Music Submission Guidelines

Supe Troop recommends following the music submission guidelines below for all digital music files sent to music supervisors.
This will ultimately help music supervisors use your music!

Music Submission Format Standard

  • Whether as part of a general servicing or a specific pitch, tag all songs per the suggested
    Metadata Standards.
  • Never attach any audio files to your emails!
  • Put your songs into a properly labeled folder, then compress the folder into a single .zip file. Double check that the zip name matches the folder name. Using a service such as Hightail, WeTransfer, Box, etc., create a downloadable link to your zip file. If you use another service/site where we can download a zip automatically, you don’t need to first make your zip file. If there are multiple briefs in one search, send one zipped main folder containing sub-folders for each brief. These should be labeled with a relevant descriptor based on the brief (scene, genre, etc.).
    • Folder Naming Format:
      [Project Name] – [Description Provided in Brief] – [Name or Abbreviation of Pitching Company] – [Date]
      Example: Best Movie – Frat Party – Terrorbird – Mar 5 2013
      Best Movie – Hotel Lounge – Terrorbird – Mar 5 2013
      Example: American Express – Inspirational Classical – The Diner – Jan 19 2016
  • If instrumentals are asked for, they should be sent in a separate folder, named with the same format as above but with “inst” tagged on after the date. Please make sure that if you are sending instrumentals with unsolicited pitches and general album servicing that they are in a separate link. This way, music supervisors that only want full versions will not have to waste time and hard drive space downloading the instrumentals, but they will still be available should they need them.
    • Example: Best Movie – Frat Party – Terrorbird – Mar 5 2013 – inst
  • If for internal reasons you need to include any additional information in your folder title, please put it after the date.
  • Please send only mp3s unless you are specifically asked to send uncompressed .wav / .aiff files. If a music supervisor needs an uncompressed file for a final mix, we will request it specifically.

Metadata Standards

Supe Troop recommends that as much information as possible be included in the metadata of all digital music submissions, with underlined content being required. Amongst all the music submission guidelines, this one is the most important in order for us to utilize your music.

  1. Song Name –
    1. Any featured artist on a song should be included in the song name: “Song Title (feat. Guest Artist)”
    2. If a song is a cover, cite that in the Song Name field as “Song Name (Original artist cover)”
      Ex. Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell cover)
  2. Artist – Artist name
  3. Composer – First name Last name – (Ownership %) (PRO CAE/IPI#) / repeat as many times as needed
    1. Info should be filled out with full names, PRO information (and CAE/IPI# wherever possible), and splits.
    2. If it’s a public domain song, start by saying “Public Domain” so that people can sort by the Composer field and all the public domain songs will show up together (i.e. Public Domain – First Name Last Name)
    3. If it’s an arrangement of a Public Domain song, start by saying “Public Domain Arrangement” so that people will still find the song when sorting by the Composer field amongst the public domain compositions but know that you’re claiming an arrangement. [i.e. Public Domain Arrangement – First Name Last Name (Arr)]
  4. Year – Should be the year the sound recording was originally released. In cases where a previously unreleased song is recorded decades before, defer to the recording year.
  5. Genre – Include if you have it, but not required
  6. BPM – Include if you have it (very helpful), but not required
  7. Rating – Do NOT include rating. Have this empty so music supervisors can use it themselves if they want.
  8. Grouping – Company clearing the sound recording side (% controlled R) / Company clearing pub side (% controlled P)
    1. Include who is sending the song and the percent they control of a certain side (i.e. UMPG (45% P)).
    2. If the sender has the song one-stop, it would say so here, as well. (i.e. Bank Robber Music (one-stop)).
    3. The Grouping section includes the company that is the contact the music supervisor is dealing with, not the actual cue sheet publisher name (if they differ).
  9. Comments – Contact info for licensing party. Also include “consult about territories” here if you have issues regarding territories (i.e. you are able to clear worldwide but only if the license will be paid out of the U.S.A., or if you can only clear for specific territories). If you want to include other information, put it here after the contact info please.
  10. Album – Album name
  11. Album Artist – Same as Artist above, or nothing
  12. Disc Number – Include if you have it, not required
  13. Track – Include if you have it, not required
  14. Artwork – Include if you have it, not required