LABEL FAQ: Problems or Questions About Releases Now on Sale

1. When will my release be live?
On the date that was scheduled by your label manager. Look over the history of emails between you and your manager and you will likely find it there.

2. Can I have a list of stores that it will be available on?
Not a complete list. Here’s why: This is a common and difficult question to answer. There’s really no way to give a comprehensive list for a few very good reasons. The most important reason that I can’t list every site that we distribute to is that I’m legally prohibited from doing so by virtue of the fact that we aggregate out to several large distributors which create 100’s of “white label” sites, each ultimately branded completely differently but originating from the same pool of content. Their success depends on the fact that each brand is differentiated and seen as separate, when in fact they are the same. The long and the short of it is that when you sign an agreement for distribution to all of their aggregate sites, you are contractually restricted from discussing or revealing even the existence of the agreement outside of any confidential environment. The most important reason however, which is that revealing a comprehensive list of our partners, numbering at over 300 vendors worldwide, would breech what is more or less a trade secret for us. I’m not going to pull a rabbit out of a hat and then show the audience where the bunny was hidden. We give you an overview of what we do, highlighting the important stuff and giving you a sense of our reach, which is wide. We cover virtually all of the major mainstream markets We do the big electronic music stores such as Beatport, 3beat in the UK, Stompy and Juno. We do ringtones throughout the US and Canada for a lot of sites like MuchMusic and Telus and we’re excited to announce that we will be going global as we have been one of only a handful of distributors chosen by the number one ringtone portal in the world. If you have a specific store you’d like to see your stuff in, we’re willing to negotiate to get in there on the fly. You tell us where you want to be. We’ve gotten the science of closing new vendors down pat.

3. Where do I get a Beatport player/ministore?
http://www.beatportplayer.com

4. Some of my releases seem to be missing from my favorite store!
In all likelihood they are still moving through the tiers of distribution. Occasionally however, a store may damage a file during download and forget to notify us. This can happen in up to 5 percent of downloads on average. Computers are not perfect. We keep hearing technology is going to make life easier but haven’t seen evidence of it yet. And believe it or not, we’ve heard rumors that on rarified occasions we here at GrooveSource actually make a mistake or two. That’s right folks, you heard it here first, we aren’t infallible like that guy in the funny hat over in the Vatican. And while we aren’t perfect, we’re perfectly willing to correct a mistake and always around to help. Just EMAIL your error politely to your label manager and they will get it fixed. And while we’re at it GrooveSource isn’t alone on the mistake-making game. We’re going to let you in on another secret: Everything in the world isn’t just exactly perfect. Every store is different and when you deal with a large number of them (many who still enter data by hand) you’re bound to catch some mistakes. Please be patient and EMAIL us at labels@groovemediagroup.com to let us know what the problem is. We’ll gladly take care of it for you right away.

5. How do I get one of those nifty banners on your Myspace?
Make sure you provide unique piece of art for your release and ask you label manager to generate it for you

6. How do I get an adspot on one of the stores?
Adspots are chosen by an editorial staff at each vendor. We pitch releases to these “deciders.” If you have a special release that you think deserves to sit at the top of the list of our pitches, tell us why. If we agree we’ll go to bat for you like Babe Ruth.

7. What can I do to increase my sales?
The people who sell well have a few factors in common. Number one, they use their networks and widen their networks. If you have Myspace, tell everyone you know about your releases. Use tools like the Beatport player and hotlinked banners. Do an email blast. Post bulletins on message boards. Send out promos to your favorite DJ’s. Oddly enough we find that the harder a label works the “luckier” they get. Talent isn’t enough. And when we see hard work and quality material we will meet it with extra effort and attention on our parts. Talk to your label manager about special promotions. We’ve got a million tricks up our sleeves but you need to have the tenacity and motivation to use them.

8. I see my release appearing twice on some stores. Why?
If you had releases previously available digitally before joining the GrooveSource roster, and have supplied those tracks to us as well then in all likelihood we have simply done what you contracted us to do and delivered the files to our normal “paper route” so to speak. Many stores are unable to detect duplicates due to tiny variations in the way that we deliver data versus the way you originally delivered it. We suggest that you leave them the way that they are. A new release is a new release and there is a certain baseline of sales that comes with being a new release. However if you want us to take it down we begrudgingly will for neurotic organization’s sake.

9. There seems to be a damaged mp3 of mine for sale on a site. How do I fix it?
EMAIL labels@groovemediagroup.com. Do not call the office. We may ask you for a replacement file if the one you delivered is not working. They will then redeliver the file to the appropriate folks.

10. I don’t see my material live when it should be. What happened?
If you have a release date that is missed altogether EMAIL labels@groovemediagroup.com right away. There is likely an issue on the vendor’s end that they have failed to report yet.
Alert your label manager via the labels@groovemediagroup.com email address and it will be resolved.

11. There is a track missing from one of my releases!
To quote number 4: “Occasionally, a store may damage a file during download and forget to notify us. This can happen in up to 5 percent of downloads on average. Computers are not perfect. We keep hearing technology is going to make life easier but haven’t seen evidence of it yet. And believe it or not, we’ve heard rumors that on rarified occasions we here at GrooveSource actually make a mistake or two. That’s right folks, you heard it here first, we aren’t infallible like that guy in the funny hat over in the Vatican. And while we aren’t perfect, we’re perfectly willing to correct a mistake and always around to help. Just EMAIL your error politely to your label manager and they will get it fixed. And while we’re at it GrooveSource isn’t alone on the mistake-making game. We’re going to let you in on another secret: Everything in the world isn’t just exactly perfect. Every store is different and when you deal with 300 of them (many who still enter data by hand) you’re bound to catch some mistakes. Please be patient and EMAIL us to let us know what the problem is. We’ll gladly take care of it for you right away.”

12. Some piece of data for my release is incorrect on a store!
To quote number 4: “Occasionally, a store may damage a file during download and forget to notify us. This can happen in up to 5 percent of downloads on average. Computers are not perfect. We keep hearing technology is going to make life easier but haven’t seen evidence of it yet. And believe it or not, we’ve heard rumors that on rarified occasions we here at GrooveSource actually make a mistake or two. That’s right folks, you heard it here first, we aren’t infallible like that guy in the funny hat over in the Vatican. And while we aren’t perfect, we’re perfectly willing to correct a mistake and always around to help. Just EMAIL your error politely to your labels@groovemediagroup.com and they will get it fixed. And while we’re at it GrooveSource isn’t alone on the mistake-making game. We’re going to let you in on another secret: Everything in the world isn’t just exactly perfect. Every store is different and when you deal with 300 of them (many who still enter data by hand) you’re bound to catch some mistakes. Please be patient and EMAIL us at labels@groovemediagroup.comto let us know what the problem is. We’ll gladly take care of it for you right away.”

13. Why is my artwork a different color than when I delivered it to you?
On very rare occasions a vendor will use an image conversion method that causes random color issues when converting something form CMYK to RGB or the inverse. EMAIL your label manager and they will have it fixed for you. And To quote number 4: “Occasionally, a store may damage a file during download and forget to notify us. This can happen in up to 5 percent of downloads on average. Computers are not perfect. We keep hearing technology is going to make life easier but haven’t seen evidence of it yet. And believe it or not, we’ve heard rumors that on rarified occasions we here at GrooveSource actually make a mistake or two. That’s right folks, you heard it here first, we aren’t infallible like that guy in the funny hat over in the Vatican. And while we aren’t perfect, we’re perfectly willing to correct a mistake and always around to help. Just EMAIL your error politely to your label manager and they will get it fixed. And while we’re at it GrooveSource isn’t alone on the mistake-making game. We’re going to let you in on another secret: Everything in the world isn’t just exactly perfect. Every store is different and when you deal with a large number of them (many who still enter data by hand) you’re bound to catch some mistakes. Please be patient and EMAIL us at labels@groovemediagroup.com to let us know what the problem is. We’ll gladly take care of it for you right away.”

14. Why am I only on Beatport at this time?
We use the tiered system described to you by your label manager at the time you signed. We choose a store for you to work for a period of exclusivity to maximize your potential for adspots, promotions etc. In all likelihood you are still at this time in your exclusive period with whatever vendor suits your label best.