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Things to keep in mind:
- Note that your tracks must meet all of our and our partner's standards before we begin processing your release. If there are any problems, we will email you immediately so you can upload new tracks.
- File names can only include letters & numbers, hyphens (-), and underscores (_). Any other special characters ( !,@,#,$,%,^,&,*,?,+,=,~,/,<,>,\ ) may cause problems.
Audio Requirements
Your audio files must meet the following requirements in order for you to use our uploader.
- High quality files in either WAV or FLAC
- Stereo
- 44.1 kHz sample rate
- 16bit
You can also upload MP3 files that meet these specifications, though we don't recommend it.
Uploading Audio
Here is how to access the audio uploader for your release:
- Log in to your account at http://members.cdbaby.com/
- Click on the tab “Album & Singles” at the top of the page
- Click on the "view/edit" button to the right of your submission
- On the Title Overview page click on the tab "Tracks & Audio"
- Click on "Add/Edit Audio"
- On the following page, you will be able to edit the audio
- Remove the old tracks (if applicable) and upload your new audio tracks.
Troubleshooting
- Checking the properties of your audio files
Follow these steps on your computer to see if your audio matches our criteria.
Windows:
1.) Right-click on your file
2.) Select 'Properties' in the drop-down menu
3.) In the "General" tab, take a look at your 'Type of File" - Does it say. WAV, .FLAC, or .MP3?
4.) Head to the Details tab and scroll down to 'Bitrate'. If you have a Bitrate of 1,411.2 Kbps, then your file is 16-bit with 44.1 kHz. If you have a bitrate of 1536 kbps, then your file is 16-bit with 48 kHz.
5.) If your file type does not match any of what is listed above, you will need to reformat your audio before you can send it to us.
Mac:
Very similar to the above steps, but you right-click and select "Get Info" instead of "Properties" in step 2.
- Why you shouldn't upload MP3s
It's like this: every file is encoded and any quality reduction is locked in. We encode many different formats for our various digital partners. If you upload MP3 files (which are not full quality) the files we send to our partners will not only have the inherent quality loss of the format we encode to, but will also have the quality loss of the format you sent us.
So, uploading MP3s is kind of like taking a picture of a picture with a digital camera and emailing it to us. Then when we encode it to send it to partners, it's like we print out a picture of a picture, take a picture of it with a digital camera, and email it to them. It makes much more sense if you send us the original picture, i.e. FLAC or WAV files.
- If you're still having trouble, you can email us a link to your audio files using your favorite file transfer service (e.g. WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).
How long does it take?
The time it takes to upload your audio files to us depends on a number of factors which include:
1. Format (WAV/FLAC/MP3)
The larger the format, the longer it will take. WAV will take the longest since it's the largest, FLAC typically will be the second fastest and finally, MP3 will be the fastest.
2. File Size
A larger file size will take a longer time to upload.
3. Internet Connection Speed
The slower the connection, the longer it will take. Dial-up will be very slow, DSL or cable are generally faster. Another important thing to note is how many users are on your connection. Some neighborhoods are over-subscribed such that a lot of people are downloading or uploading files at the same time which would slow down your overall connection.
4. How congested is your internet connection
EXAMPLE: Are you streaming Netflix while uploading, etc.
5. Location
The farther away you are from our server in Portland, Oregon then the higher chance of slow upload time.
Please note: due to the closure of our warehouse and retirement of our physical distribution service in 2023, we are no longer able to receive physical CDs for audio ripping, cover art scans, or physical sale.
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