Songwriter FAQ:

1) What does the FREE account sign up get me?

2) How do I build my on-line song catalog?

3) How can I respond to a request on the tip sheet?

4) How do I renew my song listings with SongScope.com?

5) How many songs should I send to SongScope.com?

6) Do you put just a verse and chorus of each song on SongScope.com?

7) Is a SongScope.com member's catalog open to the public?

8) Do you accept cassette and DAT tapes of songs?

9) Do I have to give SongScope.com some of my publishing or writer's royalties when a song gets cut as a result of its being discovered on SongScope.com?

10) Does my material have to be registered for copyright to be on SongScope.com?

11) Can I make changes or edit songs in my online catalog?

12) Can I delete and add songs?

13) Can my song CD be returned?

14) Can Industry Users that listen to my material see the lyrics?

15) I am a Songwriter/Artist, how can SongScope.com help me?

16) How Do I Properly Encode my Songs?

17) How Do I Upload my Songs?

18) What is a Tag?

19) What is a Hold?

20) How do I change my email address and other profile information as registered with SongScope.com?

21) I get an "Error Occurred While Processing Request" response when I try to log in. What's wrong?

1) What does the FREE account sign up get me?
Signing up for the free SongScope.com account gets you in the loop with our on-line "tip sheet". You will immediately begin receiving email requests from our 400+ industry users the day a new request comes in.

2) How do I build my on line song catalog?
If you have an account already:

1. Login at SongScope.com using your username and password. Login is conveniently located at the top of most pages. (Please let us know if you need your username and password).
2. Choose "purchase listings" from within your account. You can pay by credit card or send a check with your material. If sending a check, just put "check" in the Special Offer Code box.
3. After purchasing, click "my catalog".
4. You will see the "add a song" link - click it. This area will let you add your basic song information and lyrics and this MUST be done before the audio can be added. Repeat this step for additional song listings.
5. You now have two options:
   Upload the audio yourself (see How Do I Upload my Songs?) after properly converting it (see How Do I Properly Encode my Songs?),
   OR
   Mail us a copy of your songs for us to upload. When sending us your songs, mail only one (1) version of each song you list in your SongScope Catalog to:
   
   SongScope.com
   c/o VMG Productions
   P.O. Box 948
   Columbus, GA 31902
   
   ***Do NOT send your material using CERTIFIED or REGISTERED mail requiring a signature - it will require longer processing. Make sure the songs are clearly NUMBERED and NAMED on the CD/cassette (not just the jewel case). Include a note identifying your Membername and email (as registered with SongScope) and which songs you want uploaded. Multiple songs (including future songs you may want to post) may be included on one CD or cassette for your convenience. CD's are preferred. If you wish to send a cassette or DAT, please allow 2-3 weeks to process, and enclose $20 per song for digital conversion.

If you do NOT yet have an account with us:

Simply click here to go straight to the registration form. After completing registration, follow steps 3 through 5 above.

3) How can I respond to a request on the tip sheet?
You must have material in your SongScope.com catalog in order to respond to a request. The cost for building your catalog is $49 $29.95 per song per year. Once your song has been converted to Real Audio™ and you receive a confirmation email from us informing you that the song is uploaded and ready to be submitted to Industry User requests, you may then respond to appropriate present and future requests. At that point, click the "submit to a request" link within your account and follow the instructions.

4) How do I renew my song listings with SongScope.com?
When your anniversary date is up we will email you. You can then decide to renew your expired song listings or not. If you choose not to renew, your expired song listings remain inactive within your catalog and will be deleted 14 days after they expire. The renewal cost is $20 per song. Please renew songs (before they expire) by selecting each "renew" box associated with each listing from your catalog page. Songs renew for one year from their expiration date (if not expired) or the current date (if already expired).

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5) How many songs should I send to SongScope.com?
It is OK to send as many songs on the CD as you'd like. We catalog all material here so if you think you may want to pitch more songs in the future, you won't have to go through the mailing process again. Just email us at WriterInfo@SongScope.com to let us know which additional songs from the CD you'd like to include in your catalog and we can get them there for you in a day or two.

6) Do you put just a verse and chorus of each song on SongScope.com?
No. We store your entire songs in stereo on our site, streamed using RealAudio™ technology. We know that if an Industry User likes a song, s/he will want to hear the entire song and not just the first minute.

7) Is a SongScope.com member's catalog open to the public?
No. All catalogs are password-protected and available only to qualifying Producers, Record labels, and A&R Directors. Songwriters/Publisher Members may listen to their own catalogs, but not the catalogs of other SongScope.com members.

8) Do you accept cassette and DAT tapes of songs?
Yes, but there is a $20 per song fee to convert these songs to the digital domain.

9) Do I have to give SongScope.com some of my publishing or writer's royalties when a song gets cut as a result of its being discovered on SongScope.com?
No. Our function is to provide a method for your songs to be heard. We would certainly like to hear about it though! Email us at Experience@SongScope.com with your good news.

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10) Does my material have to be registered for a copyright to be on SongScope.com?
No. However, it is good to register your material. A direct link to the Library of Congress is included here and within the SongScope.com site to assist in this process.

11) Can I make changes or edit songs in my online catalog?
Yes. You can edit and update your material in real time - make lyric changes, edit style, tempo, songwriter, publisher and "sounds like" descriptors at will. Please view the demo for a visual of how your SongScope.com catalog displays. Please note: you can NOT replace songs with new songs through this method. A new song must be added separately.

12) Can I delete and add songs?
You can add songs at any time for the cost of $29.95 per song for a one-year listing. By request, we can delete a song from your catalog, but the cost is not refundable.

13) Can my song CD be returned?
Yes, if a self addressed prepaid postage envelope is provided.

14) Can Industry Users that listen to my material see the lyrics?
Yes. When a song is clicked on, the listener is taken to a page where the lyrics are displayed, along with the proper credits (songwriters, publishers) and your contact information. Example.

15) I am a Songwriter/Artist, how can SongScope.com help me?
SongScope.com provides for each Songwriter/Artist a personalized "PromoPage" for the producers, record labels, publishers or A&R people to see more about you. This information is available to industry users as it is linked to every song in your catalog. The personalized PromoPage includes a photo, bio, press release, and updatable "Showcase Calendar" that lists all the places, times, and dates you will be performing. This assists music industry professionals in finding you and finding out more about you. This service is now FREE (a $29.95 per year value)!

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16) How Do I Properly Encode my Songs?
NEW MP3 INSTRUCTIONS.
When prompted to upload your song, upload an MP3(128k) file NO LARGER than 5Mb. We'll encode to RealAudio for playback for producers.

OLD INSTRUCTIONS FOR REALAUDIO 9: These instructions must be strictly followed. Live technical support is not provided by SongScope.com. First your song must be in a .MP3 or .WAV format. If your song is on a CD, it must be grabbed or "ripped" from the CDA format, which grabs it and usually converts it to the .WAV or .MP3 format as selected within the software. To properly encode your songs, go to Real Networks to download the most current version of Helix Producer Basic. In Helix Producer Basic 9, open your .WAV or .MP3 file by clicking on "Browse" for the Input file. Find and select it, then click "Open". Now click "Audiences" (right center), highlight each rate in the right side of the new window (Audiences in job), one at a time, other than "28k Dial-up 20 kbps", click on the trash can symbol to remove those two (leaving only "28k Dial-up 20 kbps" showing), close that window (little x at top right corner), then click the Encode button. After a minute or so, the status column will display "Complete" or "Done". This should convert a song to be under the 800 Kbyte requirement. View the converted file's properties to check it's files size so as to be sure it converted to be below the requirement before attempting your one chance upload. Note: If your file size is bigger than 800 Kbytes, then let us help you by sending us your CD. We will convert and upload your songs.

17) How Do I Upload my Songs?
To upload your songs, they must be properly converted as stated in the previous FAQ. After logging into your SongScope account, click "my catalog" to view your catalog. Now click on the UPLOAD AUDIO FILE link located to the left of the associated song title. Follow the instructions that appear on the next page. Remember that you only have one opportunity to upload each song.

18) What is a Tag?
When an Industry user is interested in retrieving your song listing for future reference, your song can have a Tag placed upon it. This does not affect the status of your song listing. You may view the number of Tags placed on a song at any time by clicking on EDIT next to your song title.

19) What is a Hold?
When you allow a song to have a Hold placed on it by a SongScope registered Industry User, you enable an interested Industry User to have the only access to this song for a period of 21 days as it is temporarily removed from the SongScope database. The 21-day period gives the Industry User the necessary time to arrange a deal with you. When an Industry User places a Hold on your song, you will receive an email informing you of the Industry User's complete contact information. It will also inform you that this song will not be available to submit to current Industry User requests for that peiord of time, unless the Industry User relinquishes the Hold prior to that time. Otherwise, the Hold will automatically expire after 21 days, giving you the opportunity once again to (re)submit your songs to requests. When a Hold is present, you may view its expiration date at any time by clicking on EDIT next to the song title.

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20) How do I change my email address and other profile information as registered with SongScope.com?

1. Login at SongScope.com with your username and password. Login is conveniently located at the top of most pages.
2. Click on "update my profile".
3. Choose the field for the information you would like to change.
4. Click on "update my profile" and you are done!

21) I get an "Error Occurred While Processing Request" response when I try to log in. What's wrong? This is what it looks like:

In order to use this site, you must have a cookie-enabled browser and login from one of the login prompts.

If you have already entered your username and password, we are having a problem seeing your cookies. A cookie is an ID tag we stick on your browser so we can tell you apart from everyone else, that way we don't confuse your information with the other people on SongScope at the same time.

Sometimes users turn off their cookies, in which case you can turn them back on. Here's how:

To Enable Cookies

For IE 6.0:

1. Click Tools on the top menu bar.
2. Choose Internet Options; click the Privacy tab.
3. Move the Settings slider all the way down to Accept All Cookies.
4. Click Apply and then OK.

For IE 5.0:

1. Click Tools on the top menu bar
2. Choose Internet Options; click the Security tab.
3. Scroll down to Security and you can customize your Cookie selection.

For IE 4.0:

1. Click View on the top menu bar of your browser.
2. Choose Internet Options; click the Advanced tab.
3. Scroll down to Cookies and choose to accept cookies.

For IE 4.0 for Mac:

1. Click Edit on the top menu bar of your browser.
2. Choose Preferences.
3. Scroll down to Cookies and choose to accept cookies.

For IE 3.0:

1. Click View on the top menu bar of your browser.
2. Choose Internet Options; click the Advanced tab.
3. Scroll down to Cookies and choose to accept cookies.

For Netscape Navigator 4.0:

1. For Netscape Navigator 4.0, click Edit then Preferences.
2. Click on Advanced and make your Cookie selection.

For Netscape Navigator 4.0 for the Mac:

1. Click Edit on the top menu bar.
2. Select Preferences; click Advanced.
3. Make your selection.

For Netscape Navigator 3.0 for the Mac:

1. Click Options on the top menu bar.
2. Select Network Preferences.
3. Click the Protocols tab and choose to accept cookies

Also, if you are on a corporate network, your firewall or proxy server may be blocking your access. If your cookies are turned on and you still get this message, consult with your system administrator.

If none of the above methods produce the desired result, please consult the Help menu on your browser, or call your Internet Service Provider for help with locating the settings for cookies in your browser.

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