FAQS

How do I create a Music Xray?

Go to www.musicxray.com and click on the "upload song" button near the top header. That will take you to a page where you can sign up or log in if you already have an account. If you don't have an account you can sign up using your Facebook, Google, OpenID, Yahoo or Flickr account credentials. You can also choose "Traditional Signup" which will enable you to create a new username and password directly with Music Xray if you prefer.

Once you have created an account or logged in you will be taken to your account dashboard. There you can upload an MP3 by clicking on "Upload Music" under "Get your music on Music Xray."

You will then be taken to the "upload music" page where you can upload an MP3. Click on "choose songs" and select the MP3 you want to upload, you may also highlight several MP3 files to upload multiple files. Then click on "Open" and that should start the upload process. Once a file is completely uploaded, you will see the option to change the artist name and the song title. You will also be able to play the song from there to check if the song was uploaded properly. If you want to create another Xray just click on "choose songs" and repeat the process.

You may also upload songs by going to your "Xray" page. Click on the "my music" tab near the top and then click on "music xrays (individual songs)" and you will then be taken to the "my music xrays" page. Click on "Upload Songs" and repeat the process above.

Alternatively, if you are a SoundCloud user please click the link above where it says "Connect with SoundCloud" to associate your account and import your tracks.

How do I connect with and import my songs from SoundCloud to Music Xray?

Start by logging in to your Music Xray account then hover your pointer on "my music" then clicking on "music xrays ( individual songs )."

On your "my music xray's" page, click on the "Connect with SoundCloud" button and a pop up will appear. If you already have an account simply log in, click "Connect" and you're done. On the other hand if you don't have a SoundCloud account you can click on sign up.

After connecting, go back to your "my music xrays" page and click on "import sound cloud tracks", a small pop up will appear showing you the songs you have on SoundCloud that have not yet been uploaded to our site. Click on "import" link next to the song you want to be imported and the import will begin. It will say "import complete " once the importing is finished. The imported song will automatically appear on your list of songs.

How do I edit a Music Xray I've created?

You can edit a Music Xray you've created at any time by hovering your pointer on "my music" then clicking on "music xrays ( individual songs )." On the following page you will see a list of Xrays you have created. Click the magnifying glass next to each song to select it.

Then click on "Edit This Xray" and a set of fields will show up where you can enter or edit information regarding the Xray. Once you are done editing the Xray, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Save"

What are the Xray Fields for?

The following is a list of currently available modules and their functions:

Song title : The title of the song.

Album name : The album in which the song belongs to.

Artist name : Name of the artist.

Year : Year the song was made.

Track number : Track number in the album.

Total tracks : Total number of tracks in the album the song belongs to.

Disc number : Disc's number in the album if there are multiple discs.

Genres : The song's genre. Up to three genres can be selected for a single song.

Allow free download : By checking the box, the artist is authorizing anyone to download the song.

Show artist statistics : By checking the box, the artist is allowing people to see their statistics.

Show purchase button : Check this box makes the "Purchase on iTunes" button appear.

Show facebook comments : By checking the box, the artist is allowing people to see the comments for this song made through facebook.

Sync metadata with soundcloud : If you have a soundcloud account, checking this box will allow us to synchronize the content and information on your soundcloud account with your Music Xray account.

Youtube video url : If the song has a Youtube video, the artist may put in the video url here. Doing so makes the video visible on the song's Music Xray page.

About the artist : The artist may enter any information regarding their self here.

Lyrics : The artist may add the song lyrics here.

Liner notes : The artist may add in any addition information, notes or details here.

Selected License: The artist may choose their preferred license type. They also have the option to insert the license text here or a link to the license text.

license contact info : Contact information regarding the licensing company may be added here.

Will new fields be added to the Music Xray?

Yes. You will be notified by email each time new fields are added.

How can I show off my Music Xray?

You can show off your Music Xray in many ways. You can Tweet, Facebook, MySpace and Blog your song. In the "Share" module of your Music Xray you can see both the permanent URL as well as your EPK. You can Tweet the URL and/or EPK, post it to your Facebook page or status, link to it from MySpace or in your blog or band website. Encourage your fans to do the same. The sleek way Music Xray showcases your song makes it fun for friends and fans to share.

What's this about a Music Xray having its own URL?

Just like a YouTube video, each Music Xray can be viewed while linked in another site with its own web address. That web address is called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and usually starts with http://www... You will find the URL for your Music Xray by clicking on "Permanent Link" and copying the URL of the page visible in the navigation pane of your browser. This is an example of a URL for a Music Xray: http://www.musicxray.com/xrays/91940

What is an EPK and how do I get one?

An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) will allow you to share a set of tracks from your Music Xray account. To get one, just log in to your Music Xray account and hover your pointer on "my music" then clicking on "music xrays epk (groups of songs)." You will then be take to your EPK page. You will see a few fields that you can edit or add information to.

Portfolio banner : this will be the image for the top of your portfolio. Though this is optional.

Choose a vanity url : This is required since this is an important part of your personal EPK. Just add in the artist/band name, album or anything you like.

*Note: just add the name, no need to include http://www.musicxray.com/artist/

Give your portfolio a name : As the name suggests, give this group of songs a name or title. A short 5 word or less title is recommended.

After you are done, click on "Save" and that should take you to another page. Click on "Manage songs & Edit this portfolio" and that would take you to where you can add in the songs you want. Drag the songs from the right to the gray box on the left to add the songs you want. You may choose to upload more tracks as well.

After which just click save and to get your EPK link just click on the link on top of the gray box. Copy the url on the navigation pane of your browser and start sharing.

Your EPK should look something like this: http://www.musicxray.com/artists/jonpurdey

Alternatively you can edit existing EPK's by hovering your pointer on "my music" then clicking on "music xrays epk (groups of songs)." then click on "Manage songs & Edit setting" under the EPK you want. To remove a song just click "Remove from list" under every song.

What are Focus Groups?

You know that before you get a deal, an industry professional is going to do some market research on your music. You need to know what the results will be before they do.

Music Xray is making that possible. Simply log in to your account and click the "Conduct a Focus Group" button you'll find on your dashboard.

Focus groups are a quick way to get feedback from a real audience, to learn which target audience is most receptive to your music and to double check your instincts regarding a song's potential and it's appeal.

How can I submit my Music Xray to industry professionals and gatekeepers?

Go to http://www.musicxray.com/x where you can submit your Music Xray to many industry exposure opportunities. You will find free and submission fee-based drop boxes for everything from production deals, major & indie label A&R departments, contests, sync licensing opportunities and even mass distribution opportunities, like having your song exposed to thousands of people all at once via Twitter songwriting community tweets. Artists spend years of their lives and thousands of dollars just to get their song in front of some of the opportunities we make available immediately and at a fraction of the cost.

What are submission statuses and what do they mean?

There are currently five different types submission statuses that shows up on your Artist Account Dashboard. The submission status appears on every submission you make and depending on the opportunity you submit to the status may vary.

Pending : The first status you will encounter. This basically means that the song has been submitted and is waiting for the MIP to check on the submission. We allow up to 45 days for the MIP to respond to your submission. If and when the 45 days has passed and the MIP has yet to respond to you, we will issue you a refund.

Processing : This is somewhat similar to the "Pending" status but the difference is that the MIP has checked the submission but has yet to decide on it. This remains an active submission and just like the "Pending" status, the MIP only has 45 days to get back to it and make a decision or we issue you a refund.

Hold : After the MIP has listened to your submission this shows up when the MIP feels they need more time to decide on the submission so they put it on hold. There is no definite time for putting a submission on hold though we remind the MIP about submissions they put on hold every 10 days. Since the MIP has already listened to your music, at this point we can no longer issue you a refund.

Not Selected : After the MIP has listened to your submission this shows up when they decide to pass on your submission. By clicking on the "Not Selected" status a pop up will appear containing the MIP's message to you. Since the MIP has already listened to your music, at this point we can no longer issue you a refund. Since the MIP has already listened to your music, at this point we can no longer issue you a refund.

Selected : After the MIP has listened to your submission this shows up when they decide they like your music. By clicking on the "Selected" status a pop up will appear with a short instruction on what to do next. You may also click on "conduct conversation" to open up a two way conversation between you and the MIP. Since the MIP has already listened to your music, at this point we can no longer issue you a refund.

How do I delete a Music Xray I've created?

You can delete a Music Xray you've created at any time. However, use caution. Once you have deleted a Music Xray it cannot be reversed and if you want it back you will have to create it again from scratch. Additionally, your Music Xray will also be deleted from everywhere. If it has been embedded in other websites, is linked to from anywhere. As a reminder when you delete a song that you submitted to any opportunities, the song will be deleted on the professionals account too so we suggest that if you have pending submissions wait for it to be completed before you delete the song.

You can delete an Xray you created by hovering your pointer on "my music" then clicking on "music Xrays ( individual songs )". On the following page you will see a list of Xrays you have created. Click the red button right next to the magnifying glass next to each song to delete it.

Why Do Some Industry Professionals & Entities Charge Submission Fees?

Labels, top producers, sync agencies and music supervisors receive thousands of submissions – sometimes thousands per week. Under the old system, these submissions in CD format piled up on the desks of A&R directors or got lost in email in-boxes. Many entities will simply not accept unsolicited material and only take submissions from people they know. More often than not, unsolicited submissions do not get listened to and they end up in the trash.

Music Xray changes that because we make it easy for professionals who accept submissions to effectively manage them. Additionally, we enable them to charge submission fees. These submission fees help the entities pay their overhead which enables them to screen more music. On Music Xray, if there's a submission fee the artist knows their song gets listened to.

Other professionals are offering services such as career coaching or song critiques and those submission fees are in exchange for the service and expertise being offered. Others may charge an entry fee for a contest in which case the money goes to pay judging panels and for prizes for the winners.

Artists may also note that many entities/professionals on Music Xray do not charge a submission fee yet there is still often a $4 service fee charged by Music Xray. The service fee is not charged by the entity accepting submissions but they can control whether or not it is charged. Many times they opt to have the submission fee charged because even though they do not want to take a submission fee and even though they may not be able to handle all their submission within 30 days, they want to avoid being flooded with more submissions than they can manage. This service fee was originally put in place as an option after some professionals noted they were having entire albums submitted to them or in some cases music that wasn't even owned by the artists doing the submitting. The $4 fee works as a circuit breaker and enables these professionals to continue to effectively handle unsolicited submissions.

When considering the value of an opportunity to submit, ask yourself how much it would otherwise cost you to access the industry professional in question. We believe Music Xrays makes industry professionals available who otherwise may not be and we provide that access at a fraction of the cost it would normally require. Artists spend years of their careers and thousands of dollars building buzz and generating the traction required to attract the attention of many of the gatekeepers available on Music Xray.

How do I set up the Artists Statistics on my Music Xray?

For those of you who have not activated it, the Artist Statistics displays all sorts of data about the artist and help you see your traction and progress at a glance.

Next Big Sound provides a centralized place to monitor all the behavior and activity happening for artists both online and off. Next Big Sound tracks more data for more bands online than anyone else in the world. For more information regarding Next Big Sound click here.

What is Free Song to Opportunity (S₂O) Matching?

The free Song to Opportunity Matching has been running for nearly a year now. Here is how to use the system:

1. You upload your original music here.
2. We analyze the acoustic properties and mathematical patterns in your music.
3. We send you an email telling you if any industry professionals are currently seeking a song like yours. (What? How does that work?)
4. For as long as your song remains in our database (forever unless you remove it) we will alert you any time any professional is seeking songs with characteristics similar to your songs.

Put as many songs in the database as you'd like. It's free.

How can I use the Affiliate Program and RSS Feed to Earn Money?

If you are using your affiliate id for posts to the Music Xray site to earn extra income you can now use our RSS feed to do the same. Just use this RSS feed that has the latest opportunities and include your affiliate id at the end of it http://www.musicxray.com/artist/categories.rss?afid=.

You can also read a little bit more about our new RSS feed here.

MusicXray is uploading our tracks to our own sites, without consent?

We, Music Xray, do not upload your tracks to other sites without consent. You have full control whether you wish to have the songs you uploaded on Music Xray to be copied over to your SoundCloud account and/or the other way around. You can learn how to change this setting here and to learn more about SoundCloud Integration and Partnership with Music Xray click here.

How do I change my account settings?

You can change your settings anytime you wish. To change your settings just simply log in to your account and click on the settings tab.

That will take you to your settings page. Under "adjust your settings & preferences." you will see four tabs:

Paypal : We use Paypal for money transfers such as earnings and/or payments.

Notifications : Here you can choose whether or not to receive notifications regarding S₂O opportunities, submissions, focus groups and others.

Soundcloud : This is where you can set your sound cloud preferences.

Facebook : Here you have the option to connect your Facebook account with your Music Xray account.

Invite Other Artists : By clicking on the "Invite Other Artists" button you can invite others to the site by sending invitations by email.

Affiliate Id : This is a unique Id assigned to your account. You can learn more about your Affiliate Id here.

Edit your Username or Password : Just click on "Click here to get started" button to change either your username or password.