached, we mean it. Our contract is 100% non-exclusive so you're free to explore any and all opportunities for your music. If you are interested in an exclusive agreement, we offer that option to select artists. This will open you up to many additional opportunities - ask your CARE Rep for details.
Once I upload my music, can I remove it?
Hey, it's your music, of course you can remove it. You don't even have to give us a reason. How? Simply click the "remove" button next to each one of your tracks. Your music will be erased from the catalog within 30 days of your request for removal.
Why does MusicDealers.com add a "tag" to my music? What is a tag?
We add "MDV" (Music Dealers Version) to the beginning of every track title in our catalog. We "tag" tracks for three reasons:
- To fulfill our 50/50 publishing split. While MusicDealers.com doesn't own any of the actual rights to your music, we are income participants for 50% of the subsequent publishing royalties.
- To help your P.R.O. distinguish track placements that MusicDealers.com secured for you.
- So you retain all the rights to your original "untagged" track and are free to do whatever you want with it.
Still confused? This should clear things up: Say you have a track called "Get Up and Dance" and Music Dealers places it in a Nike commercial. At the same time, you independently place it in an episode of The Office on NBC. When your P.R.O. is notified of these placements, the Nike commercial track would be called "MDV - Get Up and Dance" while The Office version would be just called "Get Up and Dance". Any royalties you earn through The Office would have nothing to do with us and go directly to you.
A tag protects you by ensuring we only share in 50% of the publishing royalties from placements that we secure, while you retain 100% ownership. You can still license it again to someone else, release it on your own, whatever.
Essentially, we tag tracks so you retain all the rights to your songs. "Tagging" helps you, not us.
How long is the term of the contract?
As long as you want it to be. Since there's no defined term on the contract, you can get out of it at anytime. Upon your request to end the contract, your account and music will be removed from the site within 30 days.
What file formats do you accept to upload to Music Dealers?
We only accept 320kb MP3 files. Make sure you have wave files handy - some clients will request them and we will be contacting you for them.
Are there certain browsers that work best with your website?
The newest version of Mozilla Firefox works best for MusicDealers.com.
Do you guys have a way that I can upload a mass # of tracks rather than doing it one by one? I have quite an extensive catalog and it would take a long time to upload each track individually.
We currently do not have a mass uploading system. If you are an artist or have 100+ songs - contact care@musicdealers.com and we will be more than happy to figure out the best way to get your songs uploaded and put to work for you.
Is there a physical contract I need to sign?
When you upload a song you click the "Agree to terms" box, which acts as a digital signature. If you want a copy of our contract - click here.
I have been able to secure some pretty nice placement on my own. What is it Music Dealers can do for me that I can’t do on my own?
Music Dealers has 4 offices in the top industry cities in the world with 40+ full-time employees and handfuls of incredibly skilled representatives scattered all throughout the world constantly pitching your music.
Do you notify me about all placements before you place them?
We do not notify all our artists when submitting music. All songs submitted need to be pre-cleared and ready to go. We give our clients the ability to search our catalog themselves for songs and they can select songs on the spot. This is why notifying artists for each song submitted is not possible. If there are companies or products you do not want to work with there is an "Artist Exclusions" box on the upload form for each song that you can list in there.
Artist Community Questions
I uploaded my song and I can't find it on my profile. Where is it?
Go to your artist profile and click "Private Songs." You might have uploaded the song as private. Still can’t find it? Contact us.
What is the difference between public and private songs?
Uploading your songs as private or public has no affect on your chances to get placements. Our clients as well as staff here at Music Dealers can view and pitch your music either way you upload. Uploading songs as private just ensures that anyone that visits your profile won't be able to listen to your music.
What is a Royalty Free Sample?
A royalty free sample is any music that you purchased on a 'loop cd', 'sound library kit', or any other production library sounds that are available for commercial use.
How does your submission process work?
When you submit a song to an open opportunity on the Deal Board it goes into a submission queue. Once the job closes the Catalog Director that is working directly with our client listens to every submission for accuracy to the description. During this listening process, they will add songs to a playlist. Once all songs have been listened to and the playlist is made with the final songs - we send them off to the client for them to listen and select the perfect song. It is very important to read the descriptions carefully and only submit if you have something that fits.
When I upload my music, is it immediately available for licensing?
When you upload music to your profile it goes through a process before it is available to our clients. Once your song is uploaded it has to clear our rights clearance department. This makes sure the rights you claim to have are accurate. Once it has cleared this department, it goes to our review team. When reviewed, a member of our review staff listens to the song from front to back and tags it with between 200-300 different tags from BPM to vocal themes to instruments to mood and so on. Once reviewed, it enters the catalog and becomes ready for clients to listen and license.
How long does it take to hear feedback from clients once my song has been sent to them?
Every client and project is different. A client can take anywhere from a few days to a few months. We will contact you with any developments with your song and an opportunity.
Do I have to submit my music to jobs myself or do you submit it for me?
There are four different ways your songs can be submitted for an opportunity.
- You can submit your songs via the Deal Board.
- Your Care Rep can suggest and submit your songs.
- Our Catalog Directors can submit your music if it fits the client's needs.
- Our clients have the ability to search our catalog themselves and find your music.
I have been with Music Dealers for some time now and have not gotten a placement. How long does it usually take for an artist to get their 1st placement?
This is the million-dollar question. Experiences in licensing are different for every artist and band. Some of our artists get placements the next week after uploading. It all depends on timing - having the right song at the right time for the right client.
How significant is it to have instrumentals and a capellas?
Alternate versions of songs such as instrumentals and a capellas can make or break a deal. Having these versions allow our clients to drop vocals in and out when editing your songs to visual media. Some clients will not accept songs unless both versions are immediately available.
Why do you post Deals that are already closed?
Music Dealers has network deals where they have a large part of our catalog and are free to browse themselves and use the songs in their media. For this reason we don't get the placement until the song is chosen by the client.
Along with that, we submit to multiple jobs daily from each of our four offices. Clients will come to us and need a playlist of songs in 15-20 minutes. When this happens we do not send an email blast and allow for submission because there isn't enough time. In these cases our Catalog Directors search our catalog and find the right songs. This is why it is very important to have an updated profile, song info and alternate versions of tracks.
How do I find out who my C.A.R.E. Rep is?
When you signed up you received an email from your CARE Rep. If you misplaced this email or it got lost in transit contact care@musicdealers.com and your CARE Rep will email you back shortly.
I have co-writers on some of my songs but the other writers are not affiliated with a PRO. Do I still need to list them in the PRO section?
Yes. Under affiliation you can select "No Affiliation." Make sure all publishers and writers are listed.
Is it best to upload full songs or clips of my music?
Upload full versions of your songs - the client can edit the songs to their desired length.
I missed the deadline for an opportunity but I have the perfect song for this job. How can I have it submitted?
Once a deadline is over, the playlist is sent in to the client. Sometimes clients will ask for another batch of songs. In this case, we will repost it on the deal board.
I placed a song a few months ago - when do I get paid?
Music Dealers pays out to all artists the payment quarter after Music Dealers receives payment from the client. We receive payments from the client anywhere from 30-120 days after the placement airs. Music Dealers payment quarters are Jan 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.
Is there some kind of way that I can get a list of jobs Music Dealers has submitted my songs to? I want to know if my music is being actively pitched.
With the amount of placements increasing daily and the amount of submissions from all four offices, it is hard to tell when your music gets submitted. You will receive an email when we submit your music stating "Your song XXX has been added to a playlist." That means your music was added to a playlist and is in the clients' hands.
How do I know if I have properly submitted my song to a job?
To make sure that you have submitted a song to a job properly, simply click "Job Submissions" under your picture on your profile page. You will then see a list of songs that were successfully submitted.
I received an email notification about my song being added to a playlist. What does that mean?
Getting your song added to a playlist is the first step to getting your music licensed to a client. If you received an email notification that your song was added to a playlist, that means a client came to us with many specifications regarding the type of music they are looking for and your music met some or all of that criteria. We added your song to a playlist and sent it off to a client for placement consideration. This doesn't mean that you have placed the track, but means the client is listening to your song and you are one step closer to landing a placement. The main reason for the notification is to keep our artists in the loop with what's going on with their music, since we don't post all active jobs on the Deal Board. Please do not respond to your playlist notification email. If your song gets placed, we will contact you (if placement is over $2,500 USD) or you’ll see it on your quarterly statement.
I submitted a song to an open opportunity, but I didn't receive a confirmation email - did you get it?
If you did not receive an email from us letting you know your songs were successfully submitted, there is another way to check. Go to your artist profile and click on "Job Submissions" under your picture. This will list every opportunity you have submitted for. If it's listed in there - we got it!
Why are typed out lyrics important and how do I add them to my songs after I uploaded them?
Clients are able to search our database by lyric theme and specific keywords in songs. If a client comes to us needing a song with the word "Sunshine" in the chorus - our system can find that.
Adding lyrics to your songs after you uploaded them is very easy. Go to your artist profile and click the white details arrow to the left of the song title. A drop down menu will appear and click 'Edit.' On the second page of the edit form there will be a Lyrics box to enter in your lyrics.
Other
What is broadcast quality? My quality isn't the best, will the client allow me to re-record my song?
Broadcast quality means your music is ready to be put into a commercial, TV show, etc. It has to be recorded and mixed properly. Clients rarely will wait for artists to re-record songs - they want songs they can get right away and throw into their project immediately.
If Music Dealers is a music licensing company, why do I need a bio, picture or Buzz Points?
Music Dealers not only licenses music - we pair artists with brands. Clients and brands like to know more about the artist. If they want to pair up for a campaign with an artist they want to know they are touring, relevant and active in the music scene. Bio, Picture and buzz points are very important elements to your profile and can only help you.
I would love to work for Music Dealers, are you hiring?
Music Dealers is always open to welcoming fresh new talent to our ever-evolving team. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Music Dealers team whether as in an intern or looking for full/part time employment, feel free to send an updated resume and cover letter to our Human Resources department at hr@musicdealers.com.
If we feel your skill set is one that would work well in fulfilling a need, we will be in contact with you.
