Online Submissions
What do you mean by "song file URL"?
Why can't I just upload an MP3 file of my music?
I have an entire catalog of music I'd like to add to the MusicIP search engine - do I really have to add them manually through MusicIP.com?
Are all online submissions offered for free to MusicIP listeners?

Mail-In Submissions
What do I need to send you?
You ask me for a website - does Myspace or Soundclick count?
Why do I need a MusicIP.com account?
What are SoundExchange and RoyaltyLogic?
Why should I consider offering a promotional track or two?
What happens if I decide I don't want to stop offering a promotional track?
What's a UPC code and why should I consider getting one?
What other things, besides my music, should I include in the mail-in submission package?
How long does it take to get my music into the database and circulated through the MusicIP Search Engine?

Traffic Reports
What are Traffic Reports and how do I access them?
What do ‘exposures’ and ‘actions’ mean?
Do I have to submit my music through MusicIP.com to see a report?

General

By being a part of the MusicIP search engine, where will my music show up?
Right now, your music will appear in the search results for MusicIP Discovery Preview, as well as in the similar tracks box of our popular MusicIP Mixer. If you provide a promotional free download, you'll also be featured on our Free Music page and in our new music RSS feed. We have many exciting new features that will be coming out soon, so please be patient - we're working hard to get your music heard and we'll keep you posted on what's new as things develop. To find out the latest news on what's happening for MusicIP artists, check out our forums.

I don't have a website! Can I still be added to the MusicIP search engine?
The fastest way to get your music added is to set up an account and point us directly to where your music is sitting online. But we realize that not everyone has a website, so if you'd rather send us a CD of your music through the mail, just download our Music Submission Form, fill it out and send it to us along with your music (along with any other biographical information or album artwork you would like to include).

I don't have a website, but I'm on MySpace - will that work?
Unfortunately, we can't crawl the MySpace music player to find your music. The files are embedded within the flash player. We're hoping that in the future we'll be able to work more directly with the many MySpace artists out there who want to be included in the MusicIP search engine, but for now if MySpace is where most of your web presence is based, we suggest going through the same process in the answer above using our Music Submission Form.

What's Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that offers alternative, non-exclusive licenses to works that are protected by copyright. There are a variety of licenses that you can chose from, or not, depending on what you are comfortable with. In order to learn more about copyright and Creative Commons, so that you can make the right decision for you, here are some resources:

• Copyright Basics: from the U.S. Copyright Office, a good overview of what copyright means to you, the artist.
• Licenses Overview: provides a good understanding of how the licenses work and vary from each other.
• Before Licensing: questions you should think about before committing to a license.

Online Submissions

What do you mean by "song file URL"?
A song file URL usually looks something like this:

http://www.yourbandswebsite.com/thenameofyoursong.mp3

Why can't I just upload an MP3 file of my music?
We tried this before, and unfortunately this just isn't the best option for either the artist or us. Music files tend to be pretty big, so it takes a long time for them to upload. Then they have to be stored somewhere. And we'd still need to know where to send people who find your music to learn more about you. Using the song file URL system, you point us to where the file is located online and we can go and grab the song from there - no need to upload. Even better, listeners will be able to go directly to that same song if they want to hear more.

I have an entire catalog of music I'd like to add to the MusicIP search engine - do I really have to add them manually through MusicIP.com?
If you are a record label or music distributor, we suggest you contact us so we can discuss the best way to get your music into our database of songs, depending on the size of your catalog. Don't worry, we would never ask you to manually enter dozens or hundreds of songs; the online song file registration process is mostly targeted to individual artists with a personal set of songs (1-10 on average) they would like to register.

Are all online submissions offered for free to MusicIP listeners?
Yes, if you point us to an active mp3 URL, your music will be offered to our listeners via the Free Music page, RSS feed, and Discovery Window found of our MusicIP Mixer application. Providing listeners with a taste of your unique sound can be much more effective for finding new fans and selling more records. You can point us to one track, five tracks, or ten tracks - it's all up to you.

If you'd rather just tell us about your music, so we know about it, have the correct metadata and can stream it without offering your song(s) for download, follow the steps below for mailing in your music. On the Music Submission Form, you'll see a spot where you can indicate which songs, and how many, you would like to use as promotional tracks. If you change your mind and want to offer a promotional download, great! Just circle "Promo" next to that particular song. Otherwise, don't circle anything to just have your music analyzed and added to our central database.

Mail-In Submissions

What do I need to send you?
A CD (or CDs) of your music and the Music Submission Form, completed and signed, are the most important pieces of your submission. We'd also love to see album art, biographical information, press photos if you have them available - as we keep improving and expanding our Artist Tools, having these assets on file will only make it easier for us to tell the world more about you.

You ask me for a website - does Myspace, Peoplesound, Sonicbids or Soundclick count?
No problem! We'll accept the URL for the website or online profile that you think has worked best for you to connect with your fans. If you love your website and want traffic sent there, great. If your most popular artist community profile is what you prefer, we'll happily send our listeners there instead.

Why do I need a MusicIP.com account?
Your MusicIP.com account will be where all the music you submit to us will be accessible to you. When you fill out the form, it will ask you if you already have an account set up. If you don't have one already, that's okay - we'll set one up for you and send you the information to login and change your password. From your account you'll be able to see where your music is in the analysis process and when it has been successfully added to the database. In the next few months we'll be releasing new features and benefits that you can take advantage of from your MusicIP.com account.

What are SoundExchange and RoyaltyLogic?
SoundExchange and RoyaltyLogic are both organizations that manage the rights for artists to make sure they are fairly compensated when their music gets played by our listeners. We recommend that if you haven't already investigated one or both of these organizations, you check them out and get your music registered so that you are getting the proper royalties when your music is played and performed, with MusicIP as well as others.

Why should I consider offering a promotional track or two?
If you point us to an active mp3 URL, your music will be offered to our listeners via the Free Music page, RSS feed, and Discovery Window found of our MusicIP Mixer application. Providing listeners with a taste of your unique sound can be much more effective for finding new fans and selling more records. You can point us to one track, five tracks, or ten tracks - it's all up to you. Promotional tracks are a great way to increase your exposure without giving it all away.

What happens if I decide I want to stop offering a promotional track?
Simply write to us at artists@musicip.com and we will remove your song from the Free Music page, RSS feed and Discovery Window within 72 hours.

What's a UPC and why should I consider getting one?
A UPC (Universal Product Code) is a twelve decimal digit code that helps stores and retailers keep better track of inventory. In order to sell your music through stores or other distribution channels, you need a UPC barcode.
One way to get a UPC barcode for your album is to register with the GS1 US organization. But at $750 for a membership, this is only the most cost effective option if you are going to be releasing over 38 albums. With CD Baby you can get a UPC Barcode for only $20 per album. You could also go to Indie Artist Alliance which has pricing from $10-$50 per album depending on the number of formats your music is released on.

What other things, besides my music, should I include in the mail-in submission package?
Album art, biographical materials, band photos - it never hurts to send us as much as you can about yourself. The two most important pieces is 1) your music, and 2) a filled out Music Submission Form. As MusicIP grows and expands the artist tools, we will have any other information you provide to us on file in case we need it.

How long does it take to get my music into the database and circulated through the MusicIP Search Engine?
Once we receive your music, we will have it analyzed and submitted to our database within 72 hours. It may take up to a week for your account to be registered, depending on how much music has arrived through the mail. We thank you for your patience and understanding, and promise to keep you informed about where your music is in the submission process as it is received, analyzed, and your account is set up. You can always email us if you have any questions.

Traffic Reports

What are Traffic Reports and how do I access them?
Traffic reports are meant to give you an idea of where your music is being heard in the world. Once you’ve logged into your MusicIP.com account, you’ll find them under the ‘Added Music’ section of your Account options. You must have a MusicIP.com account to see traffic reports for your music, and it generally takes a week to two weeks after you register before enough information has been gathered for a map to appear.

What do ‘exposures’ and ‘actions’ mean?
Exposures are how many times a MusicIP Mixer listener has been ‘exposed’ to your music – i.e. a song of yours has been recommended in the MusicIP Mixer discovery window. Actions, on the other hand, is a measurement of how many times a person clicked on your song to find out more or downloaded the track to their computer. So, actions are the percentage of music fans who wanted to find out more about your music when it was recommended (or exposed) to them. Both exposures and actions are broken down by song.