Frequently Asked Questions

Membership Questions

What are the benefits of becoming a dBE.Music member?

Becoming a dBE.Music member allows you to submit songs for potential exposure to TV and Film end-users (Music Supervisors and Film Producers). Since dBE.Music takes a boutique approach to providing music to these end-users, you are assured that your music will stand out, and will receive special attention from the end-user.

What is the review process all about?

Because we take this boutique approach, we have to present only the very best to our end-users. We review mountains of submissions and accept only the finest work into our catalog. This makes sure our end-users take our material, your work, very seriously.

What is the cost of Membership? Why is this being charged?

Membership costs only $49.95 per year. Membership provides all the benefits of being able to submit up to 15 songs for review each year and all the potential exposure to the TV and Film industries.

How many songs may I submit each year? What if I want to submit more or fewer?

You may submit up to 15 songs each year. If you want submit more songs, you can do so with a per song charge of only $2.00 each. If you want to submit fewer songs, that is your choice, of course, but be aware that unused submissions will not carry forward into the next year.

May I cancel my Membership?

Yes, you may cancel your member to the dBE.Music site at any time. However, all fees are non-refundable. Cancellation will prevent any subsequent dues from being assessed. Cancellation may be done through your account on this web site.

Song Contract Questions

What rights are involved in the contract? What is the difference between the song and the recording? Why does dBE.Music need to license both rights?

In simple terms, there is a copyright for the song and a separate copyright for the recording of the song. dBE.Music needs to represent both the song and the recording of the song in order to do business with TV, Film and Advertising folks.

How long is the contract for a song?

Each song that is accepted into the dBE.Music catalog will have a one year exclusive contract. This contract will renew annually unless cancelled by you or dBE.Music. You may cancel this contract at any time subject to the terms in the TOS. PLEASE BE SURE YOU READ AND UNDERSTAND THE TOS.

What does it mean that the contract is "exclusive"? Can I still release the song/recording on an album?

Exclusive means that while the contract is ongoing, you give dBE.Music and no one else the right to peddle your song(s) to TV, Film, and Advertising folks. However, this one-on-one relationship is limited to only sound-for-picture uses (like TV, Film, etc.) and to albums that are soundtracks. So, yes, you can release your song/recording on an album as you normally would!

What is the percentage split of any revenue generated by dBE.Music using the song?

dBE.Music and you will share the revenue 50/50%.

What is the Sideman agreement and why do I need it?

The Sideman Agreement is a paper you need to complete and send to dBE.Music prior to dBE.Music being able to represent your song. On it you get every player or producer who was involved in the recording of your song to sign. They are agreeing that if they have any claim to money generated by the recording, they will be paid by you after you have been paid. This protects you, dBE.Music, and the end-user from anyone "popping out of the woodwork" when a song does well and demanding unreasonable compensation. Without this agreement, no end-user would use your song.

What is the Co-writer Agreement and why do I need it?

The Co-writer Agreement is a paper you need to complete and send to dBE.Music prior to dBE.Music being able to represent your song. On it you get every co-writer of the song to sign and specify their address, social security or other tax ID, and percentage ownership. They are agreeing to our TOS just as you have, and that dBE.Music will pay them directly their share of any revenue generated by the use of the song. This protects you, dBE.Music, and the end-user from anyone "popping out of the woodwork" when a song does well and demanding unreasonable compensation. Without this agreement, no end-user would use your song.

What is the Publisher/Label Agreement and why do I need it?

The Publisher/Label Agreement is a paper you need to complete and send to dBE.Music prior to dBE.Music being able to represent your song if there are any publishing companies and/or labels that own part of the song or recording. On it you get an authorized signature from every publishing company and label involved with the song or its recording of the song. You must specify their address, social security or other tax ID, and percentage ownership. They are agreeing to our TOS just as you have, and that dBE.Music will pay them directly their share of any revenue generated by the use of the song. This protects you, dBE.Music, and the end-user from anyone "popping out of the woodwork" when a song does well and demanding unreasonable compensation. Without this agreement, no end-user would use your song.

General Questions

What sets dBE.Music apart from other publishing companies?

dBE.Music takes an altogether different approach to marketing your music than other publishers. First, we are licensing your music - we take no ownership of your copyrights. Subject to the TOS, you are free to do what you will with your music and may cancel our agreement at any time. Second, we take a boutique approach when dealing with music - not everyone who submits will have material suitable for use. This benefits you by allowing us to generate trust with our end-users and assuring you that your music will be taken seriously. Third, compared to many online music sites, our initial costs to you are very low and our submission allowance is very high, so you get the best opportunity to have your music represented at the lowest cost.

Who hears the music we send and submit?

Unlike many of the major online music sites, we don't sign up "industry heavies" to participate in our site. We all know that those busy people do not spend their time randomly reviewing material online. (They have a flunky do it in their account). It is precisely because these folks are so busy that dBE.Music, with its boutique approach, does well.

We have ongoing relationships with MTV, TNT, HBO, Lifetime, and The History Channel networks, as well as Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and Black Dog Productions, to name just a few.

How is dBE.Music better than Garage Band and Music Gorilla or any similar music site?

First, these sites focus on bands or performing artists, not on music publishing. Sure they all mention TV and Film placement, but it is not their primary aim or their specialty.

Second, they take an "all comers" approach. It becomes really difficult to find the good stuff on those sites.

Third, many site try to address the problem of separating the wheat from the chaff using "voting" schemes. However, we all know that voting is notoriously inaccurate, particularly when there are many choices of who to vote for and relatively few voters. Moreover, at least with regard to TV and Film placement, the popularity of a song with the voters is largely irrelevant to whether a song is fit for a particular scene.

dBE.Music takes a totally opposite approach. We know what our end-users need because we ask them, and they tell us because they trust us to get what they need. So we can personally and carefully screen all the submission for what is needed. That means when we push your material, you get taken seriously!