Did you know that we can clear most licensing requests in less than 48 hours if we have all the proper info? To make sure your release doesn't take longer than that, use the following tips when filling out your licensing request.
1.) Original Title:
- When entering the original title, make sure you're using the title listed on the original work.
- Example: Ganondorf has 7 named tracks on the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Soundtrack. If you enter the original title as Ganondorf, our licensing team won't know which track to pick.
- Pro Tip! If you're not sure what the original song was titled, www.vgmdb.net and Wikipedia are great resources.
- Example: Ganondorf has 7 named tracks on the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Soundtrack. If you enter the original title as Ganondorf, our licensing team won't know which track to pick.
- Always enter the original work title in English characters. This allows our song licensing team to easily look up a song in their database.
2.) Original Artist:
- Enter the name of the original artist listed on the original release.
- Example: If you're covering "Imagine" you'll want to enter John Lennon, not The Beatles
- Pro Tip! A digital release should have an artist listed, even if it's various artists. If it doesn't, you can always use the composer's name.
- Example: If you're covering "Imagine" you'll want to enter John Lennon, not The Beatles
3.) Optional Sections
Filling out these sections does make a difference! Below are the most important fields and how to fill them out.
- Original Authors
- This section is referring to the composers / songwriters of the piece you are covering:
- Pro Tip! If the release is on Spotify, hover over the track you are covering and click "Show Credits". That should give you all the writer info. If that doesn't work, you can try searching Wikipedia or a PRO's public repertoire search.
- You can access the repertoire search for ASCAP here: https://www.ascap.com/repertory and BMI here: http://repertoire.bmi.com/StartPage.aspx
- This section is referring to the composers / songwriters of the piece you are covering:
- Source Album title:
- This one is pretty easy! Just enter the name of the release where you found the track you are covering!
- Link to the original song:
- You'll want to link to where you found the original release. Avoid entering unofficial releases in this section.
- YouTube links are not eligible.
- Pro Tip! If you can, find a link to a digital release in a US store, that's the most helpful.
- You'll want to link to where you found the original release. Avoid entering unofficial releases in this section.
- Source Material:
- In this section, enter the specific name of the source material
- Ex. Instead of "Movie" enter "The Lion King"
- In this section, enter the specific name of the source material
- Notes to help identify the original:
- In this section, you can enter any relevant info that may be helpful in licensing the work! For example:
- Publisher Name
- Original release date
- A link to a wiki page about the release
- Notes about where the album is available to purchase in the US. Examples:
- Original Soundtrack available with game preorder
- Soundtrack was released in the US in 1994, but is now out of print
- In this section, you can enter any relevant info that may be helpful in licensing the work! For example:
That's it! And remember, the more detail you give us the better! For additional tips, click here.