MUSIC BUSINESS FAQ: ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Welcome to Sugo Music Group’s FAQ Page!
Please review our music business database of frequently asked questions.
Also, feel free to contact us with any other questions you may have.
Click HERE to visit our Global Music Distribution E-Agreement Page.
FAQ Categories
Compilation Products
A compilation (or “comp”) can be produced in many forms: greatest hits, “Best Of,” single artist, multiple artists, rarities or B-side collections, themed compilations, various genre, promotional, private label, composer, producer compilations and more. A compilation is basically a collection, grouping, re-purposing or sampling of various tracks. Sometimes compilations may even come in the form as single track releases, whereas an album of songs might be re-purposed into ten different singles.
Compilations serves a purpose—especially now, during this digital era. Comps provide “pathways” for consumers to discover and embrace the work of new and even established artists. For instance, with a 10-artist targeted album compilation, each artist is exposed to 10x the potential consumer base as with a single-artist album. Some of those artists might have a larger fan base as well, increasing the potential fan base exponentially. In addition, when an artist is discovered on a compilation, then the consumer can easily discover the artist’s original albums — whereas this discovery would never have happened without the compilation!
Album compilation is a general term used to refer to a music release made of up of songs not intended to be seen as a single work. Compilation albums are often made up of tracks by various artists, though they can sometimes feature a single artist, a collection of works from a music label or targeted lifestyle themes. A comp can be a retrospective, greatest hits or a sampler of an artist’s career, a collection of unreleased tracks or some combination of these. Comp tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter. Compilation albums may also employ traditional product bundling strategies.
Yes, compilations can be challenging to assemble because the production company that releases the comp must secure permission from all of the parties involved. This can mean juggling demands of a long list of publishers, labels and musicians, who sometimes have divergent interests. This fact is true even of single-artist compilation albums for artists who have worked with more than one label over the course of their career. In addition, there are multiple tasks: graphic design work, metadata consistency, UPCs, quality control, audio level consistency, promotions and more. That said, we highly recommend artists and labels to produce compilations of their works. The more real estate your products can cover, the better returns you’ll experience.
Sugo Music Group has a dedicated product development and A&R department that works directly with our label partners to ensure that the sound recording compilations are of the highest quality. Sugo Music Group has produced thousands of compilations over the past 30 years and is highly regarded in the industry for doing so. Currently we produce 100 albumcompilations per month. Through the years, Sugo Music Group has created private label compilations for some of the mostbrand-conscious companies in the world such as Hard Rock Hotel, National Geographic, Sharper Image, Starwood and Kimpton Hotels, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, Google, eBay, Discovery Channel, Bravo TV, and numerous more! We’ve learned that artists are much more easily discovered when their tracks or songs are found on multiple albums, especially in the digital era!Common Types of Compilations:
Someone told me a long time ago that compilations will dilute my original album sales. Is that true?
That might have been true a long time ago, yet the industry consensus is undisputed that compilations ONLY benefit music labels and artists here in the digital era. Comps will dramatically increase your overall sales revenue,your exposure, your popularity and also the amount of channels in which your music can be available.
An artist’s album has the potential to be available for many different types of channels and markets: broadcast (Pandora, SiriusXM, etc.), territory sub-licensees and sub-distributors (Canada, India, USA, Japan, etc.), production libraries (Rumblefish, APM, etc.) and more. Yet some of these entities are choosey. In fact, each entity could reject your original album—it happens every day. For instance, Pandora accepts only a small amount of submissions—definitely not 100% (more like 30%). Targeted album compilations increase your chances of acceptance. Recent example: We submitted works from one of our label partners to various licensees and sub-licensees, and almost none of their works were accepted. We were not discouraged, and instead we created and submitted multiple “best of,” “artistic,” “genre-based” and “thematic” compilations of the label’s works. the licensees selected most of these new compilations because they were targeted and individually prepared by our experienced A&R staff for those specific channels.
No, we do not charge any additional fees, charge-backs or any sort of added-on costs. We are the only company in the world—that we know of—that produces quality compilations for our label partners!
These are comps that gather together an artist’s or a group’s best-known songs. If the artist or group continues to record, compilers commonly include one or more previously unreleased tracks as an incentive for fans to buy the album, even if they already have the other material on the compilation.
These are albums compiled from radio sessions, songs performed by an artist exclusively for a film soundtrack or collections that combine multiple releases. Such compilations generally target existing fans of the artist and have diminished mainstream appeal.
These comps could be love songs, Christmas songs, etc. featuring a particular instrument (such as saxophone or piano), and countless other variations.
These might be from the same time period (year, decade or era, for example), or incorporate a common theme.
This has been a very successful part of the album market since the early 1970s. Hit singles are gathered together on one comp.
These are creative, successful forms of promotion for artists and/or record labels to promote their music.
Promotional compilation CDs can be private labeled for products, retail outlets, commercial organizations or non-profit organizations. Some artists and labels like to co-brand themselves with well-known brands for marketing purposes, and transversely, well-known brands like to co-brand themselves with artists.
Many hip-hop and reggaeton producers will release a compilation album that features various artists, but with each track composed by the same producer.
UPC & ISRC
A compilation (or “comp”) can be produced in many forms: greatest hits, “Best Of,” single artist, multiple artists, rarities or B-side collections, themed compilations, various genre, promotional, private label, composer, producer compilations and more. A compilation is basically a collection, grouping, re-purposing or sampling of various tracks. Sometimes compilations may even come in the form as single track releases, whereas an album of songs might be re-purposed into ten different singles.
Compilations serves a purpose—especially now, during this digital era. Comps provide “pathways” for consumers to discover and embrace the work of new and even established artists. For instance, with a 10-artist targeted album compilation, each artist is exposed to 10x the potential consumer base as with a single-artist album. Some of those artists might have a larger fan base as well, increasing the potential fan base exponentially. In addition, when an artist is discovered on a compilation, then the consumer can easily discover the artist’s original albums — whereas this discovery would never have happened without the compilation!
Album compilation is a general term used to refer to a music release made of up of songs not intended to be seen as a single work. Compilation albums are often made up of tracks by various artists, though they can sometimes feature a single artist, a collection of works from a music label or targeted lifestyle themes. A comp can be a retrospective, greatest hits or a sampler of an artist’s career, a collection of unreleased tracks or some combination of these. Comp tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter. Compilation albums may also employ traditional product bundling strategies.
Yes, compilations can be challenging to assemble because the production company that releases the comp must secure permission from all of the parties involved. This can mean juggling demands of a long list of publishers, labels and musicians, who sometimes have divergent interests. This fact is true even of single-artist compilation albums for artists who have worked with more than one label over the course of their career. In addition, there are multiple tasks: graphic design work, metadata consistency, UPCs, quality control, audio level consistency, promotions and more. That said, we highly recommend artists and labels to produce compilations of their works. The more real estate your products can cover, the better returns you’ll experience.
Sugo Music Group has a dedicated product development and A&R department that works directly with our label partners to ensure that the sound recording compilations are of the highest quality. Sugo Music Group has produced thousands of compilations over the past 30 years and is highly regarded in the industry for doing so. Currently we produce 100 albumcompilations per month. Through the years, Sugo Music Group has created private label compilations for some of the mostbrand-conscious companies in the world such as Hard Rock Hotel, National Geographic, Sharper Image, Starwood and Kimpton Hotels, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, Google, eBay, Discovery Channel, Bravo TV, and numerous more! We’ve learned that artists are much more easily discovered when their tracks or songs are found on multiple albums, especially in the digital era!Common Types of Compilations:
Someone told me a long time ago that compilations will dilute my original album sales. Is that true?
That might have been true a long time ago, yet the industry consensus is undisputed that compilations ONLY benefit music labels and artists here in the digital era. Comps will dramatically increase your overall sales revenue,your exposure, your popularity and also the amount of channels in which your music can be available.
An artist’s album has the potential to be available for many different types of channels and markets: broadcast (Pandora, SiriusXM, etc.), territory sub-licensees and sub-distributors (Canada, India, USA, Japan, etc.), production libraries (Rumblefish, APM, etc.) and more. Yet some of these entities are choosey. In fact, each entity could reject your original album—it happens every day. For instance, Pandora accepts only a small amount of submissions—definitely not 100% (more like 30%). Targeted album compilations increase your chances of acceptance. Recent example: We submitted works from one of our label partners to various licensees and sub-licensees, and almost none of their works were accepted. We were not discouraged, and instead we created and submitted multiple “best of,” “artistic,” “genre-based” and “thematic” compilations of the label’s works. the licensees selected most of these new compilations because they were targeted and individually prepared by our experienced A&R staff for those specific channels.
No, we do not charge any additional fees, charge-backs or any sort of added-on costs. We are the only company in the world—that we know of—that produces quality compilations for our label partners!
These are comps that gather together an artist’s or a group’s best-known songs. If the artist or group continues to record, compilers commonly include one or more previously unreleased tracks as an incentive for fans to buy the album, even if they already have the other material on the compilation.
These are albums compiled from radio sessions, songs performed by an artist exclusively for a film soundtrack or collections that combine multiple releases. Such compilations generally target existing fans of the artist and have diminished mainstream appeal.
These comps could be love songs, Christmas songs, etc. featuring a particular instrument (such as saxophone or piano), and countless other variations.
These might be from the same time period (year, decade or era, for example), or incorporate a common theme.
This has been a very successful part of the album market since the early 1970s. Hit singles are gathered together on one comp.
These are creative, successful forms of promotion for artists and/or record labels to promote their music.
Promotional compilation CDs can be private labeled for products, retail outlets, commercial organizations or non-profit organizations. Some artists and labels like to co-brand themselves with well-known brands for marketing purposes, and transversely, well-known brands like to co-brand themselves with artists.
Many hip-hop and reggaeton producers will release a compilation album that features various artists, but with each track composed by the same producer.
Sound Exchange & Copyrights
No, you do not need to own the sound recordings, yet you need to have full permission to distribute or sell any of them. Thus, if you have a master use license agreement for specific sound recordings and the owner of these recorded works has authorized to exploit them, then you can definitely seek our distribution services. Of course, if you ARE the owner of any masters, you can do so as well.
Cover songs are great! In fact, some of the most successful songs that we distribute, relevant to downloads and streams, are cover songs. Cover songs are an easy way to attract new audiences and to expand your fan base, demographics and psychographics. We will even handle all the third party composer/publishing payments for you.
A cover song is your recording of a song that you didn’t write.
A “cover song”: is not a song you composed; is not a song you co-wrote with another songwriter; is not a song you have purchased 100% rights for; and is not a public domain song written before 1923)
SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects royalties on the behalf of sound recording copyright owners (e.g. record labels and recording artists) and also performing artists for all non-interactive digital transmissions, including satellite and Internet radio.
Prior to 1995, sound recording copyright owners in the United States did not have a performance right; that is, recording companies and performing artists were not entitled to receive payment for the public performance of their sound recordings. That soon changed. The Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 together granted a performance right for sound recordings. As a result, copyright law now requires that users of music must pay the copyright owner of the sound recording for the public performance of that music via certain kinds of digital transmissions.
SoundExchange exists to administer statutory licenses for sound recording copyrights, primarily through the collection and distribution of royalties for sound recording performances occurring under the jurisdiction of U.S. law. SoundExchange handles the following duties with respect to statutory licenses: Collects performance royalties from the statutory licensees; Collects and processes all data associated with the performance of the sound recordings; Allocates royalties for the performance of the sound recording based on all of the data collected and processed; Distributes the featured artist’s share directly to the artist; Distributes the Sound Recording Copyright Owners’ share directly to the copyright owner.
Yes. An administrative fee is deducted from royalties before they are distributed, with remainder being divided between the performing artists on a given recording, and the copyright owner of that recording.
Sugo Music Group plays a vital role with Sound Exchange relevant to the registering, managing, claim checks, monitoring, counter claim rights and disputes, on behalf of our label partners and recording artists. We work closely with Sound Exchange to ensure that our partners are registered and authorized to be awarded royalties from other countries that have reciprocal agreements with SoundExchange for eligible international performances.
Australia: Phonographic Performance Company of Australia Ltd (PPCA); Belgium: Société de l’Industrie Musicale / Muziek Industrie Maatschappij (SIMIM); Brazil: Uniao Brasileira de Compositores (UBC); Canada: Re: SOUND; Cyprus: ASTERAS Collective Rights Management (ASTERAS); France: Société Civile des Producteurs Phonographiques (SCPP); Germany: Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten mbH (GVL); Ireland: Phonographic Performance Ireland Limited (PPI); Jamaica: Jamaica Music Society (JAMMS); Japan: Center for Performers’ Rights Administration, Japan Council of Performers’ Organizations/Geidankyo (CPRA/Geidankyo); Mexico: Asociación Nacional de Intérpretes (ANDI); Mexico: Sociedad Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas Videogramas y Multimedia (SOMEXFON); Netherlands: Stichting ter Exploitatie van Naburige Rechten (SENA); New Zealand: PPNZ Music Licensing (PPNZ); Spain: Asociación de Gestión de Derechos Intelectuales (AGEDI); Spain: Artistas Interpretes o Ejecutantes (AIE); Sweden: Svenska Artisters och Musikers Intresseorganisation (SAMI); Sweden: IFPI Sweden; UK: Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL); United States: Sound Exchange (SX).
We do not register your songs with the US Copyright Office. We recommend that all clients copyright their works via copyright.gov.
Yes. Cover songs are a great way to attract new audiences and to expand your fan base. We will even handle all the third party composer/publishing payments for you. Some of the most successful songs that we distribute,relevant to downloads and streams, are cover songs. Cover songs also help your search ability on iTunes and more.
It is not possible to register cover songs for the collection of royalties from a Performing Rights Organization such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC. These royalties are only paid to the writers and publishers of an original song.
Yes and no. You can collect royalties for your recording of those songs, yet you cannot collect royalties for the composition of the song you recorded.
No, you cannot. You can only register your unique arrangements of public domain songs. That said, it can be registered if there is permission from the original copyright owner(s) of the published song. If a copyright owner has given permission to you to arrange their work, they must agree on splits for your arrangement.
Spoken word songs can only be registered if they are accompanied with an original musical background that is not based on public domain work, and also a substantial part of the recording contains background music.
Yes. These should be registered as new songs
As many as you would like to.
Yes. We can help with these types of unique registrations.
Digital Radio Streaming
There are two primary ways to deliver audio these days: downloads and streaming. With downloads, an audio file is stored on the user’s computer. Streaming audio is not stored, but only played. The success of streaming media is fairly recent, but the idea behind it has been around for quite a while. For instance, you are receiving streamed transmissions whenever you watch TV in your living room or listen to the radio in your car). With streaming, information travels to an electronic device in the form of a cable signal, a satellite signal or radio waves. Your device decodes and plays the signal. Unlike downloads, streaming radio transmissions are not stored on your devices.
Yes! All artists need radio play for numerous reasons. It is industry consensus that streaming does NOT erode download revenue. This is because people listen to streaming digital radio because they are in a “listening mode,” not necessarily a “purchasing mode”. At that moment, a person is not visiting a download store and trying to buy downloads; instead they are engaged with a radio station and simply trying to listen to music! Thus, if content owners (i.e. music labels and artists) do not offer their music to digital radio stations, they are missing out on two vital benefits. First, they are missing out on exposure, promotion, viral marketing, brand building, artist awareness, etc. Second, many digital radio stations will provide a “BUY” button whereas listeners can click to purchase the corresponding track that they are listening to; thus content owners are also missing out on potential downloads that originate from radio streams. In conclusion, it is a widely accepted fact that streaming encourages more downloads!
Yes, absolutely. Think of it this way…. First, streaming radio is trending worldwide at a high rate of consumption and is affordable for almost everyone. It will be available in most countries and at a cost-effective consumer rate—and it’s also becoming widely available in cars! Think about that for a moment. Second, if your music is not available on digital radio stations, then you are simply missing out on ancillary revenue, as well as incremental free promotions. Third, and most important, when someone downloads your music, it is typically a “one-time” purchase—which is fine… sort of. Yet via digital radio, someone can listen to that same recording hundreds or maybe thousands of times along the way. The incremental revenue earned from multiple streams can out-distance downloads, in many cases.
Remember, a “download” is a one-time event. A “stream” is an ongoing money stream. One could argue that “streaming” is a more fair way of rewarding good music because, the fact is that artists keep on receiving payments for years and years relevant to a specific track’s streams. It takes approximately 100-150 Spotify streams to make the same estimated sales revenue as a download. Streaming also might be able to reach more potential listeners worldwide because it may be more affordable, relevant to hardware devices and other costs. Also, customers can engage in streaming much easier when they travel in a car, etc.
Sugo Music Group distributes to all major and secondary radio stations on internet, mobile, satellite and cable channels. We even distribute to broadcasters that are difficult to reach and require significant time and effort to do so such as SirusXM, Deezer, rDio, Slacker, iHeart, and especially Pandora! The following is a list of our primary radio stations and radio aggregators. Keep in mind that some of these affiliates are larger international companies with numerous stations within their database: 24/7, Aspiro, Deezer, FNAC Direct, Google, iRadio, JbHifiMusic, LaLa, Last-FM, MediaNet, Microsoft Zune Music, MOG, MusicLoad, MUZ.RU CJSC, Myspace, Napster, Neowiz Bugs, NMusic, Omnifone, Pandora, rDio, Rhapsody, simfy GmbH, SirusXM, Slacker, Spotify, Synacor, Telus, Turntable.fm, Verizon, WE7, Xbox Music, Zune/Xbox Music, and more.
Prior to 1995, sound recording copyright owners in the United States did not have a performance right; that is, recording companies and performing artists were not entitled to receive payment for the public performance of their sound recordings. That soon changed. The Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 together granted a performance right for sound recordings. As a result, copyright law now requires that users of music must pay the copyright owner of the sound recording for the public performance of that music via certain kinds of digital transmissions.
Typically we will have your music prepped and delivered within 30 days—depending on the size and condition of your archive. In some instances, we’ve een broadcasted within a week. Other stations such as Pandora and SiriusXM are different (they are not automated) and thus our delivery protocol is manual. Also, Pandora and SiriusXM reserve the rights to accept or reject any submission—yes, they are picky! That said, we have a good success rate with our manually delivered submissions!
All your streaming royalties will be included in your statement along with your download sales and other revenues generated. We send statements and royalty payments out to you on a quarterly basis. We’ll send your statements via email and your royalty checks can be by mail or direct deposit—you choose.
Digital Distribution & Downloads
Digital distribution is the method by which your products are distributed to various digital stores which then sell digital downloads formatted for various music and video devices. Major digital music stores such as iTunes, Amazon MP3 and eMusic require content owners to use a global enterprise digital distributor such as Sugo Music Group to make content fully ingested, correctly formatted and available in their stores.
Worldwide! We distribute to more sites and stores than any other distributor in the world.
First of all, Sugo Music Group will never inhibit you from growing as a content provider, label or artist. That said, it is definitely not a good idea to use more than one digital distribution company to service your products because it creates confusion. Many retailers might automatically remove your album completely from their site. In addition, consumers become confused when more than one product is available. Yet most importantly, your “rankings” will be diluted and compromised when two identical products are available.
Absolutely! Sugo Music Group’s mission is to provide a Complete Distribution Portfolio for each of our label partners and artists. This is an ongoing commitment. It is important that all of our label partners are successful and thriving. If you want to sell your music on your site—CDs or downloads—we completely support your efforts. It is important to us that this is a win-win situation for both parties! The more notoriety and brand recognition you receive, the better it is for both of us.
Sugo Music Group distributes music, video and CD products.
We’ll begin delivering your music within 24-72 hours once we’ve received your products.
Sugo Music Group is known for having the fastest turnaround time for any major music distributor. Depending on the size of your archive and how much processing we need to take on, the time can range from one week to four weeks. That said, each music store (and music station) is different. It can take several days or a month or so for some of our other partner sites to post music for sale (or for airplay). Once we send it to each site, it depends on the amount of products each specific site is dealing with as well as each company’s unique ingestion queues and processes. Rest assured, our delivery systems (for all our services) are fine-tuned on an daily basis and your products are delivered as fast any distributor on the planet.
Someday this may change, yet currently all digital retailers (and broadcasters) do not inform distributors, labels and artists when a product has gone live. We are still ”pushing” for this and encouraging our channel partners to do so.
Each retailer pays different rates. Currently iTunes and Amazon pay the best rates and many other sellers remain competitive to these benchmark standards.
We offer flexible contracts depending on the size of your archive and on what your particular needs are
Absolutely all of them… and we’ll listen to all of your music to ensure best placement and global sub-licensing.
Please see our “Content Delivery” category on our FAQ main page or at this link: http://sugomusic.com/faqs/category/14-content-delivery/
Please see our “Content Delivery” category on our FAQ main page or at this link: http://sugomusic.com/faqs/category/14-content-delivery/
We format all audio and multimedia files to specific site requirements, and there are numerous sites and various requirements for each. These requirements vary from one distribution partner to the next. Rest assured that we always utilize the highest quality standards, formats, bit rates and protocol possible.
For our distribution and licensing purposes, higher resolution audio files work best. MP3s are not considered high enough quality for ingestion. Even the highest resolution MP3s such as 320kbps or so are not comparable to WAV (and other) high resolution formats (1411kbps). WAV format contains uncompressed audio in the linear pulse code modulation (LPCM) format. Look at it this way: The standard audio file format for CDs, for example, is LPCM-encoded (WAV), containing two channels of 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample. Since LPCM uses an uncompressed storage method which keeps all the samples of an audio track (very important!), professional users or audio experts most often use the WAV format for maximum audio quality. That said, once we send WAV files to our distribution partners, they typically choose to use a compressed format to then deliver or stream audio to consumer digital devices.
Once you partner with Sugo Music Group, you will be guided through the process, step by step. We ensure that you and your products are well taken care of. Your satisfaction is our primary objective! You will be provided with a Welcome Package and with a dedicated client service representative who will assist you with any questions you may have along the way.
iTunes sells your music via digital downloads and also streams your music through iTunes Radio (which will also earn revenue for you through each play!).
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina-Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
Yes, all of the above and more. We recommend that if you have a 10 song album, why not create 3 or 4 singles as well! Simply create new fr cvr artwork (if possible) and we’ll do the rest! We’ll supply a free UPC, ISRCs and format your new singles (from your original album) for downloads, airplay, synchronization and licensing around the world. We’ll even try to place your tracks on new album compilations so that you’ll be exposed to a larger database and demographic of fans. Remember…. Sugo Music Group does not charge any set-up fees, upload charges or any add-on expenses. That’s right! We are one of the only distributors around the globe to offer free set-up on all your products!
Most digital retailers do not regard track length as a problem. Yet keep in mind, if you submit an album that has a track that is one hour long, it will download for the same price as a 1-2 minute song. Also, some sites offer such songs as “Album Only”! This means that the song can only be purchased with the rest of the album as a whole. FYI, iTunes automatically creates “Album Only” for songs over 10 minutes in length.
Yes. Consumers have the option to download individual tracks without having to purchase the whole album.
Yes. First, terminate the agreement with your other music distributor. This sometimes is as simple as a “flip of the switch” on your online distributor dashboard, especially for distributors that are charging you annual fees and costly set-up charges. You know who they are. Once completed, then contact us and we’ll get you fully ingested back into stores.
For simple changes, our customer service department will take care of that for you! Just let us know. Yet there are several other types of changes that are more involved, such as: adding, deleting or re-ordering songs; changing the UPC or ISRCs, changing artwork, etc., and may be more involved. The good news is that Sugo Music Group will handle any minor or major change for our label partners. Just let us know and we’ll get working on it for you!
Good question…and thanks for asking. Here you go: Website URL, Social network symbols or information (i.e., Facebook links, Twitter handles, etc.), contact information (i.e., email addresses, phone number), pornographic images, pricing information, copyrighted images Scan of a CD (it must be retail-ready artwork), UPC barcodes, pixilated blurry lo-rez artwork, and certain “promotions” that don’t pertain to the album.
It is mandatory for many retail sites, especially iTunes, that the information and metadata submitted is supported by your cover art, and vice versa. Information irregularities may cause confusion with sites, and the product may not be ingested correctly (or taken down by the retailer).
Not a good idea. Track titles (track names) should be unique and not generic. For example, don’t name your songs “Track 1,” “Beat 2,” “Vocal 3,” etc. Generic titling tends to add confusion and lacks specific identity for retail sites, radio airplay, search engines, content identification, etc. Thus, name your songs something special!
Yes, yet it will be considered one long digital download “single” and will limit your digital radio streaming opportunities as well. We suggest remixing the album as 10 individual tracks. You’ll then have 10 separate ID points on your album and thus 10 different tracks. One way to achieve this is to fade out and fade in each track to create the 10 separate tracks and ID points.
Many of our digital partners have parental controls available that will prevent explicit content from being displayed to children who visit their store. It is a requirement that explicit tracks are correctly labeled when an album is signed-up with us for distribution.
Shazam is a music recognition service for almost every major mobile platform. Shazam identifies pre-recorded music from a variety of sources, including radio, TV, film, and more. Shazam will only recognize pre-recorded music that has been delivered to their service (we’ll take care of that for you!). Shazam does not pay royalties or offer any type of retail experience, yet they do provide links back to the iTunes store (when available) and to your products!
Sugo Music Group will handle all of this for you! Once your music is delivered to our retail and sublicensing partners, we’ll ensure that your catalog is fully ingested into Shazam’s database!
Yes you can, of course, yet there are hundreds of sites and new sites emerge on a monthly, weekly and sometimes daily basis. Most of these sites are international and can be difficult to communicate with relevant to language barriers, time zones and such. Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop global solution for all major digital retailers. This way you can tend to other important responsibilities—like creating music or promoting your artists!
We work with the largest digital, mobile & broadcast database in the world. Here is a partial listing: 121 Music Store, 3 Mobile, 3 Suisse, 3355 Music, 7 Digital, A1, Ahlens, AGI, Aki Musica – Telefonica, Akoo, Alfa, Aliant, AllTel, Altacom, altoran, Amalgam Digital, Amazon, amex.ztorm.net, AMI, Antena 3 TV, Antena Madrid, Anycall land, Astral, Atento-O2-Telefonica, ATT, B3, Batelco, Beatport, Beeline, Beezik, Bell Mobility, Bell, Bell365, Bellbada.com, Bellsori Chingu, Bengans, Best Buy, Bilka, Billboard, BITÈ, Blinko, Blue Pie, Book & Life, Boost, Bouyges Telecom, Brisas, Buddy, Bugs, Buongiorno, Buongiorno/Mobivillage, Canal Sur TV, CDON, CDSkiven, Cell South, CellFish, Centennial PR, Charity Tunes, Chess, Chin Chin Free, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Chin-Lin, CHUM, Cincinnati Bell, City Magazine, Citymarket, Classical.com, Club cyon, Club5678, Conpia, Conrad, Contexta.Antena 3 TV, Cool & Style.com, Cowon.com, Cricket, Cultureland, cyoworld japan, Cyworld, D&shop, Dada, Dajoom, Data.bg, Daum, Deezer, Digioke, Digital Reggae, Dio, Discogs, Dj, D-jix, DMX, DNA Mobile, DNA, Dosirak, DPlatinum, Drei, DU, Ebay.es, eCast, e-home, Ekstrabladet, El Giganten, Emo, Emodio, EMT, eMusic, EnNyBog, Entel, ERA, Ericsson, Euskal Telebista, Exact Mobile, Ex-Libris, Expert, Ez-i, Ezio, Flaixbac radio, Flamesky, FlyCell, FNAC, France Telecom, Freechal, Freenet, Fun game, Funman, G Market, G-Pop, Galaxie, Galaxy, Gaja i, Getmore.dk, GF38, ginzadownloads, Global, Globetrotter, gmx.de, Gom, Google, GP, Groove, Grupo Godo, Grupo Vocento, Grupo Z, GS caltex, GS retail, H3G, Halebop, Hanafos, Hanaro Dream, Happli, Happy Money, HD Tracks, Hesburger, Hilo Musical, Hip Digital, Hiphop Playa, Hits-Yunitel, HMV Digital, Home Phone Tunes, HomeEntertainment.com, Hoodiny, Hot, IC Agency, IDT, iHeart, iMBC, iMesh, Impartmaint, iMusic, IMVU, iNavi, Insound, Internet Bookshop, iPop, iSky, iTunes, Jamba, Jamster, Jingo, Jooce.com, JunketBoy, Juno, Jyllandsposten, Kang, KBND card, KBS, KDDI, Korea.com, KT ann, KTF Multi Pack, KTF Show, La Curacao, La Mediatheque, La Redoute, La Sexta TV, Label Mobile, Latitunes, LG telecom070, LimeWire, Lol Song, Los 40 Principales, Lumo, LYD, M game, M1, M6, Maco, MagixMusic, Maroc Telecom, Mbop, Médi Télécom, Media World Compra online, Mediadis, MediaMarkt, Medianet, Medion, Meditel, Megamobile.paran.com, Megapass Zone, Melon, Meteli.net, Meteor, Metro PCS, MeWe, Mi Pais Orange, Mi pais Telefonica, Midwest, MiPais Vodafone, Mix’n’Burn, Mixaloo, Mixmobile, Mnet.com, Mobile G Host, mobileshop, mobilkom, Mobily, MOG, Mokey, Moneyro, Moodmedia, Moox, Motorload.de, Movilisto, Movistar, MP Greek, Mp3.de, mpack, MSN, MTC, MTN, MTV, Mufin, Müller, Museeka, Music Airport, Music BOX TMN, Music Choice, Music Lover, Music on, Music To Go, Music.jp, Musicload, MusicMe, Musikiilaatamo, Musiwave, Music Yun China, Muz, My Country, My Freesport, My Kids Tunes, MySource Telia, Myxer, Napster Mobile, Napster, Nate on messanger, nate.com, Natta España, Natta.Pt, Naver music, Naver, NAWRAS, Naxos, Nectar, Neo-Numerique, NetAnttila, Netcom, Netville, NiceMusic, Noble Music, Nokia Music, Nokia, nowdio.de, NRJ, Ntelos, NTT DoCoMo, O2, OD2, Ohdio.com, Ok cashbag, Olemovil,, OMAN MOBILE, Omnifone, Omnitel, Onet, Orange BE, Orange, OVI, Pandora, Pannon/Telenor, Paran.com, PartyMobile, Pasaj, Passionato, Phonomonkey, Pixbox, Platekompaniet, Play.com, Playlist, Play Network, PlayNowArena, Playphone, PLEJER, Poetics, Politiken, Polkomtel, Punto TV, Puppyred, Puretracks, Q Tel via AiwaGulf, Qobuz, R&D Media, R. Galician Operator, Rawrip, Real Networks, Reggae Country, Rhapsody, Rhythm Records, Rogers, Rue du Commerce, Sabafone, Sagem, Samsung funbox, Samsung Media Studio, sas.ztorm.net, Sasktel, Saturn, Sayclub, SBSi, SendMe Mobile, SFR, Shockhound, Shop2Download, SHOW, SI Mobile, Simfy, SiriusXM, Skivhugget, Skivlagret, Sky sms, Skybell, skymms, Slacker, SOK, Sol Musica, SonyBMG, SonyEriksson, S-Phone, Spotify, Sprint, Stade De, Starfish, Starzik, Stingray, STC, Stofa, Stone Radio, SunCom, Surem, Swisscom, Synacor, T town, TDC Mobile, TDC Music, Tele 2, Tele 5, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telemadrid, Televerkko Oy, Telia, Telus Mobility, Telus, Tesco, The Source Mobile, Theta, Thinkindie, Thomson DE, Thumbplay, Thumbtribe, Ting bell, Tiscali IT, TMN, Portugal Telecom, T-Mobile, TNZ, Todo Lo Ultimo, Tonlist, Top 2, Touchtunes, Trackitdown.net, T-town, Tunes, TVC, UC story, Umniah, Univision, Urban Amplified, US Cellular, Verizon, versatel.de, Verve Life, via Bharti/MST, via I-connect, Vibramovel, Vibramovil, Viettel, Virgin Mobile, Virgin, Vitality, Viva, Vocento, Vodafone via Esal, Vodafone, Walmart, Wanadoo, Wataniya, Wax, Way media, WE7, web.de, Weltbild, Western, Wind, Word Entertainment, Xpointo Media, Yahoo!, Yahoo, Yemen Mobile, Yes 24, Yoigo, You See, Zain, and more!
Yes and no. First, yes, you must either own the “sound recording” (master) rights or be properly authorized to sell the sound recordings on behalf of the copyright holder. There is no way around this! Second, no, if you did not write the song (e.g. you are not the composer of the “musical work”), that’s perfectly OK. Recording other people’s songs is a good thing (and highly recommended!). Sugo Music Group is one of the only full service distributors that will manage these types of licenses for you, whereas all the publishers and composers associated with each respective third party song will be entered into our database and paid separately! You do not need to worry about a thing! For additional information regarding copyrights, licenses, cover songs and more, please check the FAQ for “Types of Digital Distribution” and “Copyrights and Cover Songs”.
First, please contact us so we can discuss your products and goals. Once an agreement is in place, you will be able to send your files in several different ways. Typically label partners simply upload files to our secure FTP site, or sometimes they choose to send us a hard drive. Either way is fine. We’ll always send a Welcome Package to you via email and guide you through the process. We’ve simplified the process in a way that will help you set up your account with us with minimum effort. Please refer to our “Content Delivery” category on our FAQ page.
That’s perfectly fine. Many artists and labels do not manufacture CDs these days. Digital files are preferred anyway. Our Welcome Package will explain it all. Also, if you want, we can produce and manufacture CDs and DVDs for you using our CD/DVD On-Demand system.
Yes we can provide digital distribution for your videos. Let us know more about your videos and we’ll plug them into our distribution system! We can also manufacture your videos onto DVDs through our DVD Manufacturing, Printing & Distribution service.
Popular online music stores that sell downloadable singles and albums include the iTunes Store, Amazon MP3, eMusic, Google Play, Nokia Music Store, and more. Paid music downloads are almost always compressed using a lossy codec (usually MPEG-1 Layer 3, Windows Media, or AAC), which reduces file size and bandwidth requirements. On the legal side of things, a music download requires both a master use license (to cover the “sound recording”) and a mechanical license (to cover the “musical work”). The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements for all global download distributions!
Non-interactive streaming services are very generally defined as those in which the user experience mimics a radio broadcast. That is, users may not choose a specific track or artist they wish to hear, but are provided a pre-programmed or semi-random combination of tracks, the specific selection and order of which remain unknown to the listener (i.e. no pre-published playlist). Unlike music downloads or podcasts, streaming does not result in permanent copies of masters or songs being transferred to the listener. Rather, streaming is transient and any resulting copies are typically only temporary cache or buffer copies (also known as “ephemeral” copies). On the legal side of things, a non-interactive stream requires both a statutory “sound recording” license administered by an organization called SoundExchange in the United States (and numerous other international PRO’s) which collects and distributes streaming royalties to content owners and performers) and a public performance “song” license (from ASCAP, BMI, or other Performance Rights Organizations). The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for all label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements for all global non-interactive digital streaming distributions!
Interactive or on-demand streaming services allow the listener to select and play any song “on-demand”. This is distinctly different from non-interactive streams. That is, users may choose a specific track or artist they wish to hear, and are typically provided a pre-published playlist, in many cases. On the legal side of things, a music download requires both a mechanical master use license (to cover the “sound recording”) and a public performance license from ASCAP, BMI, or other Performance Rights Organizations (to cover the “musical work”). The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on all global interactive streaming distributions!
A tethered download is a song file downloaded from a music subscription service that can be played only on computers registered to the account, as opposed to untethered downloads which can be played on compatible portable devices. Some services provide limited or “tethered” downloads, in which copies are made directly to user devices; however, the copies become unusable (or “expire”) after a certain period of time or when the user stops paying a service fee (and the copies may be usable only on certain devices). On the legal side of things, a tethered download requires both a master use license (to cover the “sound recording”) and a mechanical license (to cover the “musical work”). The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on all tethered download global distributions!
Ringtones are digital copies of songs, typically around 30 seconds in duration, that are designed to be played on a mobile phone in order to signal an incoming call in the same manner as would a telephone ring. Ringtones come from a variety of sources, but, most commonly, mobile phone customers download ringtones from their service providers, such as AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. Ringtones come in two types: (1) synthesized (either monophonic, which have only a single melodic line, or polyphonic, which have both melody and harmony); and (2) mastertones (which are digital excerpts of sound recordings). Synthesized ringtones only require a mechanical license to cover the musical work, while mastertones require both a mechanical license and a master use license to cover both the musical work and the sound recording. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on all global ringtone distributions!
Music “podcasting” is a hybrid of streaming and music downloads. Typically, “podcasts” are full-length radio programs that the end user downloads (either automatically or on-demand) to their computer or mobile device, such as an iPod, MP3 player, or “smart” phone. Podcasts require both a master use and mechanical license. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on all global podcast distributions!
To use recorded copyrighted music as background music on a website, site broadcasters need permission from both the sound recording owner and the musical work (“song”) owner. Statutory compulsory licenses generally do not apply to website background music, since website background music involves incorporation of the music with images (or “synchronization”). Permissions would need to cover both the required server copy and the public performance of the music on the website. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on all global website background music distributions!
To use an existing sound recording in a web video, both a mechanical license from the publisher and a master use license from the record company are required. Since web videos will involve the synchronization of music with images, these licenses should clearly grant synchronization rights. Performance licenses are also required for videos played on websites, which for the musical works are typically secured from ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC as blanket licenses. Note that for music videos, publishers typically permit the record companies to sublicense the underlying musical work, so in these cases, full permission to use music videos on a website may be secured directly from us. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on all global distributions of sound recording embodied in web videos!
CD Manufacturing
Our On-Demand CD/DVD service provides consumers around the world the opportunity to buy your music album or multimedia project on Amazon.com. Sugo Music Group’s On-Demand CD/DVD Manufacturing & Virtual Inventory department will format your digital music and front cover art files and provide a complete door-to-door service: production, formatting, pressing, handling and delivery.
It’s simple! You’ve produced great music and/or videos—now make them into retail-ready CDs and DVDs. Sugo Music Group is an Enterprise Partner with Amazon’s On-Demand CD/DVD Manufacturing, Printing & Distribution service. We provide an incomparable service that puts powerful new physical publishing options in the hands of music labels, licensors and musicians, even as the world goes increasingly digital. If you are a music label or a single artist, you now hold the optionof having limitless physical CD/DVD inventory, manufactured on demand, with no upfront costs and global distribution to anyone who orders it at Amazon.com!
Typically, there are considerable up-front costs and various charges for this type of service, yet Sugo Music Group offers all of our pre-production services for free. That’s right, free! We’ll handle a multi-track CD and DVD from pressing to delivery. In other words, our service promises to remove nearly all of the risks of short-run CD/DVD manufacturing, which can cost musicians hundreds or even thousands of dollars for discs that rarely sell enough to cover expenses.
Yes! Although physical music sales are decreasing and artists seeking to evolve to more of a digital model, there is definitely life left in good old physical storage media, with a slight twist. Sugo Music Group’s On-Demand CD/DVD Manufacturing, Printing & Distribution service is a great way to earn ancillary sales revenue while satisfying consumers worldwide.
You will earn the same royalty rate per your licensing agreement with Sugo Music Group that you would earn with our other services. You will not be charged any setup fees or additional costs. Only Amazon charges a fee for their manufacturing and delivery.
We send statements and royalty payments out to you on a quarterly basis. We’ll send your statements via email, and your royalty checks can be sent by mail, PayPal or direct deposit—you choose.
That’s fine if you are already manufacturing CDs or DVDs. Many labels and artists still want to manufacture short-run CDs/DVDs for their promotions, websites and gigs. Yet manufacturing for the global community audience is another story. It takes time, commitment and human & cash resources to do so correctly. These days, labels and artists are seeking creative methods of managing their cash flow, especially if they have multiple albums, let alone an archive of hundreds of albums. This is a one-stop solution for consumer distribution!
Yes, On-Demand CD/DVD is a time-intensive project. Yet Sugo Music Group has an Enterprise Partnership with Amazon.com, and we will have your products available and up & running more quickly than anyone else!
Yes. We’ll supply the UPC for you—at no extra cost!
Publishing
The business of music publishing is concerned with developing, protecting and valuing music compositions. The publishing business is diverse and demands a variety of skills. Music publishers play a vital role in the development of new music and in taking care of the business side, allowing composers and songwriters to concentrate on their creative work. A good publisher seeks out great music and great songwriters, and promotes their catalogues across a variety of platforms. A publisher manages the business exploitation of the catalogues (including the registration of works and the collection and onward payment of all due royalties) and generally seeks to protect and enhance the value of their works with passion and professional commitment.
Performing Rights Organization (or PRO) helps songwriters and publishers get paid for the usage of their music by collecting one of the most important forms of publishing revenue: Performance Royalties. As a songwriter, composer or lyricist, you’re owed what is called a “Performance Royalty” any time your music is played on radio stations (terrestrial, satellite and Internet), used on TV shows or commercials or performed in live venues. Those Performance Royalties are paid by radio stations, venues and TV networks to PROs such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN (in Canada) and more.
As a composer, you should be registered with a PRO in your territory. If you are not, then we can help. In addition, you should seek a publisher who will help manage and exploit your catalog. This is where Sugo Music Group’s publishing divisions can help.
If you already have a publishing company, you need to ask, “What is it doing for me?” If the answer is “very little,” then you need to make a change. If you are a composer and the publisher (all in one) or if you are a music label that has publishing rights of your artists’ songs and want to generate more revenues, then please contact us, and we’ll set you up the right way!
Yes, all composers under a publishing agreement with Sugo Music Group will retain 100% rights of their music. Period.
No. We make music publishing easy for labels and independent songwriters. You’ll know longer need worry about figuring this out for yourself and whether your songs are correctly registered worldwide, relevant to your public performance and syncopation rights.
Permission to publicly perform a song must be obtained from the copyright holder or a collective rights organization. In the United States, broadcasters can pay for their use of music in one of two ways: they can obtain permission/license directly from the music’s copyright owner (usually the publisher), or they can obtain a license from ASCAP, BMI and SESAC to use all of the music in their repertoires. ASCAP, BMI and SESAC are the three performing rights societies in the U.S. and once they receive payment from the broadcasters they are responsible for compensating the music authors and publisher. Nearly every professional composer, songwriter, lyricist and publisher should be a member of a performing rights society because the income received from these societies should be a major source of their income.
We provide music labels and independent songwriters the ability to collect worldwide publishing royalties. This enables you to make the most money from your music, relevant to your performance rights. For songwriters that do not have a publisher, the collection of publishing royalties is unnerving, costly, and time-intensive. With Sugo Music Group’s global network of collection agencies, we’ve done all the hard work for you. We’ll first assist in affiliating and registering you with a Performing Rights Organization and register your songs with foreign collection agencies around the world; and we’ll pay you the sogwriting royalties you’re owed. Even if you’re already affiliated with PRO, and/or have your own publishing company, we can help you make more money from your music.
No, we are not a Performing Rights Organization. We provide publishing services to collect songwriting royalties on behalf of songwriters. These royalties include performance royalties paid by PRO’s as well as mechanical royalties from the sale of your downloads on sites like iTunes.
No, we do not. In fact, our business is to protect and increase your composer royalties that you should be earning through your performing rights such as film, TV, streams, downloads, commercials and other business uses. Our share comes from the publisher’s portion only.
Yes. Sugo Music Group acts only as your publisher, meaning we will support your existing songwriter affiliation with ASCAP, BMI or SESAC. Please keep in mind that your writer’s share of public performance royalties will always be sent to you directly by your PRO that you are registered with.
When you join Sugo Music Group publishing (optional), you’re entering into an exclusive publishing agreement. If you have an existing publishing deal, it is possible that we will consider a co=publishing arrangement. Please contact us for further information on this.
Yes, of course. Just provide us with the names and songwriting splits of any co-writers. We’ll do the rest to ensure your portion of the songs are protected and monetized.
Yes, if they wish. Typically for songs that are co-written, we recommend that we represent all writers relevant to publishing services and opportunities. This is not mandatory, yet it generally makes licensing opportunities easier to secure.
General Questions
Sugo Music group is a full service music and multimedia distributor and publisher. We ensure that your content will be delivered, registered, formatted, monetized, reported, and protected throughout the world—all with leading industry experience and personalized customer care. Our distribution portfolio features a multitude of labels, licensors & audio libraries, and 35 years of distribution, publishing, and licensing excellence.
Sugo Music Group distributes to 180 countries—including China and India—and we service all major online sites & mobile carriers. We offer the largest host of music & video distribution services including global downloads, airplay, publishing, licensing, synchronization, manufacturing and more! For over three decades, Sugo Music Group has built cutting-edge delivery systems for music licensors, labels and artists around the world. We were one of the first to integrate digital and physical distribution, recognizing the importance of distributing across all channels and formats—all with superior asset management protocol. Whether it’s a full length on iTunes and Amazon, a stream on Deezer and Pandora, an MPL placement for film and TV, a UGC track and CiD on YouTube, a ringtone through Nokia and Telefonica, or manufactured CDs and DVDs through Amazon, we supply hundreds of outlets around the world through our proprietary Delivery & Operations Database.
Over the past 35 years, Sugo Music Group has distributed music products through every imaginable channel: music stores, big box retailers, wholesalers, TV, Internet, satellite, and mobile. Most importantly, we pride ourselves on keeping abreast of the ever-changing entertainment industry. We have established relationships and partnerships with the top online and mobile retailers, aggregators, and distributors in the world. We fine tune and expand these affiliations on a daily basis to ensure that your audio masters and songs are being delivered to listeners, viewers and industry professionals in as many territories as possible. For a full listing of retailers and sub-distributors, please see our “Music Distribution” page.
Unlike other service providers and distributors that might only submit your music to a handful of retailers (and might also charge up-front annual fees to do so), Sugo Music Group will assure that your Masters will be available, accessible and beheld by consumers throughout the world. We have developed significant outreach programs to thousands of industry partners—including retailers, sub-licensees, distributors, aggregators, music supervisors for film and TV, advertising and commercial agencies, sync brokers, monetization brokers, sub-publishers, video game licensees, broadcasters, performance rights organizations, labels and more. We might be able to secure overseas Master Use Licensing deals with various regional distribution companies, and we qualify emerging online and mobile outlets on a daily basis. In addition, our international mobile telecom database is growing every year, for both mobile download and streaming services.
Our company was founded in 1983 by artists, musicians and savvy business entrepreneurs. From the first day in the office, we decided to build our business acumen from the proverbial “one brick at a time” premise. Today, after 35 years of research, development, implementation and expansion, we firmly stand behind our philosophy of providing complete distribution portfolio solutions for our label partners. We’ve built our business on four cornerstones of industry excellence: premium service, uncompromising quality, unquestionable integrity, and great results. Sugo Music Group provides secure, quick turnaround, one-stop, turn-key publishing and placement programs that allow your sound recordings, video assets and musical works to successfully compete in the emerging international marketplace—all with no up-front costs or annual fees!
Simple. Just click the Get Started button and get your music distributed worldwide!
Nothing shall limit your ownership rights to your products, Masters and intellectual property. You always will retain all ownership rights in your assets.
Yes, absolutely. SiteLock is our security partner. SiteLock is one of the most highly respected security organizations in North America and protects more than 1,000,000 websites and online business around the globe. That’s more than any other website security or virus scan provider. Please know that the security of all your personal information is a top priority here at Sugo Music Group. We will never give out, release or sell your personal information.
We typically distribute most products. Yet, please keep in mind that we actually listen to all of the music from our label partners. We are very selective, in terms of quality, which means that your music will be distributed by real people… with real ears, hands, minds, hearts and the utmost integrity. Our label partner relations are our most important asset, and we are very protective of those relationships.
No, we do not. In fact, our business is to protect and increase your composer royalties that you should be earning through your performing rights such as film, TV, streams, downloads, commercials and other business uses. Our share comes from the publisher’s portion only.
Yes. Sugo Music Group acts only as your publisher, meaning we will support your existing songwriter affiliation with ASCAP, BMI or SESAC. Please keep in mind that your writer’s share of public performance royalties will always be sent to you directly by your PRO that you are registered with.
When you join Sugo Music Group publishing (optional), you’re entering into an exclusive publishing agreement. If you have an existing publishing deal, it is possible that we will consider a co=publishing arrangement. Please contact us for further information on this.
Yes, of course. Just provide us with the names and songwriting splits of any co-writers. We’ll do the rest to ensure your portion of the songs are protected and monetized.
Yes, if they wish. Typically for songs that are co-written, we recommend that we represent all writers relevant to publishing services and opportunities. This is not mandatory, yet it generally makes licensing opportunities easier to secure.
Video Monetization
First, we’ll help get your videos up onto YouTube; then onto other video sites when applicable. Next, our team will monetize each video with several different ad placements on pages and channels that your video appears on. The types of advertisements vary: In-Stream Ads, In-Video Overlay Ads and/or Standard Banner Ads. Consumers are accustomed to video ads throughout YouTube. For each stream that is viewed, you’ll generate income.
Yes. Over the past 5 years we’ve developed a video distribution & monetization network that is one of the largest in the world. Sugo Music Group manages hundreds of video channels within the Internet, YouTube & other social media sites. Our audiovisual team will provide full optimization, protection, processing and monetization on most major DMS partner video sites.
Yes, you could try to do so, yet we already have enterprise partnerships with the leading ad placement and video content monetization companies in the world. Together we supervise and monetize a growing network of channels on a daily basis that include quality control and targeted advertisements within each channel and page that your videos appear on. It is time consuming work and requires significant expertise and training to do so. The technology we are using is some of the most advanced in the world today for optimizing the monetization process of videos and is designed to yield the highest possible revenue CPM (cost per thousand impressions).
Yes, you could try to do so as there are alternate solutions for video monetization, including YouTube’s service, yet they may not be optimal. For instance, sites such as YouTube uses their own advertising company for ad placements on video channels. YouTube’s sales team primarily focuses on monetizing YouTube’s home page and top level domains (e.g. Eminem’s video channel). Why? The math is simple; the home page is worth $500K per day! However, there is still a market for the remaining ad inventory for smaller independent video channels—and our audiovisual team and advertisement partners are experts at monetizing all of your videos!
No, not when you work with our company. Although video monetization can be time intensive work, we do not charge any set-up fees or additional up-front costs whatsoever. We bear all of the set-up & monetization expenses out of our share—with no hidden fees or charge-backs to you.
All revenues are tracked on a cost per thousand impression (CPM) basis and we meticulously report on how much views and revenue each one of your video assets generates in an accounting period. There is typically a nine month lead time before your first reporting takes place because our monetization team has to process your content, ingest it into the system, build your Content ID docket, distribute, manage the ad inventory online, selling and trafficking the ads, and get paid by the advertisers.
Yes. You can rest assured that all advertising sold around your content must conform to family friendly guidelines. You will never see ads for adult content, alcohol, tobacco, weapons or other non-family friendly products or services when working with us.
Rates can vary from $1 to as high as $300 per 1000 views. The current payout CPM (cost per thousand impressions) on average is about $2.75-$3.50 per 1,000 views (this is conservative). For channels and videos that develop higher viewership, higher dollar ad values are sold, $18-$30 per 1,000 views for videos with 100,000 or more views. If channels or videos go viral and exceed 800,000+ views, significantly higher “paid product placement” ads are sold and they can reach as high as $90-$300 per 1,000 views.
Yes. There are three classifications of advertisement inventory available: 1) Run of Content: Advertisers purchase ads targeted across the entire content network without regard to any individual piece of category of content. These are generally direct response advertisers looking for performance. The ads are often sold by advertising networks and exchanges. Rates are commonly around $1 CPM and consist mostly of banner ads and sponsored links; 2) Run of Audience: Advertisers purchase video or display ads around content segmented into categories that correspond to general audience appeal. Examples could be ‘Auto’, or ‘Basketball’. This inventory may be sold by our advertising partner, the publisher, or an affiliate. Rates are commonly $4-12 CMP for video pre-roll or in video overlays; 3) Direct Sold: Brand advertises purchase premium: 15 and 30 second video pre-roll (movie trailers/ premium commercials, etc.) directly from our advertising partner with stringent targeting and tracking requirements. Rates are commonly $15+ CPM (cost per thousand impressions) for video pre-roll.
Our video optimization process drives average monetization lift from 28% to near 90%—a 3x increase in content available for monetization on these types of DMS channels. Our system strives to fill 100% of all available inventories at the highest possible rate. Our audiovisual team and monetization partners are dedicated, on a daily basis, to actively growing this side of the business with significant opportunity to generate additional revenues for you.
Yes. Most, if not all, label partners choose to stay in the program as this service increases overall earnings.
We collect money for the usage of your music in videos, and this includes videos you may have already uploaded. This notice means the Content ID system identified your song and it’s now setup to generate revenue for that video. Thus, if you login to your YouTube account and see a copyright notice next to your videos– don’t worry! You don’t need to take action. We are not claiming ownership of your song; we are simply generating revenue for you and YouTube has notified you!
Do not do anything! This is simply a YouTube notification that your music is now ready for monetization on YouTube. Do not dispute this or do anything else! Thus, if you login to your YouTube account and see a copyright notice next to your videos– don’t worry! You don’t need to take action. We are not claiming ownership of your song; we are simply generating revenue for you and YouTube has notified you!
Whenever your videos (or someone else’s videos that use your music) are played, you’ll earn money from ad revenue.
CiD, Micro-Sync & Synchronization
CiD (Content Identification or Content ID) is a technology that allows us to identify when specific third party videos are being played on the internet (especially on YouTube) which are utilizing your music content (your sound recording or your composition) without your permission. You may feel that this is not occurring or occurring very often, yet you may be surprised by the results. Keep in mind, over 60 hours of new videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute of every day—and this number is growing exponentially—and all of these videos are using music!
Micro-Sync (i.e. “Friendly Music”) is a service that YouTube makes available to video creators so that they can legally license your music for their multimedia projects. All video creators can use Micro-Sync and our CiD team makes sure to collect royalties from everyone who is licensing your music. Micro-Sync is alo the term used when selling a license to a YouTube user in order to develop more content for CiD to monetize.
We do not charge any set-up fees or additional costs for these services. They are all included within your agreement.
CiD allows us to collect revenue every time your music is being used on third party videos. We collect revenue by placing advertising on the channels and pages that these videos are being broadcasted on. You can definitely earn ancillary advertisement revenue for these types of usages! There are over 85,000 hours of new video uploaded every day to YouTube. That’s a lot of people who need good tunes to match up with those crazy cat videos and glamorous wedding slideshows they’re posting.
Our CiD and Micro-Sync team will handle everything for you. We will format and deliver your music to YouTube’s Content ID system and various other channels that are emerging. This is an important step and must be done right. Then YouTube will scan your tracks with fingerprinting, watermarking and proprietary algorithms and register an exact sonic “fingerprint” for each and every one of your songs into respective databases. User Generated Content (UGC) matches will then occur. We monitor the matches, monetize the videos and collect revenue. From that point on, any time someone out there in the YouTube universe uploads a video that uses your song, you will make money from the ad revenue generated by that video. With Sugo Music Group’s CiD and Micro-Sync program, you’ll get paid for the usage of your music on the Internet, especially YouTube.
Don’t worry, we totally understand. This stuff gets complicated really quickly, especially when dealing with digital fingerprinting, watermarking, advanced Boolean search and data-basing algorithms! Don’t worry because we’re here to help. The most important thing is to get it done … and get it done right. After your music is entered into our CiD and Micro-Sync database, you’ll be collecting revenue that is legally and rightfully yours. Contact us, and we’ll do our best to answer your questions quickly and accurately.
It depends completely on the licensing arrangements you have made with other sync licensing companies. If you have an exclusive deal with another company, yes, it will interfere. If you have a non-exclusive deal with another sync company there shouldn’t be any problems.
This process usually takes 2-4 weeks.
No. With Sugo Music Group you always retain ownership of all of your copyrights. However, you are granting synchronization rights so that you’re music can be used for CiD and Micro-Sync without your direct approval.
Yes, somewhat. They are all a form of using music with video, or music with film, visuals or graphic elements. Yet, when we refer to “synchronization,” we are generally referring to a type of license called “All Media” (e.g. films, television shows, commercials, video games, various business uses, etc.). These are typically larger revenue generating licenses.
A synchronization or “sync” right is when recorded music is used in combination with visual images in a production. Since the use of music in film, TV, video, game, webcast or other various entertainment & business usages is not covered by the compulsory license provisions of the Copyright Act, sync licenses for these uses must be negotiated on an individual basis with each broadcast affiliate. No worries because your music will be ingested into our global synchronization database,
There are two general types of licenses in regards to synchronization: 1) All Media: Anything that pays. Examples include films, television shows, and video games; 2) MicroSync: This is any type of project or production that makes use of multimedia or new media platforms (e.g. website-music, online video sharing, videos on YouTube, presentations, apps, and app-games).
We use various methods and we utilize numerous agents. Most our agents are international Production Music Libraries. Sugo Music Group has partnered with the leading MPLs around the world relevant to the production and distribution of music for film, television, web and corporate communications.
We have direct and indirect relationships with major TV networks, as well as major and independent film production companies, game studios, and internet companies (such as YouTube).
No. Small sync deals like YouTube have a standard rate, and Sugo Music Group and our PML agents will negotiate on your behalf for larger sync deals. Remember, we are all incentivized to get as much as possible, because that’s how we all get paid. In addition, also remember that synchronization is a very competitive marketplace. The most important thing is to get represented as soon as possibly with the most professional team imaginable.
Yes, you will receive detailed reports. We are noted for preparing and sending some of the most detailed reports in the industry today. That said, you will be treated as the sole music provider in your royalty statements. If you have artist agreements or side agreements with other musicians or writers, you are responsible for providing reports to each of your artists separately. The good news is that or statements are “sortable” and can be easily “filtered” with Excel software. This is what most labels do.
Yes, and thank you for asking! If you’ve already uploaded videos to YouTube that contain music is part of our Content Identification (CiD) program, then you will eventually see a copyright notice in your YouTube account saying that we have claimed administration rights for this video. If you want to continue your CiD and Micro-Sync relationship with us, simply do nothing and we will complete the claim and collect money across the global YouTube ecosystem for you.
Sync licenses range from $1.95 for a small home video Micro-Sync license to $200 for small website usages to $1000 for a short-run commercial to $50,000 for major motion picture. The amount simply depends on the type of placement. The best way to look at it though is to set up a robust sync portfolio with as many tracks and with as many placements as possible—with the best distributor. This is where Sugo Music Group can definitely help. We’ll build your metadata, metatag and mood description docket for all of your tracks for increased exposure.
Synchronization deals are always split 50/50. You, the Licensor, receive half of revenue and Sugo Music Group, the Licensee, receives the other half.
Yes. Think of our Video Monetization program as an annuity—a stipend where your revenue grows with time—and your brand garners significant exposure in a competitive digital marketplace. Our audiovisual team can add significant dollars to your royalty checks as a direct result of our advertising sales and trafficking expertise for your videos—even if your videos are homemade, concert footage or slideshows. In addition, many times we can include “buy” links for your audio track embodied on the video pointing to iTunes, etc.
Money, Royalties & Statements
We send royalty statements via email to all of our licensors on a quarterly basis. All statements are delivered within 105 days after the close of each quarter.
As soon as we send your quarterly statement to you, your royalty payment will delivered to you by our accounting department within 14 days.
We’ll send your royalty payment by mail or direct deposit—you choose.
A signed W-9 form is required by the IRS for anyone receiving money from royalty payments. Without this, we cannot pay you!
Yes, we will need: 1) a signed W9 form that was provided to you (if you’re a US artist or company) and please email or fax it to us; 2) if you’re from outside the US, please fill out a W8-Ben Tax form and please email or fax it to us; 3) please ensure that your correct company address is also provided.
The amount of royalties you make will depend on a multitude of factors: how many products you have; how many broadcasts, streams, licenses or placements you garner; how many interactive VS non-interactive streams are occurring, how many broadcasters and channels your music is on, etc.
No, that is not necessary. The PRO that you are registered with (e.g. ASCAP or BMI) will send your songwriter royalty directly to you. No need for worry or for the PRO to send the money to us first. We will ensure that your registration is set up correctly and that there are no restrictions or problems with your account.
An IPI/CAE number is a nine-digit international identification number assigned to songwriters and publishers to uniquely identify rights holders. Your IPI/CAE number is available in the repertories of all Performing Rights Organizations (e.g. ASCAP or BMI) and can be found by searching for your name in their respective databases.
If your song is manufactured and sold by a third-party, you are entitled to a mechanical royalty. This will be paid to you by the third-party releasing the album for sale. This third-party could be a label releasing your songs, or a label / artist covering your songs.
Typically in the US, there is a 6 to 9 month window of time before disbursements. With all Performing Rights Organizations, there is a lag period between the date of the use and the royalty payment.
Yes. Our statements precisely show which country, date and retail channel your tracks are being downloaded and broadcasted in.
Yes. Our statements are very detailed. This way you can review and see where the majority of your activity is occurring.
Sub-Licensing
Sub-licensing is one of the more important services we offer and helps round out your Complete Distribution Portfolio. Although a significant portion of our international distribution efforts is based from our U.S. headquarters, we also work with our foreign and domestic sub-licensing partners to promote, distribute and sell your music through strategic, ancillary channels in their respective territories. Sub-Licensing also includes domestic licensees such as various In-Store Media service providers and various digital broadcasters that deliver retail music and multimedia.
Sub-licensing should be an integral part of every distribution portfolio. Most, if not all, music distributors do not provide global sub-licensing services and solutions. Distributors typically do not offer these services because they rely on 100% automation. Automated services have some benefits, yet they also have limitations. Global sub-licensing requires both automated and hands-on systems. Sub-licensing can be time consuming and require extra resources, yet once your music is licensed with one of our partners, your assets can then be professionally marketed in that channel and territory. Other distributors do not and cannot offer these types of services.
There are no additional charges, fees, charge-backs, etc. This is a win-win situation for both of us. We’ve been working with international licensing affiliates for 30 years now. From day one, we were setting up vinyl and cassette manufacturing and unique production deals in international territories. Years later, we set up CD manufacturing and various synchronization deals. Currently we manage digital asset ingestion with our foreign partners, yet some partners still like to manufacture CDs as well.
You can experience how In-Store Media works by simply walking into almost every store or business environment that plays music. Music, videos and other various multimedia are broadcasted within commercial environments to provide a satisfying, inspiring and artistic ambience. For certain retailers, studies show that playing the right music can increase sales up to 50%—and also creates supplementary revenue annuities for artists!
Sugo Music Group works with some of the most respected licensees in the industry. Although many of our partners have been around for decades, we still interview, qualify and sign on new potential partners when applicable.
Building enterprise relations with global licensees and In-Store Media groups, formatting audio and metadata, and delivering assets and quality control checks are a full-time job. Through the years, our sub-licensee database has grown considerably. Each licensee is screened and approved for quality and performance.
Yes. For most music labels, content owners, recordings artists and songwriters, initial success almost always comes from activity within their respective territory or country. Downloads, digital radio, television, Internet performances, album sales (both physical sales and downloads), synch licenses for songs in films, television, video games and advertising commercials are the typical applications. All of these methods and channels can generate royalties—sometimes large, as in the case of a hit song, good-selling compilation album or television theme, and other times minimal, as in the case of a webcast performance or small one-time usages. Yet, your music can also be licensed, sold and distributed outside your home territory and can generate significant revenue. Sub-licensing is one of the more important services we offer and helps round out your Complete Distribution Portfolio.
Yes and no. It’s a good question to ask regarding what happens to your music when it is licensed by a licensee in a foreign territory—say, in Taiwan, Ireland, South Africa, USA or any other country, for that matter? How will royalties be collected, and by whom? What do you have to do to get paid? Is there a language barrier? How can I find trusted partners? Those are the questions you need answers to when dealing with any activity in the foreign marketplace. The good news is that Sugo Music Group specializes in global sub-licensing and we have assembled a partner database over the past 30 years that will assist in providing those types of answers and solutions to your foreign distributions.
Yes, you can, yet each territory has its own procedures, policies and laws governing the licensing, performance and sale of music in its territory. In addition, every country has its own collection societies for the negotiation, collection and distribution of performance and mechanical monies—for both copyright owners and writer and publishing registrants. These foreign collection societies and organizations have payment rules very different from those in your territory or in the U.S.—in addition to sometimes taking significant deductions from royalties of master owners, writers and publishers prior to statements and payments. Some of these societies are very transparent, whereas others are not. Our sub-licensing team at Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop opportunity for all our label partners and artists in securing foreign licensing opportunities, and we’ll handle all the registration, monitoring and accounting issues with third party societies.
Yes. Sugo Music Group collects on sub-licensing in two ways: a) Master Use Licensing and b) Performance Royalties. We negotiate Master Use licenses for the usage of the master sound recording and we also register and collect royalties for the public broadcast performances of both your master and your original songs! Though most songwriters receive modest or little royalties for their songs performed outside the U.S., successful writers (and recording artists) can make millions of dollars over the life of a song for foreign country performances and sales. To give an example of the type of monies being collected, in 2009 over $600 million was forwarded to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC for foreign performances of U.S. works. Most of the money is writer money as many publishers collect their money directly from each foreign collection society. As to individual activity, a major worldwide hit song can generate well over $1,000,000 in foreign radio and television performance monies, with a blockbuster feature film generating in excess of $500,000 composer royalties for foreign theatrical (movie theatre) performances alone during the initial year of activity. Putting these high-end figures aside, it is important to know that tens of thousands of U.S. copyright owners, writers and publishers receive between $1 and $100,000 in foreign royalties each year for performances of their works on radio and television stations, live performances and website transmissions, among many other types of uses.
In-store and other business broadcasts enable musicians, music labels, multimedia archives and content owners to garner increased revenues while promoting your brand, bands and artists and garnering incremental sales! Think of it as an actor or actress doing a voice-over or having their photo in an advertisement. It’s just another way to increase your audience base, engage new fans, promote your artwork, earn new royalties, and round out your Complete Distribution Portfolio.
Sugo Music Group works with the leading In-Store Media providers such as Mood Media, Play Network, Stingray, Music Choice and Galaxie, among others.
We send statements and royalty payments on a quarterly basis.
Technology & Delivery Methods
Popular online stores that sell music downloads include the iTunes Store, Amazon MP3, eMusic, Google Play, Nokia Music Store, and more. Paid music downloads are almost always compressed using a lossy codec (usually MPEG-1 Layer 3, Window Media, or AAC), which reduces file size and bandwidth requirements. On the legal side of things, a music download requires both a master use license (to cover the “sound recording”) and a mechanical license (to cover the “musical work”). The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements for all global download distributions!
Non-interactive streaming services are very generally defined as those in which the user experience mimics a radio broadcast. That is, users may not choose a specific track or artist they wish to hear, but are provided a pre-programmed or semi-random combination of tracks, the specific selection and order of which remain unknown to the listener (i.e. no pre-published playlist). Unlike music downloads or podcasts, streaming does not result in permanent copies of masters or songs being transferred to the listener. Rather, streaming is transient and any resulting copies aretypically only temporary cache or buffer copies (also known as “ephemeral” copies). On the legal side of things, a non-interactive stream requires both a statutory “sound recording” license administered by an organization called SoundExchange in the United States (and numerous other international PRO’s) which collects and distributes streaming royalties to content owners and performers, and a public performance “song” license (from ASCAP, BMI, or other Performing Rights Organizations). The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements for any global non-interactive digital streaming distributions!
Interactive or on-demand streaming services allow the listener to select and play any song “on-demand”. This is distinctly different from non-interactive streams. That is, users may choose a specific track or artist they wish to hear, and are typically provided a pre-published playlist, in many cases. On the legal side of things, a music download requires both a mechanical master use license (to cover the “sound recording”) and a public performance license from ASCAP, BMI, or other Performing Rights Organizations (to cover the “musical work”). The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on any globalinteractive streaming distributions!
A tethered download is a song file downloaded from a music subscription service that can be played only on computers
registered to the account, as opposed to untethered downloads which can be played on compatible portable devices. Some
services provide limited or “tethered” downloads, in which copies are made directly to user devices; however, the copies become unusable (or “expire”) after a certain period of time or when the user stops paying a service fee (and the copies may be usable only on certain devices). On the legal side of things, a tethered download requires both a master uselicense (to cover the “sound recording”) and a mechanical license (to cover the “musical work”). The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on any tethered download distributions!
Ringtones are digital copies of songs, typically around 30 seconds in duration, that are designed to be played on a mobile phone in order to signal an incoming call in the same manner as would a telephone ring. Ringtones come from a variety of sources, but, most commonly, mobile phone customers download ringtones from their service providers, such as AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. Ringtones come in two types: (1) synthesized (either monophonic, which have only a single melodic line, or polyphonic, which have both melody and harmony); and (2) mastertones (which are digital excerpts of sound recordings). Synthesized ringtones only require a mechanical license to cover the musical work, while mastertones require both a mechanical license and a master use license to cover both the musical work and the sound recording. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses andlegal requirements on any global ringtone distributions!
Music “podcasting” is a hybrid of streaming and music downloads. Typically, “podcasts” are full-length radio programs that the end user downloads (either automatically or on-demand) to their computer or mobile device, such as an iPod, MP3 player, or “smart” phone. Podcasts require both a master use and mechanical license. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on any global podcast distributions!
To use recorded copyrighted music as background music on a website, site broadcasters need permission from both the sound recording owner and the musical work (“song”) owner. Statutory compulsory licenses generally do not apply to website background music, since website background music involves incorporation of the music with images (or “synchronization”).Permissions would need to cover both the required server copy and the public performance of the music on the website. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatorylicenses and legal requirements on any global website background music distributions!
To use an existing sound recording in a web video, both a mechanical license from the publisher and a master use license from the record company are required. Since web videos will involve the synchronization of music with images, these licenses should clearly grant synchronization rights. Performance licenses are also required for videos played on websites, which for the musical works are typically secured from ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC as blanket licenses. Note that for music videos, publishers typically permit the record companies to sublicense the underlying musical work, so in these cases, full permission to use music videos on a website may be secured directly from us. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatory licenses and legal requirements on any global distributions of sound recording embodied in web videos!
Content Delivery
Yes, yet there’s a specific amount of attention to detail that is important when preparing your content for delivery. That said, please try your best to prepare & format assets as instructed in your Welcome Package, Preparation Letter and Metadata Instructions. Correctly preparing your metadata will expedite the process significantly and ensure quality control. If you do not follow instructions and do not complete metadata and audio requirements as outlined, your release might be rejected by retail stores and could delay the release schedule. Of course we’ll help you as much as we can to ensure proper delivery of your products, but please follow the Preparation Letter and Metadata Instructions as best you can!
Please send each individual audio track as a WAV file. WAV files are the industry standard format and are high resolution files. Each WAV file track for an album should be placed within a folder specific to that album release (labeled by album title) and zipped (if possible). See further delivery instructions below. You will list each track and album in our Audio Metadata Template (.xls). Please remember to submit only one Audio Metadata Template for all your products (we don’t need individual spreadsheets for each album). Do not re-submit previous spreadsheet that embody previous releases that have already been delivered to us. Ensure that all audio tracks submitted are properly formatted as .wav files at 1411 kbps. This is the only acceptable format for audio file delivery. Please number all audio files consistently to reflect the set list sequence as provided in your Audio Metadata Template (e.g. 01 Track 1.wav or 01 Somewhere Over the Rainbow.wav…etc.).
Please send your front cover artwork as a JPEG, 1500×1500 pixels, 300 dpi RGB for each album, EP or Single. Each JPEG for a product should be placed within the above said respective album folder. Album artwork may not contain promotional logos for social media campaigns and/or third party site promotional icons. Album covers must embody the album title and primary artist(s). Note: In some instances, our international licensees may request to manufacture CDs in their territories (which is ideal). Thus, in these scenarios, we would eventually need artwork for tray card and booklet as well along the way. This is not mandatory right now, and it’s always beneficial when it occurs, yet DO NOT send full album artwork at this point in time (only front cover artwork!).
To ensure quality control and schedule release, please note we have very specific instructions pertaining to the correct listing of your track information our Audio Metadata Template. Audio metadata is one of the most important components for proper integration and delivery to our digital and mobile partners. Please read the instructions carefully and fill out the Audio Metadata Template in your Welcome Package. Contact us if you have any difficulties or questions.
After completing audio, art and metadata preparation per our instructions, you will then need to deliver your assets to our integration team. This is easy. To do this, you will utilize our FTP Service https://swft.exavault.com/login/ account. Exavault is a business file transfer and secure FTP hosting service that all of our international partners use to deliver their assets. We will be emailing a unique username and login password for access to your folder on the server.
Audio Files & Front Cover Artwork: Please deliver only one master zip file per delivery. Make sure the zip folder is labeled as such: delivery date followed by the name of your label (e.g. 7_24_2013_Your Company Name). If you are sending only one album release, please include all components (audio files and front cover artwork) in a dedicated album folder inside the master zip folder. Make sure all audio files are numbered sequentially as relational to the set order of the metadata for the album release. If you are delivering multiple albums, please include each individual album file folder (audio & front cover art) inside a master zip folder.
To use recorded copyrighted music as background music on a website, site broadcasters need permission from both the sound recording owner and the musical work (“song”) owner. Statutory compulsory licenses generally do not apply to website background music, since website background music involves incorporation of the music with images (or “synchronization”).Permissions would need to cover both the required server copy and the public performance of the music on the website. The good news is that Sugo Music Group provides a one-stop service for our label partners by managing all mandatorylicenses and legal requirements on any global website background music distributions!
Artist Bios/Photos & Images: Additionally, any artist bios, album/artist reviews and artist photos/images would be very much appreciated and we will utilize this info for various websites, databases and for our distribution partners and retailers. Do not include these with your audio deliveries; please send them directly to us!
Yes! In the Audio Metadata Template: 1) Do not use all capital letters for ANY of the words in the metadata; 2) Columns (A) – (AE) embody data that is specific to the entire release only, not individual tracks; 3) Columns (AF) – (AV) embody data that is specific to each individual song track on the release; 4) Columns (AW) – (AX) embody data that is specific to the writers and publishers of each song track on the release; 5) Columns (AY) – (AZ) are for internal use only and do not need to be edited.
Name of album title: The following list of prepositions must be lowercase unless they are the first or the last words in the title: a, an, and, for, from, of, or, the, to, in.
Choose appropriate language from drop-down menu that refers to the “language” of the Album title (e.g. for “Besame Mucho” choose Spanish; for “O Solo Mio” choose Italian). Use English for any “slang” titles. NOTE: BE SURE TO SELECT ONLY ONE LANGUAGE PER RELEASE (MULTIPLE LANGUAGES WILL CAUSE YOUR ALBUM TO BE REJECTED.
Name of band or primary artist for album (e.g. The Beatles or Lady Gaga, Tom Jones). NOTE: ONLY THE MAIN ARTIST SHOULD BE LISTED HERE AND SHOULD BE THE SAME FOR ALL SONGS ON THE SPECIFIC RELEASE. NOTE: VARIOUS ARTISTS CAN BE ENTERED HERE ONLY IF THE ALBUM EMBODIES 4 OR MORE ARTISTS ON VARIOUS RELEASE TRACKS.
Choose the appropriate country for the primary release artist. NOTE: YOUR SELECTION MUST BE THE SAME FOR EVERY TRACK EMBODIED IN ANY GIVEN RELEASE.
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Please copy and paste this link for all tracks being submitted, https://sugomusic.com/
Name of band or primary artist for album (e.g. The Beatles or Lady Gaga, Tom Jones)
Name of artist(s) in band or artist(s) featured on EVERY track of THE ENTIRE ALBUM (e.g. ONLY when an artist(s) appears on every track of the album), separated by a pipeline (NOT a capital “I”) and no space between names (e.g. John Lennon|PaulMcCartney|GeorgeHarrison|Ringo Starr). You create a pipeline by holding the shift key and pressing the forward slash “ ” button. The above said must be the same for all tracks on album. Pipeline example: Capital I= I Pipeline= | (e.g. John Lennon|Paul McCartney|George Harrison|Ringo Starr).
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Choose one per Album. Guidelines as follows. Single: 3 tracks or less, each song must be less than 10 minutes; EP: 1-3 tracks in cases where one or more tracks has a running time of 10 minutes or more with a total running time that is less than 30minutes; Or a 4-6 track release with a total running time that is less than 30 minutes; Full Length: A “Full Length” release is any release that is 7 or more tracks. NOTE: YOUR SELECTION MUST BE THE SAME FOR EVERY TRACK EMBODIED IN ANY GIVEN RELEASE.
Enter: “Your Label Name”/SUGO Music Group (e.g. The Sample Record Company/SUGO Music Group). NOTE: THIS MUST BE THE SAME FOR ALL RELEASES IN ORIGINAL OR ANY FUTURE RELEASE SUBMISSIONS.
Choose one per Album from the dropdown menu. If you cannot find the exact genre for your album, please select the most suitable genre in the pull down menu. DO NOT type in any genres that are not available. NOTE: YOUR SELECTION MUST BE THE SAME FOR EVERY TRACK EMBODIED IN ANY GIVEN RELEASE.
Choose one per Album from the dropdown menu. If you cannot find the exact sub-genre for your album, please select the most suitable sub-genre in the pull down menu. DO NOT type in any sub-genres that are not available. NOTE: YOUR SELECTION MUST BE THE SAME FOR EVERY TRACK EMBODIED IN ANY GIVEN RELEASE. NOTE: THIS IS A REQUIRED FIELD, PLEASE DO YOUR BEST TO SELECT A SUB-GENRE THAT BEST EMBODIES YOUR RELEASE.
This is for the Album’s original release year. If album is unreleased, use current year and immediately followed by the name of your record label (e.g. 2013 The Sample Record Company).
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Enter the number (1) in all corresponding track cells for this column.
Track number in set list. Enter the corresponding track number for each song listed in Column AG.
Name of track. The following list of prepositions must be lowercase unless they are the first or the last words in the title. a, an, and, for, from, of, or, the, to, in.
Choose appropriate language from drop-down menu that refers to the “language” of the track title (e.g. for “Besame Mucho” choose Spanish; for “O Solo Mio” choose Italian). Use English for and slang titles.
Enter version name for any song that has been remade, remixed or slightly altered from the original song (i.e., “My Tune (Depression Mix)”, “My Tune (Acoustic Remix)”, etc.). Not to include ‘copy’ tunes. NOTE: IF THE VERSION IS A REMIX DO NOT INCLUDE THE REMIXERS ARTIST NAME IN THIS FIELD, THAT INFORMATION WILL BE ENTERED INTO COLUMN (AL).
Leave blank (your “Primary Artist” will automatically pre-populate this field for stores). NOTE: IF YOU RELEASE IS A COMPILATION AND VARIOUS ARTISTS HAS BEEN PLACED IN THE PRIMARY ARTIST FIELD, THEN YOU MUST LIST EACH TRACK ARTIST.
Name of featured artist(s) on a specific track; DO NOT include the primary artist. Separate multiple artists with a pipeline (NOT A Capital “I”). Create a pipeline by holding the shift key and pressing the forward slash “ “ button. Pipeline example: Capital i= I Pipeline= | (e.g. John Lennon|Paul McCartney|George Harrison|Ringo Starr).
Please enter the name of any track Remixer(s) in this field.
Yes= Explicit; No= No Profanity; Clean= Contains Censored Profanity. NOTE: CLEAN REFERS TO EXPLICIT RELEASES THAT HAS HAD EXPLATIVES REMOVED OR ALTERED TO ENSURE A RADIO FRIENDLY VERSION OR EDIT. IT DOES NOT REFER TO A TRACK THAT SIMPLY CONTAINS NO PROFANE LANGUAGE.
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Click Yes: If there is a publisher/publishing company other than your own publisher/publishing company associated with this specific song track, or if the song was originally written by a third party composer previous to your arrangement of the song. Click No: If the publishing company is your own publisher/publishing company associated with this specific song track, or if you are the original writer of the song, or if the song is public domain.
Name of writer(s) on track, separated by a pipeline (NOT A Capital “I”). Create a pipeline by holding the shift key and pressing the forward slash “ ” button. Pipeline example: Capital i= I Pipeline= | (e.g. George Gershwin|Ira Gershwin|Duke Ellington).
Name of publisher(s)on track, separated by a pipeline (NOT A Capital “I”). Create a pipeline by holding the shift key and pressing the forward slash “ ” button. Pipeline example: Capital i= I Pipeline= | (e.g. NEN Music|Sugo Recording Company). If you have signed a co-publishing/publishing agreement with SUGO Music Group please add the correct SUGO Music Group publisher to this column: In the Case of ASCAP, add “NEN Music” without the quotations; in the case of BMI, add “El Granada Music” without the quotations. Co-Publishing Example: In the cases of a Co-publishing deal with SUGO Music Group where your publishing company is ASCAP affiliated, Column AN should look like this: Your Publishing Company’s Name|NEN Music; in the cases of a Co-publishing deal with SUGO Music Group where your publishing company is BMI affiliated, Column AN should look like this: Your Publishing Company’s Name|El Granada Music; in the cases of a full publishing deal with SUGO Music Group, Column AN will be determined by the writers existing associate if already associated with BMI the publisher will be “El Granada Music” in cases where the PRO association is ASCAP then the publisher will be “NEN Music”. If the writer isn’t affiliated with a PRO please populate this field with our ASCAP publisher “NEN Music”. *There is no need to define whether the company is ASCAP or BMI. Just use the appropriate SUGO Music Group Publisher.
Please enter the total length of time for the entire release to the nearest minute; round up if over 30 seconds, round down if under (e.g. 59 Minutes)
Enter “Y” if instrumental, enter “N” if there are vocals.
