1) To create a new release, sign into your account here.
2) Once logged in, click "Assets". This will take you to your assets page, which contains all albums that have been saved. Please note that albums are only saved after all information has been included.
3) From your assets page, click "Actions", and select "Create new album" from the drop down list to get started.
4) This will open up "Add new release", which has 4 tabs: Main info, Track, Publishing, and Review & save.
Each tab will have to be finished before moving to the next one. Any field with a red "*" is required. The "Main info" tab holds all information at the album level.
Add cover art by clicking the "+", or by dragging and dropping an image. Soundrop accepts Jpeg files with an RGB color space between 1400x1400 and 3000x3000 pixels.
Language refers to the language of the metadata itself - Artist name, album title, track title, etc. - and not the language of the lyrics (see step 9).
5) Soundrop offers localization for titles in other character sets (like Cyrillic, traditional and simplified Chinese, etc.). Click "Add a title in another language" if your release is also in a non-western alphabet.
6) Any release that has 4 or more primary artists is considered a compilation, and would switch over to "Various Artists".
7) Typing in an artist name that has been previously used in your account will display the name in a dropdown menu. Only add a new artist name if it hasn't been used in your account before!
8) Add genres, and publishing / copyright information for your sound recording / release. Please include the release year at the beginning of both of those fields.
If this is an album that had previously been released, select "Yes" and include the original UPC barcode.
If you don't have a barcode already, that's okay! Soundrop will generate one at no cost.
Once all required information has been completed, click "Next" in the bottom right corner to move to the Tracks tab.
9) In the Tracks tab, you'll put in information about each song, and upload audio. Soundrop accepts 16 bit / 44.1kHz WAV files.
Language of Lyrics is the language in which the lyrics are sung. If there are no vocals, please select "Instrumental".
10) Soundrop also supplies ISRC codes if you don't have one yet. An ISRC is a unique code for each audio file (just like a UPC barcode is a unique code for the entire release)
If there is any mature language (PG-13 or higher), select "Yes" for Explicit lyrics. This also applies to track / album names.
Lastly, we need to know whether or not the track is a cover song. If it is, we'll charge a one-time fee of $9.99 to set up a cover song license. If it's an original or a work that's in the public domain it's free! Unsure if your song qualifies for public domain? Click here to find out!
Click "+Upload a new track" to add another track to your release. Once you've completed adding each track, click "Next" in the bottom right corner to move on to the Publishing tab.
11) In the Publishing tab you'll see each track in the release. Click the track title to open up the publishing form.
For originals you'll put in the songwriters and their share percentages.
For public domain you'll want to include the original songwriters and change the publishing to "public domain". The share percentages still need to add up to 100% but it isn't important which songwriter gets which share. If there is original songwriter, you may use "Traditional Song" as the songwriter name.
For cover songs, it will open the mechanical license request form.
12) For cover songs, Soundrop needs to know the name of the original composition / song and the original recording artist. If you aren't sure who did it first, we recommend searching for the song on Wikipedia, MusicBrainz, ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC. Check out our licensing request tips for more information!
13) Once you've located and input that information, scroll down and click "Save" in the bottom right corner. This will take you back to the Publishing tab. Follow these steps for each song on the album and then click "Next" to move to the "Review & Save" tab.
14) The "Review & save" tab shows all the information for your release. Make sure to double-check everything and if it looks correct click "Approve".
15) Clicking "Approve" saves your album, and it will now be displayed under your Assets page. To distribute, click "Send release to stores & services".
16) Click "Distribute now" to set which stores to deliver to, pricing, territory restrictions, release date, and pre-orders.
17) "As soon as possible" will set the release date to the date in which your album gets sent to stores. "On a specific date" is for future release dates.
18) Under "Stores & services" you may select which stores to send to and your preferred pricing. Please note that our partners will price content on their own scales, but will match as closely to what you set as possible.
Pre-order is available for Amazon & iTunes, provided the release date is at least 1 day in the future. Considering that it takes 2-5 days for delivery to stores after licensing, Soundrop recommends setting a release date at least 4 weeks in advance to provide enough time to get your music licensed, distributed, and ingested into those stores for pre-orders.
Once you've finished setting when and where you want distribution, click "Send". If your release is only originals and / or public domain works, then you're done!
19) If your album contains cover songs, you'll be directed to pay for each mechanical license. Soundrop currently only accepts payments via credit cards. Click "Purchase license(s)" and your album will be submitted!
20) After your album has been submitted. It will be displayed in "Processing" with each store listed underneath. Our inspectors will take a look at your album to make sure that it meets the music stores' guidelines and standards. Once they approve it, it will move to "Licensing" for cover songs and then "In delivery".
Licensing can take up to 2 weeks to complete, and delivery may take 2-5 days to all partners.
Once your album is delivered, it will move to "Live".
That's it! Click "Assets" to get to work on another release if you have another one ready to go.