Help

 

I registered as a downloader; do I have to register again as an artist?

No, you do not need to re-register as an artist. Just go to the upload music page, upload one of your tracks, and you will then automatically become an artist! Easy as that!
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Why should I upload my music to We7?

We believe in giving unsigned artists exposure that they would not receive from other online stores. We7 does not see itself as a direct competitor with paid for download stores. Our model sits in another part of the market which (for the majority) brings in new users who currently earn the artists nothing.

Most of We7's customers do not come to We7 instead of paying for a download. So these are extra revenues.

When your track(s) have passed the Tastemaker section, they will be competing on a level playing field with all the tracks on the site - including the big name artists! This will mean that you have the same revenue earning opportunity as everyone else on the site.
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As an artist, do I have the rights to upload my tracks to We7?

Yes. At We7 we work with both signed and unsigned artists. If you have assigned your sound recording rights to a third party (eg a record label or distributor) you must check with them first, as to whether you can upload your music.

There are 2 types of rights:

1. The copyright embodied in the sound recording. These are licensed via record labels, distributors or individual artists
2. The copyright embodied in the musical and lyrical composition (publishing rights). These are covered under the blanket MCPS-PRS JOL (Joint Online License) which is calculated as a percentage of Gross revenues.

The publishing element of the song is completely different from the sound recording element. The publishing element can be owned by single or multiple parties, all of whom will take a share in the publishing revenues according to a set percentage which has been registered with their publishing company/companies. Who the publisher(s) are may have absolutely nothing to do with the record company who paid for the master and released the recording - although, increasingly, they are related. As long as your publishing company has a deal with the MCPS-PRS Alliance, in the UK, then the repertoire is covered under our MCPS-PRS JOL agreement The publisher members of this organisation have given a mandate to MCPS-PRS to make a deal on their behalf.

The MCPS is responsible for the mechanical right - i.e. the right to copy something such as making a download. And the PRS is responsible for the performing rights of that song - i.e. the right to listen to that music being performed, such as a stream in a playlist. You need to contact the MCPS-PRS Alliance and any companies that you have an agreement with to ensure that you have full permission to upload your tracks.
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Can I upload cover versions?

If you are a UK based artist and have made your own recording of an existing track already released by another artist, better known as a "cover version", you are the sound recording owner and will only need to obtain an MCPS license for any physical products you produce. However, if in creating your cover version you have in any way rearranged or adapted the original track, you will need to seek permission from the music publisher or, if unpublished, the writer/composer involved.

Artists outside of the UK should check with their local collection society or industry body for guidelines on recording and releasing cover versions.
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How do I upload my music?

First, you need to register. Then, click on Your page and under "Artist management and upload tools" on the right hand side of the page, you will find the Upload your music link where you can upload your music.

Tracks must be in the MP3 format and need to be of a bit rate that is at least 192 kbps to be submitted to the Tastemaker challenge. If a track is successful we will need the track in a lossless format (such as WAV) to convert it to the right format for our website.
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Why can't I search for my tracks in the "Review new music" section?

We do not allow reviewers or artists to search for specific tracks when reviewing in order to avoid cheating. Tracks are picked randomly in the review process to avoid any advantage it may gain by repeatedly reviewing a particular track favourably or unfavourably. This means that artists and bands with large fan bases will not be privileged.

However, you can now track how many reviews your tracks have had.
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How can I monitor the status of my tracks?

To monitor your tracks in the Tastemaker section, you have to log in first. Then, from Your page, you just need to click on "Your review status" under the "Artist management and upload tools". Here you will find all the tracks that you have uploaded to the Tastemaker with their status, rating and if they are not reviewed yet their position in the queue.
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My tracks are still queuing. Is there anything wrong?

The Tastemaker section currently holds more than 3,000 tracks, which explains why the process can take some time. It then all depends on the genre and if users review it a lot. So the best thing you can do to help speed up the process is to review music and get your friends to as well!
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Why should I review tracks?

The quicker tracks are reviewed, the quicker they move through the Tastemaker and leave room for the queuing tracks including your tracks.
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How do I get paid and how much?

In the UK, We7 will split the net revenue generated by advertising with you, the rights owner, on a 50/50 basis after costs. The costs include payments required to collection societies (such as the MCPS-PRS Alliance) and bandwidth costs. We7 currently has limited "paid for" advertising but this will change over the coming months.

Currently, in the UK, We7 guarantees you the greater of 50% of the net revenue from advertising or 3p per track for download with an advert, 0.25p for streaming and 10p for a paid download.
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How often will I receive payment for my downloads?

Currently We7 processes a payment run at the end of the first week in the month. This payment covers the previous month. If you, the rights owner, are owed more than £20 then We7 will pay this amount to you via an automated process, into your Paypal account. If you earn less that £20, this will be carried over to the following month - you will then recieve payment when the amount due is over £20. You can see how many times your tracks have been downloaded and how much you have earned by logging into Your page and click on "Your download stats" link under the "Artist management and upload tools".
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Can I change my artist page?

This is an important feature of the site that we are currently working on. Soon artists will be able to edit their profiles and upload images, text, links etc. For the time being, please send us an email with any change you would like to make.
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What if people strip the ads from the start of the track?

We7 believes that our members use the site because they want to make sure that their music downloads support artists. We expect that those who would strip the ad from the track are individuals who would be more likely to use an illegal download service in the first place.
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Do longer tracks get longer ads?

No, we don't use track length when choosing which ads to attach to your tracks.
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Will I earn more money from longer tracks than shorter tracks?

No, the length of a track will not determine your earnings from that recording.
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Can I link to We7 from my website?

Yes! We also have a widget that you can place on your website and your blog that will display your songs and allow visitors to your site to access your tunes on We7.

To do so, just go on the track page, the album page or the playlist page of the music you want to embed and you will see an HTML code ready to be pasted in your website.

Please note: if you already have the widget and the message "Our playlist widget has been updated. Get the new version from we7.com now!" is showing, you will need to get the new code and update your widget.
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