Table of Contents
Submission Process
Submission Process- General
- Hatespeech or Offensive Content Policy
- I need to transfer an album from one account to another account, how do I do that?
- VIDEO: What is CD Baby??
- The New Title Overview Page is Replacing the Album/Single Edit Menu
- How do I sign up?
- Is there a fee to create an account with CD Baby?
Artist Name Requirements
- Why can't I get my name spelled right on the site?
- How should I enter my band name?
- How do I list additional artists that are featured on particular tracks?
- How do I list my artist names if there are multiple performing artists?
- Why can't I use my record label or a description of my music as my artist name?
- How do I properly format the information if my album contains "Meets, Presents, or Versus" as it relates to the performing artists?
Submitting Track Information
- How do I make edits to my track list?
- How do I sign up a multi-disc/volume album?
- VIDEO: How many tracks can I put on a single?
- Can I sign up some, but not every song from my CD?
- What about the bonus tracks on my CD? If they're not listed on my CD artwork, do they go to digital distribution?
- How do I differentiate two different versions of the same song on an album?
Submitting songwriter and publisher information
Submitting Art
- Why does the information I provided on my account need to match my artwork?
- How do I upload my album art?
- How can I re-size my art to the required minimum of 1400 x 1400 pixel dimensions?
- What kind of ART IMAGE file should I upload?
- Why did I get an error message when uploading my art?
- What happens if my cover art image is not perfectly square?
Submitting Audio
- Will the metadata embedded in my audio files remain once you process my audio?
- Can you pull my audio/artwork files from my physical CDs?
- What kind of AUDIO files should I upload?
- Why shouldn't I upload MP3s?
- How long should it take to upload my audio files?
- I have a CD that blends each track together (i.e., DJ mix). Will it stay like that on your digital partner sites?
Classical and Opera Submissions
Your Page on our retail site: store.cdbaby.com
Accessing Your CD Baby Artist Account
Your retail sales page on store.cdbaby.com
- Will my MP3s on store.cdbaby.com be high quality?
- Can I sell full-album AND single-song downloads on store.cdbaby.com
- VIDEO: What if I want my submission to be available for FREE?
- Do you have a link maker? How can I link people to my album page?
- What kind of information belongs in my "Description" and "Notes" section of my album/single?
- What do I need to know about sample audio clips on your site?
Your Artist Page on our retail store: store.cdbaby.com
Financial Information (getting paid, sales reporting, paying submission fees ETC)
Paying for your CD Baby Submission
- How do I check out with a coupon?
- What are the costs to sell on CD Baby?
- How do I check out and pay for my submission?
- How can I check out with a coupon if my submission is not ready yet?
- How do I use a coupon if I don't want to buy a UPC barcode from CD Baby?
- VIDEO: How do I enter a coupon?
Receiving Payments from CD Baby
- • Help with the Hurricane Harvey relief effort!
- • How do I update my payment info?
- • Which countries support direct bank (ACH) payments?
- When will I get paid?
- When do I get paid for physical retail distribution sales?
- How will you get the money to me?
Sales and Accounting
- • Credit Card Swipers
- How do I find my Sales and Accounting breakdown?
- My friend downloaded my song yesterday - when do I see that in my report - and get paid?
- VIDEO: I don't see any sales, what is going on?
- What does "download" and "streaming" refer to on my sales report?
- VIDEO: How do I view my sales report in Excel?
Trending Reports
Soundscan, Billboard and SoundExchange Reporting
Tax Information
UPCs and ISRCs
UPC Barcodes/ISRCS
- I keep getting an error message when trying to upload my album art?
- What is a UPC bar code and why do I need one?
- Where do I find my UPC Barcode
- Your system won't take my bar code! What's up with that?
- My CD doesn't have a bar code printed on the back of the artwork. Is that a problem for CD Baby’s partners?
- Why is it NOT OK for me to change my album's UPC bar code?
Digital Distribution
Mastered for iTunes
Digital Distribution- General
- Why is Hebrew not a supported language?
- Can I do a "digital-only" release if I don't have CDs to sell?
- Can I release just a single into digital distribution?
- Can I offer pre-sales for my music?
- What partners/sites will my submission go to? How do I select specific partners/sites?
- VIDEO: What sites will sell my music?
iTunes
- • How to find your Artist Page link on iTunes
- What is the Mastered for iTunes process like?
- What are the deadlines to have my content live on iTunes for the 2016 holiday season
- How do the popularity bars work on iTunes?
- What is iTunes™ Match (iTunes™ in the Cloud), and how does it work?
- How much will I make from iTunes™ Match for the use of my content?
Apple Music
Shazam
YouTube Music
Pandora
Other Digital Partner Information
Cover Songs, Copyrights, Samples, and Royalties FAQ
Cover Songs, Copyrights, Samples, and Royalties- General Info
- Holiday songs that are and are not in the Public Domain
- Do I need to get a license to offer streaming on my cover song?
- What IS a cover song?
- What is NOT a cover song?
- VIDEO: What is a Cover Song?
- VIDEO: What is a cover song? Can I sell them through CD Baby?
CD Baby Cover Song Licensing Service
- Derivative works
- How to get your cover song license secured through CD Baby?
- What information do I provide if I’m covering a song from an artist I know personally?
- How much does it cost to secure a license through CD Baby’s licensing service?
- I have already secured a digital license for my cover song single. How do I enter that information?
CD Baby Pro Publishing
CD Baby Pro Publishing – Brazil
CD Baby Pro Publishing - General
- • How can I collect live performance royalties for my gigs?
- It says I don't have a collecting songwriter, but I do!
- Why is CD Baby Pro Publishing Administration not available in my country or with my Performing Rights Organization?
- How do I affiliate with a Performing Rights Organization in order to use CD Baby Pro Publishing Administration?
- Can I use CD Baby Pro Publishing Administration? Where is it available?
- Upgrading from Standard to Pro
CD Baby Pro Publishing - Song Registration
- What information is needed to register a song for CD Baby Pro Publishing?
- How long will it take for my songs to be registered for CD Baby Pro Publishing?
- Can I register instrumental versions of my songs for CD Baby Pro Publishing?
- Can I register a spoken word song for CD Baby Pro Publishing?
- Can I register a remix, mash-up or song with samples for CD Baby Pro Publishing?
- Can I register a cover song for CD Baby Pro Publishing?
CD Baby Pro Publishing - Royalty Collection
- What is tax withholding and what countries does that apply to with CD Baby Pro Publishing?
- What is the difference between a collecting and non-collecting writer?
- How much can I expect to earn from royalties?
- Doesn’t a Performing Rights Organization like ASCAP or BMI already collect all my worldwide publishing royalties?
- Will you collect royalties for my co-writers?
- How much commission do you take of royalties?
CD Baby Pro Publishing - Cancellation
CD Baby Pro Publishing - PRS
CD Baby Pro Publishing - SOCAN
- How long does it take to get affiliated with SOCAN?
- Once my CD Baby Pro signup is complete, how long does it take to hear back from SOCAN?
- I still need to affiliate with CMRRA?
- Do I need to register my songs with SOCAN?
- My songs are still not appearing on SOCAN’s repertoire search. Why?
- What types of royalties does SOCAN collect?
Physical Sales on CD Baby (CD, Vinyl, DVD)
Physical Sales- General Info
- VIDEO: What is CD Baby's Physical Distribution program and how does it work?
- How to set up Physical Sales on CD Baby
- What is a "Pro CD-R"? What is a "Homemade CD-R"?
- VIDEO: What kinds of physical media can CD Baby help me sell?
- Do I need to have separate submissions for my CD/Digital Download and vinyl record?
- What is your physical distribution program?
Stocking Your Physical Inventory
- How should I mail my physical stock to you?
- How many copies of my physical product should I send in?
- Can I send more stock than you are requesting?
- I'm going on NPR, Good Morning America, The Voice, how many can I send?
- My CD is not shrinkwrapped. Is that a problem for CD Baby’s partners?
- VIDEO: Do we press discs on demand? How many do you need?
Inventory Management
- Overstock Returns
- Why do you need to return or recycle my albums?
- How do you determine what is “excess inventory”?
- Who pays for excess stock that is returned?
- CD Baby has had my CDs forever! Why are you asking to return them now?
- What if my album starts selling more copies before you return them?
CD Baby Sync Licensing
Sync Licensing- General Info
- • Do I get to control sync rates?
- • How quickly can I expect my music to be licensed?
- • Who might want to license my music?
- • Am I giving up any important rights by signing this sync licensing agreement?
- • Can I terminate my sync licensing/monetization deal and how would I do that?
- VIDEO: What is sync licensing??
Sync Licensing Payments
YouTube Monetization
YouTube Monetization
- Can I exclude someone else’s video from being claimed by CD Baby, if I’ve allowed them to use my music?
- Are there guidelines over what is considered “Eligible” sound recordings that can be monetized and “Ineligible” sound recordings that can’t be monetized?
- I am not a CD Baby artist and I received a claim that is false
- How do I make money from YouTube?
- Why should I have CD Baby help me monetize my music on YouTube?
- What percentage do I keep from the usage of my music on YouTube?
SoundExchange Royalty Collection
SoundExchange Royalty Collection
- VIDEO: What is SoundExchange?
- Does CD Baby collect digital performance royalties from SoundExchange?
- VIDEO: Does CD Baby collect from SoundExchange?
- What are digital performance royalties for sound recordings? (Also known as non-interactive royalties)
- How are the funds from SoundExchange different from income from Spotify or other streaming services?
- So, what happens if I have unclaimed royalties at SoundExchange?
CD Baby DIY Musician Conference 2017
Conference Info
Videos
Music Promotion Tools
CD Baby Music Player Widget
- How do I create a Music Player?
- Where can I use the Music Player?
- How do I edit my Music Players?
- What sizes are the Music Players?
- What browsers will support my Music Player?
- Is there a limit to the number of Music Players I can create?
Download Cards
- VIDEO: What are download cards? And what can they do for me and my band?
- What is a download card?
- How do Download Cards work for my fans?
- How quickly can I get my download cards?
- How will the download cards be shipped to me?
- Where can I see the different styles of download cards and stickers to order?
Music Promotion Tools
- • Feature.fm
- What is the Indie Bible?
- How do I add my music to your Spotify Playlist?
- Do you guys offer merch?
- HearNow
- Show.co