Files and Formats

LicenseQuote supports two files for every track (but you can use the same one for both if you wish to):

a) For the Master file, any of the following:

• WAV or AIF file
• Mp3 file
• MIDI file
• PDF file
• Zip file

b) For the Preview file:

• Mp3 file (48/44.1k, 24/16bit, stereo)

The Master file will be what the customer downloads once they have paid for a license. This would usually be a hi-res audio file e.g. 44.1k/16bit. The Preview file is usually a lower quality file (mp3) that you allow your customers to hear and/or download to test in their production before buying a license. Many customers appreciate the convenience of this. The quality should be good as this will be the file that plays in your store. We recommend 160 or 192 kbps. A bit rate higher than 192 kbps may cause a slow start time. iTunes is perfect for encoding - just use the default settings. If you use another encoder make sure not to use VBR (Variable Bit Rate) as it won’t play in browsers. You can use a Zip file as a master file, to include multiple versions of a track in one download (e.g., 30 Sec version, Submix, etc.). You can use PDF master files to sell sheet music.

With mp3 files, it is recommended to add contact information in the Comments section of the file. To find this in iTunes click on the track > Command/Ctrl + i > Info > Comments

The maximum default file size is 120MB. Please contact customer support if you have other needs.

File names

For convenience it’s recommended you label the Master and Preview audio files clearly and consistently. If your tracks have different versions (e.g., 30s sec, no drums, etc) make sure to label the file accordingly.

A possible example (not mandatory) of audio file naming is:

Artist-Name_Track-Name_Version.wav and Artist-Name_Track-Name_Version.mp3

e.g. for a track by John Brava called ‘Salty Dog’ the main version file name would be ‘John-Brava_Salty-Dog.wav’ and the 30 sec version would be ‘John-Brava_Salty-Dog_30sec.wav’.

You can use whatever naming convention you want, but it’s best to make sure to keep it consistent across your catalog.

Song/Track names

For the above example track with the filename ‘John-Brava_Salty-Dog.wav’ you would probably only want to have the name ‘Salty Dog’ appear as the track name in your store, as the artist name would be visible in another field anyway. The track name and file name are entered separately when you’re uploading your tracks. If you have multiple versions of a track (e.g 30 Sec, Submix) there should be a colon between the track name and the alternate version to ensure that the alternate version appears as an alternate mix in your store.

e.g.

Salty Dog

Salty Dog : 30 Sec

Salty Dog : Submix

What you upload is what you get

LicenseQuote will do no processing whatsoever of your files, won't reencode them and won't change tags inside the song files,  so the files you upload will be the exact same files your customers are hearing and downloading.

Uploading Files.

Meta-data

Meta-data is data which is associated with an audio file. The sound file (or files) and the metadata make up what you show in your licensing store (or any other library for that matter).

Do not confuse uploading files with meta-data. Uploading files is important, but it is not enough. You still have to tell LicenseQuote and your clients as much data as possible about each file.

As a starting point this is the meta-data you will need to set for each track you upload before it can be shown in your store (but you can add much more if you want):

• Composer
• Publisher
• Track description
• Tags
• Type
• Source
• Genre
• Sub-Genre

It’s a good idea to keep a spreadsheet or database of all your tracks and the associated meta-data. This will be very useful later, as it’s possible to upload meta-data to your store on a spreadsheet, and it will just be a matter of copy and pasting it. The more meta-data you can set for your tracks, the easier it will be for a customer to find, and the better the cue sheet reporting will be, as your client will have all the writer/publisher info that’s needed.

Add/Edit track's meta-data.