Recipe: submit tracks to a production music library

What you get: a folder of finished tracks, alternates and stems, with metadata and a clear rights position, that a library can ingest without writing back to you.

What it costs: nothing beyond the DAW you already use. Plan on about a day for a batch of five tracks; that is our estimate, not a library rule.

The one rule: decide exclusive or non-exclusive before you send anything, because it decides where else the track can ever go. Background on how deals work is in production music libraries explained.

The steps

1. Pick the deal type first (30 minutes, free). An exclusive deal means only that library represents the track. A non-exclusive deal lets you place the same track in several libraries. The trade-off shows up in fingerprinting: YouTube lists "music or video that was licensed, but without exclusivity" among material that may not qualify for Content ID, and says owners must hold exclusive rights to what is evaluated (YouTube). A track in three non-exclusive libraries is a poor fit for Content ID claiming by anyone.

2. Read each library's submission page (20 minutes, free). Libraries differ on file format, number of tracks per submission and how they want to hear from you. Follow theirs over any general advice, including this recipe.

3. Finish the full mix (varies, free). Libraries sell usable music, so lead with a clean intro, a clear build and a real ending rather than a fade, which makes the track easier to cut to picture.

4. Make the alternates (1 to 2 hours per track, free). The usual set is full mix, an underscore or no-melody version, and short edits such as 60, 30 and 15 seconds. Editors reach for the short cuts constantly.

5. Bounce stems (30 minutes per track, free). Drums, bass, harmony, melody and FX, all starting at the same point and running the same length. Our stems recipe covers the export settings.

6. Write the metadata (15 minutes per track, free). Title, composer and publisher splits, performing rights organisation and IPI numbers if you have them, tempo, key, genre, mood, instruments and a one-line description. Search is how supervisors find music, so write the words they would type.

7. Name files consistently (10 minutes, free). A pattern like Title_Full_120bpm.wav, Title_Underscore_120bpm.wav, Title_30s.wav keeps a batch readable at a glance.

8. Check the contract clauses (1 hour, free; a lawyer costs extra). Look for: exclusive or non-exclusive; whether the library may retitle the track; who registers it with a performing rights organisation and with Content ID; the split of upfront licence fees and of the publisher share; the term, and whether rights revert if the track earns nothing. If any of these is missing, ask before you sign. This recipe is not legal advice.

9. Keep a rights log (15 minutes, free). One sheet per track: which library, which deal type, the date signed and the reversion date. It is the only thing that stops you placing an exclusive track somewhere else by accident.

10. Submit and wait (15 minutes, free). Send what the library asked for and nothing more, then move on to the next batch rather than chasing.

What we think

The step people get wrong is step 1, and they get it wrong by not choosing at all. Non-exclusive feels safer because it spreads the bet, but it closes off fingerprint claiming and can leave the same track sitting in several catalogues under different titles. We would put a small number of the strongest tracks into one good exclusive deal with a reversion clause, and use non-exclusive libraries for the rest. Whatever you choose, the rights log in step 9 is what keeps the choice honest years later.