My artist application has been approved, what now?
Once you are an approved artist, you are free to create your own Digital Pressings. To get started;
Click your profile icon in the top right of the screen
Select ‘Artist Studio’
The Artist Studio is where you go to create new Digital Pressings, edit drafts of old products and submit products for approval.
Click ‘Create a Digital Pressing’, choose between the 3 release formats (Album, EP & Single) and begin the process of collecting assets for your release.
There are 7 sections to the Create a Digital Pressing process. Below is a brief description of each and some helpful tips for navigating them.
1. Charts
Description: This section is for collecting all of the relevant information about your release for chart reporting purposes.
Tips:
Having your release chart accredited is OPTIONAL. Pursuing chart accreditation for your release impacts the type of bonus content you can add to your Digital Pressing. Please see our Bonus Content & Chart Eligibility article for more details
If you’d like your release to be chart accredited, you will need to get a Unique UPC code for this new digital format. UPC codes are simply barcodes that are used to track your album product in a particular format (CD, Cassette or Digital Pressing).
Whilst Serenade can provide some suggestions as to the guidelines for eligibility, each artist will need to check with the relevant chart body in their target geography to ensure that their Serenade release is eligible for accreditation.
You can choose multiple territories in which to be accredited, as long as you have confirmed that your release abides by the guidelines for each of them.
Chart Rules and Definitions differ between geographies and so what constitutes a single in one territory, might be considered an album in another - eligibility in one geography does not automatically confirm eligibility in another
2. Audio
Description: This section is for collecting all of the music audio files that will form the basis of the release. This does not include any music audio that is included in the Rewards section as bonus material (ie. a demo/voice note).
Tips:
FLAC, WAV and MP3 are accepted file types
Total file size limit is 250mb
You must ensure that the order of the tracks in this section reflects the order that you intend the tracks to be listened to. The order can be rearranged after upload.
3. Cover Art
Description: This section is for uploading the Album Artwork that will be associated with this Digital Pressing release.
Tips:
Give your fans something unique by making a quick and simple edit to the existing album artwork (such as changing the colourway or adding digital signatures), to create a format exclusive collectible
All album artwork should by nature be 1:1 but if yours doesn’t fit those dimensions, you can use our on-platform cropping tool
JPG and PNG files are accepted, with a file size limit of 100mb
4. Pressing Details
Description: This section is for all of the descriptive and discovery material related to your release.
Tips:
The ‘Behind The Music’ section will represent the product description, and should be focussed on the stories, themes, and emotions that made the release. Keep it short and punchy, say 200 words. Check out these products to get a feel for when it’s done; White Lies, Nina Nesbitt, Ocean Alley
If your release is not attached to a record label, please place ‘Independent’ in the section ‘Record Label’
Serenade champions the recognition of every player who helped bring a release to life. Our credits are split into four main categories:
Performed by = all performing contributors, from band members to session musicians
Written by = all writing contributors
Produced by = all producers, mixers and masterers
Art by = all contributors to the visuals of the album
5. Rewards
Description: This section is for uploading all of the media files related to the Rewards module.
Rewards give you a never-before-experienced freedom to craft a packaged, multimedia narrative that encapsulates the feeling/message/themes/stories behind your release. Combine 2-3 content types for a simple but punchy experience of your music that ties your audience to a far deeper appreciation of the release.
See below for a collection of bonus content types that fans are telling us they love;
BTS Footage (Studio, Music Video, etc.)
Exclusive audio (demos, instrumentals, remixes, etc.)
Photos (tour polaroids, unused press shots, camera roll pics, etc.)
Scans (Original lyric sheets, exclusive liner notes, etc.)
Voice Notes
Tips:
Accepted file types for the Rewards section are; JPG, PNG, MP3, FLAC, WAV, MP4, PDF, or ZIP
You can upload a maximum of 20 bonus content files per release, with a maximum file size of 300mb each
The order in which the bonus content is shown and the Name attached to them during the upload flow, will be the display on the product page - you can reorder and rename your rewards after upload on platform
For more information on the Rewards section please refer to our Bonus Content & Chart Eligibility article
6. List Details
Description: This section is for defining the price, currency, edition size and the schedules release date of your Digital Pressing
Tips:
You will be restricted to certain choices for price and edition size. If these seem inappropriate please contact partnerships@serenade.co
For more information on pricing and edition Sizes, please refer to our Price and Edition Size article
The date and time you schedule for your release refers to the time at which the product will become available for purchase, not the time at which the product page will go live. Fans will be able to see the product page from the moment the product has been approved by Serenade - all you have to do is drive them towards it.
If you’re not sure when you’d like to release your Digital Pressing, you can select ‘Schedule Later’ and when approved you will be prompted to add a release date (at which point the countdown will start and your product will be visible)
Releases must be scheduled more than 5 business days in advance to give our team time to assess and approve your Digital Pressing
7. Summary
Description: This section is for submitting your product for approval by a Serenade admin.
Tips
Once it has been submitted you cannot edit your Digital Pressing. In the case that you arrive at the List Details section of the upload process and you are not finished, feel free to leave the page and your Pressing will be saved as a draft to be continued later on
A product submitted for approval will only be visible to you, the artist, through your profile. Once approved, this product will be made visible to fans.
You will received an email to say whether you product has been approved or rejected, with practical next steps in each case.
What is Serenade’s product approval criteria?
During the product approval process, Serenade is checking your Digital Pressing to ensure that each section has been properly filled out, that there are no clear or obvious copyright infringements and that the audio and visual quality is appropriate for our platform.
What happens if my product is not approved?
Should your product be rejected, Serenade will do our best to supply a clear reason for rejection. It is your responsibility to make the required changes to the release, and then resubmit for approval.
What happens after my product is approved?
After your product is approved, a 'Pre-Release' page will be created for your Digital Pressing, including a countdown timer to the exact moment when it will become available for purchase.
This is the page that you should drive your audience to in the lead up for the release. Encourage them to sign up through the 'Notify Me' button to receive direct updates (by email or text) about the product such as the moment it goes live.