Sync Opportunities With Sentric
Are you a budding musician trying to make a living from doing what you love? Our partnership with Sentric Music could be just what you need...
MoreGet Your Tracks On Radio
Launched on Radio.com in 2011, Tomorrow's Hits Today is fast becoming one of the key ways to discover music ahead of the crowds...
MoreFrequently Asked Questions
Here you can find out everything you need to know about SoundOut! We've got the answers to almost all the questions you could think of, but if we've missed something, just drop us an email on info@soundout.com or via the Contact Us link.
Our most frequently asked questions are...
What is SoundOut? SoundOut is the market leading audience powered track-testing tool for artists, managers and labels. SoundOut delivers detailed reports which are generated directly from live consumer feedback on new tracks by any artist. It is designed to provide a fast and affordable way to use audience insight when evaluating tracks. SoundOut also offers users exposure via partnerships with INgrooves Fontana, CBS, and Sentric Music. See below and the right column -> for more details....and how does it work? Every track submitted to SoundOut is fed randomly and in real-time to 125 or 250 independent reviewers on our sister site Slicethepie (dependent on your report type). They are asked to respond objectively with their rating and honest feedback. These reviews and ratings are then automatically analysed by semantic technologies and compared against over 80,000 other tracks that have already been processed through SoundOut to produce a detailed SoundOut report.
How do I order a SoundOut report? Ordering a SoundOut report is pretty quick and easy...
- Register/Login (top left of the screen)
- Go to 'Order a Report' and follow the instructions
- Once your track(s) are uploaded, you'll just need to select what report type you'd like, then add in any voucher codes, clicking the 'claim this voucher' button. Then click 'place this order' before paying via PayPal.
What format does my track need to be uploaded in? We support the following file types: MP3, M4A, FLAC, WMA, AIF, OGG, or AAC (tracks must be at least 90 seconds in length)
How do I use a promotional voucher?When you get to the checkout you'll have the option to pay or part pay with a voucher, just enter your voucher code, click 'claim this voucher' and this amount will be deducted from your balance. Simple!
If you have purchased a discounted multipack and already have vouchers in your account (shown in the top right of your SoundOut account) you don't have to do anything, this discount will automatically apply to your purchase.
Who are the reviewers? The reviewers are a cross section of music fans and consumers from our sister site Slicethepie. They are there to listen to and give feedback on new music and to discover new artists. They do not know they are conducting market research for SoundOut when they hear your track, which helps to achieve honest and objective responses.
To date over 140,000 reviewers have signed up as "scouts" and they are representative of all age groups, genre preferences and locations. Reviewers are asked to behave as "scouts" and to rate tracks not solely from the perspective of their own genre preferences but what they think the broader audience would feel about the track. Beware, reviewers don't tend to hold back, so if you are used to feedback from your girlfriend/best mate or mum, this might be a little more honest!
What can a SoundOut report tell me? Please see our comparison table here!
Below you'll find our detailed answers to other questions about SoundOut. If you know what you're looking for you can also use 'CTRL and F' to search by keyword.
What Is SoundOut (and who should use it)
Is SoundOut just computer analysis of my music?
What can SoundOut do to help me as an independent artist?
What is the "Wisdom of Crowds"?
Ordering (including how to order, vouchers, multiple tracks & payment)
How do I order a SoundOut report?
How do I use a promotional voucher?
How do I order multiple reports?
How much does a SoundOut report cost?
How do I know when my SoundOut report is ready?
How long does it take to get my report?
Can I cancel a report once it's been ordered?
I want to keep my material private - will the reviewers know the name of my band and track?
What format does my track need to be uploaded in?
I'm getting an error message when I pay, what should I do?
About Reports (including types and what's in them)
What are the Standard and Express reports?
What can a SoundOut Standard or Express report tell me?
What more can a SoundOut Plus report tell me?
What is the SoundOut Market Potential forecast? How can it tell if my track's a hit?
Can SoundOut tell me if my track is a potential hit?
What does a Standard SoundOut report look like?
How long does it take to get my report?
Can I get a report on well known music or cover versions?
What other information do you hold on them?
How do you select the reviewers who rate and review my track?
Can I trust the reviews? What motivates the reviewers to leave reviews? Are they compensated?
How many reviewers are going to hear the track?
Can anyone hear the tracks I've submitted?
What is music synchronisation?
How can I submit my music for sync opportunities?
How will my music get chosen for sync opportunities?
How will music supervisors find my song and agree licensing details?
How will I know if my track has been selected?
What else will I need to do if my track is selected for use?
How much money could I make out of a sync or licensing deal?
Will I be allowed to sign an exclusive publishing deal elsewhere?
About Record label opportunities
My Account & Contacting SoundOut HQ
Once logged in to SoundOut you can view your order history, change personal details in the 'My Dashboard' tab
Do I relinquish any rights to the music by uploading it to SoundOut?
Will I receive spam and junk email?
How do I contact the SoundOut customer service team?
SoundOut is the market leading audience powered track-testing tool for artists, managers and labels. SoundOut delivers detailed reports which are generated directly from live consumer feedback on new tracks by any artist. It is designed to provide a fast and affordable way to use audience insight when evaluating tracks. SoundOut also offers users exposure via partnerships with Fontana Distribution, CBS and Bucks Music Group. See below for more details.
We have tested over 100,000 tracks through SoundOut and detailed analysis of these prove that Standard SoundOut reports are consistently over 90% accurate, whilst Plus reports are over 95% accurate.
SoundOut is for anyone seeking consumer insight and market analysis on new tracks. In particular recording artists, bands and musicians who want to know more about their tracks in terms of how, to what extent and why their music resonates with music fans, in order to make smart decisions to maximize their potential. Record labels, publishers and managers can use SoundOut to assist in their A&R work for artists and songs, and decisions around next single releases and album choices, pre-mastered recordings and marketing strategies for tracks and artists. Major labels and radio stations are also now using the service to help structure their weekly playlists. More on that at SoundOut Research.
Is SoundOut just computer analysis of my music?
No, not at all. SoundOut uses genuine feedback from real music fans and consumers and then analyses and interprets this data for you. SoundOut translates subjective input into objective insight in a unique way that helps you rate, comparison test and understand the market positioning of new music.
Most current market research techniques rely on handpicked participants who are fully aware that they are taking part in a market research exercise. This delivers subjective feedback from a targeted audience. SoundOut however combines 4 proven techniques to provide genuinely objective feedback and highly accurate results: the wisdom of crowds, computational forensic linguistics, reviewer profiling and comparative analysis. SoundOut is also very cost effective, making track testing and in depth consumer insight accessible to every artist and any size industry player.
What can SoundOut do to help me as an independent artist?
Give you honest and independent reviews of your music from genuine music fans
Assess the hit potential of any track SoundOut's Market Potential forecast can show you the commercial potential of any track and compares where it stands in relation to thousands of other tracks.
Select the best tracks for singles, albums and promo SoundOut multipacks are an affordable way to upload a selection of your songs and shortlist the best ones for your single and album choices, or decide which to give away as promo tracks.
Showcase the strongest tracks on EPs or Demos A&R and industry execs are looking for hit songs, but these aren't always your favourite tracks. They're listening out for music that will resonate well with a wide cross section of people, so you can use SoundOut to select which of your tracks rates highest, and has the most commercial appeal before you send them to industry professionals, or for commercial opportunities.
Improve your songs or recordings Use SoundOut's track analysis and objective feedback from a real audience to understand what the weakest parts of your songs or recordings are, so that you can make improvements before mixing, mastering or distributing them.
Decide where to focus marketing effort and spend Target your music accurately to increase your fan base. SoundOut tells you who your tracks appeal to most, enabling you to promote your music in the right way to the right people.
Exposure & commercial opportunities When ordering your SoundOut report you can also make your track available for sync and licensing opportunities with Sentric Music. In addition, artists who receive high SoundOut ratings have the option to have their tracks exposed to US labels via INgrooves Fontana. All tracks that rate over 80% are automatically considered for placement on Tomorrow's Hits Today on CBS radio.
See below for further details about these.
What is the "Wisdom of Crowds"?
This is a powerful and proven methodology that large groups of ordinary people organized under the right conditions (a "smart crowd") outperform small groups of experts in making decisions and predictions. It is not new. It is the science behind Google and decision making in some of the largest companies in the world. It has been proven time and again that collective wisdom consistently surpasses the experts. It also means that SoundOut can guarantee 90% accuracy in track ratings. If you want to know more, we recommend you read "The Wisdom Of Crowds: Why Many Are Smarter Than The Few" by James Surowiecki.
A smart crowd (in our case the sample group of reviewers) must be organized under the following 4 conditions to harness Wisdom Of Crowds and deliver an accurate overall result:
- 1. Diversity of opinion: A sample group with many different points of view makes better decisions than one where everyone has the same information.
- 2. Independence: The individual reviewers' opinions are not influenced by others.
- 3. Decentralization: Answers are given by individual reviewers based on their own local and specific knowledge rather than by a central person.
- 4. Aggregation: SoundOut provides a way of accurately measuring the sample group's collective answer.
- We've tested SoundOut over and over again by randomly feeding the same track multiple times to different reviewers each time. The overall track rating always falls within a 10% range, making SoundOut 90% accurate!
How do I order a SoundOut report?
Ordering a SoundOut report is pretty quick and easy...
- Register/Login (top left of the screen)
- Go to 'Order a Report' and follow the instructions
- Once your track(s) are uploaded, you'll just need to select what report type you'd like then choose your payment method, fill out your payment type (adding in any voucher codes first) and click 'place order'
How do I use a promotional voucher?
When you get to the checkout you'll have the option to pay or part pay with a promotional voucher, just enter your voucher code click 'claim this voucher' and this amount will get deducted from your balance. Simple!
How do I order multiple reports?
To order a multipack, just select which here. Multipacks are added to your account as credits to redeem as you're ready.
How much does a SoundOut report cost?
That depends on how much detail you want from your report and how quickly you need it. All our prices and sample reports can be found here.
Yes, your payment is totally secure. SoundOut use PayPal to process all our online payments.
How long does it take to get my report?
SoundOut Express reports are delivered within 24 hours. SoundOut Standard and SoundOut Plus reports are delivered within 5 days.
Can I cancel a report once it's been ordered?
No - once you have ordered the report the track is automatically fed for review.
I want to keep my material private – will the reviewers know the name of my band and track?
Your track will be reviewed by our reviewers without knowing the name of the artist and the track. Once the review is submitted, that information is revealed to the reviewer. With Standard, Express & Plus reports there is an option to keep the track data anonymous when you order your report, at a cost of $5.99 per report.
What format does my track need to be uploaded in?
We accept a range of file types (MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAZ, WMA, AIF, OGG, or AAC) and during the upload process the files are automatically encoded to MP3s at 192 kbps.
I'm getting an error message when I pay, what should I do?
Usually this means you have typed in something incorrectly, but from time to time, PayPal may have a glitch. The best thing is to try again and if you still have a problem, drop us an email on info@soundout.com letting us know what error message you received, as well as the report type you were trying to order.
What are the Standard and Express reports?
The Standard report is delivered within 5 days and the Express report is delivered within 24 hours. View a sample here.
The Plus report uses exactly the same process as Standard & Express reports but tracks are streamed to 250 independent music fans & consumers, instead of 125. This means the Plus report provides a far more extensive level of testing and reporting for those that require deeper insight on tracks across a broader range of demographic and country specific markets. Plus is designed to deliver timely information to support commercial decisions around recording and release projects, as it assists in measuring the appeal and commercial potential of any new music track with target audiences, whilst assessing the size and profile of other potential markets. View a sample here.
What can a SoundOut Standard or Express report tell me?
- What music fans honestly think of a track
- The commercial market potential for a track
- How good a track is overall, with guaranteed 90% accuracy
- How the track rates in comparison with others in its genre
- How much people like or love the track overall
- What sex and age groups your music appeals to
- What your target market should be
- What the strong and weak elements of a track are (e.g. vocals, guitar, production etc)
- What emotions the track generates in the listeners
What more can a SoundOut Plus report tell me?
- How much people like or love the track, split by age groups and genders
- Which regions the music resonates in
- How the track positions against major label releases
- How the track resonates specifically in the UK Only, USA Only and within the 16-24, 25-34 and 35-44 age groups only
What is the SoundOut Market Potential forecast? How can it tell if my track's a hit?
The market potential forecast is calculated using the overall track rating and passion level rating for the track, and also takes into account how much the reviewers have talked about the "commerciality" of the track in their reviews (including references to radio friendliness, its hit potential etc).
The track rating indicates how good the track is in terms of quality.
The passion rating identifies how much (how strongly) the reviewers liked it. It is calculated by evaluating how much more they liked your track than their average rating for other tracks in the same genre.
Can SoundOut tell me if my track is a potential hit?
Since Aug 2009 we have put every new release by the major labels (over 4,000 tracks) through SoundOut, before the singles have been released (commercially or on radio). By subsequently mapping the SoundOut market potential scores of the tracks against their post-release sales performance, this has shown a definitive correlation between the two. This is why we are confident that SoundOut is a strong indicator of a track's sales or hit potential. It should be noted however that the relative success of a single assumes a serious promotional budget, and also directly relates to the existing profile of an artist.
Can I get a report on well-known music or cover versions?
The reviewers on Slicethepie are there to rate new, original tracks. They are likely to rate unoriginal tracks poorly, resulting in a report that will not be representative of the true merits of the track. If you are interested in research of new chart releases, please visit SoundOut Research.
The reviewers are a cross section of music fans and consumers from our sister site Slicethepie. They are there to listen to and give feedback on new music and to discover and support new artists. They do not know they are conducting market research for SoundOut when they hear your track, which helps to achieve honest and objective responses.
To date over 250,000 reviewers have signed up as "scouts" and they are representative of all age groups, genre preferences and locations. Reviewers are asked to behave as "scouts" and to rate tracks not solely from the perspective of their own genre preference but what they think the broader audience would feel about the track. To sign up as a reviewer, head over to Slicethepie.
What other information do you hold on them?
- Age
- Sex
- Location
- Employment status
- Genre preferences
- Historic review data/patterns
How do you select the reviewers who rate and review my track?
The sample group of 125 or 250 reviewers that reviews your track is selected automatically at random because a diverse group of reviewers is required to form a "smart crowd" that ensures you receive an accurate overall track rating. See the FAQs on "Wisdom of Crowds" and "Smart Crowd" below for an explanation about why we do this.
Can I trust the reviews? What motivates the reviewers to leave reviews? Are they compensated?
SoundOut gets its reviews from music reviewers on Slicethepie. They are genuine music fans and consumers from all over the world who anonymously review and rate tracks. They have no axe to grind, no hidden agenda and simply give their honest opinion.
We pay reviewers varying amounts for every track that they rate and review. Each of the individual reviewers is personally rated on their ability to predict the broader market view of a track – the better they are at this, the more weight their opinion carries and the more they get paid per review. Their payment per inidvidual review is also dependent on its quality, which is motivation therefore to write detailed and constructive reviews.
Tracks submitted to SoundOut for analysis are fed randomly, anonymously and on a priority basis, to users reviewing on our sister site, Slicethepie. These users are paid to write a review and rate the track 0 - 10. The artist and track name are only revealed to the reviewer after the review has been submitted (although there is also a SoundOut option for artists to keep this confidential). The reviewers are not aware that the track is from SoundOut until the review is successfully submitted.
How many reviewers are going to hear the track?
125 for a Standard or Express SoundOut report, 250 for a SoundOut Plus report.
Can anyone hear the tracks I've submitted?
No, only the designated reviewers will hear your track and once they have moved onto the next review they are unable to hear it again.
What is music synchronisation?
Synchronisation (sync) is the act of placing an artist's music over a visual; be it an advert, a TV programme, a film, a video game etc.
How can I submit my music for sync opportunities?
SoundOut have a partnership with independent music publisher Sentric Music. When you order a SoundOut report you will have the option to opt in for sync; if you do you we will send you an email with details on how to sign up to Sentric Music to make your music available for sync opportunities.
Sentric Music is an independent music publisher established in 2006. Sentric represent the publishing rights of thousands of artists and songwriters. They offer royalty collection and synchronisation services worldwide as well as industry advice and support through their blog – all on a 28 day rolling contract. It costs nothing to sign up to Sentric – instead, they take a cut of what they earn you. If you want to leave their service then you can do so at any point and you'll retain 100% of your copyright.
How will my music get chosen for sync opportunities?
Once you have signed up to Sentric Music via http://soundout.sentricmusic.co.uk you will be able to view and apply for synchronisation opportunities on your Sentric Music profile. The Sentric team consider every submission made and will submit your song to their client if it matches the brief. From there it's down to the client, but the more information they have about your song (including your SoundOut report!) the better your chance of landing a sync.
Sentric also provide the option to submit your music to their TV licensing catalogue. Music from the catalogue is used by their TV production clients on a daily basis. Again, once you've signed up to Sentric, full details regarding this opportunity can be viewed via the Synchronisation section of your profile.
How will music supervisors find my song and agree licensing details?
For one off synchronisation opportunities, Sentric Music will send you an email every time a sync brief is available to apply for. You simply need to log in to your Sentric profile and select the song you would like to put forward. You could also send over your SoundOut report if you feel that it further demonstrates how your song matches the sync brief. Sentric will then listen to your submission and submit it to the client if it fits the brief.
Licensing agreements are made on a sync by sync basis so Sentric will get in touch with you if the client is interested in using your song and will negotiate the licence on your behalf.
If you submit your music for TV licensing, Sentric will make your music available to their TV broadcasting and production clients. Any music used will be covered by the blanket license put in place by the PRS For Music and you will receive your royalties generated by the sync during a later distribution. If you're unsure about the PRS blanket licenses and like to learn more; have a read of the Sentric blog here.
How will I know if my track has been selected?
If your track is successfully selected by a client for a one off synchronisation, Sentric will contact you directly to inform you and discuss any licence or sync fee details.
If your track is used from the television licensing catalogue then, in most cases, Sentric will not find out until after the broadcast due to the way that usage is reported.
What else will I need to do if my track is selected for use?
For one-off syncs you will need to confirm whether any further clearances are required - i.e. the owner of the sound recording.
On the whole, high quality mp3s are a good enough format for sync but occasionally we might also ask for your song in WAV file so you should always be sure to have the original master recordings to hand.
How much money could I make out of a sync or licensing deal?
Anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds, everything in between or more – there is no straight answer as it depends on many factors! Ultimately it's all about budgets and how much someone is willing to pay for a particular usage. Whatever the fee, you will take home 50% of net publishing receipts plus your split of the master recording share of the fee.
For example: if a £10,000 sync fee is agreed, £5,000 would be for publishing rights and £5,000 would be for the master rights. Sentric would take £2,500 (50% of publishing) and if you own your own master rights you would take £7,500 (50% publishing; 100% master).
If you have a record label then they would normally be entitled to a share of any master fees on your recordings so if your deal with them was 50/50 then your total share of a £10,000 sync fee would be £5,000 with £2,500 going to Sentric and £2,500 going to your record label.
Will I be allowed to sign an exclusive publishing deal elsewhere?
Sentric's contract is 28 days rolling so you can leave at any point with 28 days notice and sign a deal with another publisher. You won't be able to continue to use Sentric's services if you sign any other publishing agreement.
INgrooves Fontana is the independent distribution arm of Universal Music Group. Fontana work with 150 record labels in the US and their partnership with SoundOut means that if you get a SoundOut Market Potential rating of 75% or above or a "Very Good" or "Excellent" rating in the In Genre Classification for any of your tracks, you can be considered for A&R recommendation with Fontana. If you are interested in pursuing this option please send us an email with a copy of your SoundOut report to Fontana@soundout.com. Please note that only Standard, Express and Plus reports are eligible for this opportunity. We will send you a submission form to complete which we will then send to Fontana with your report.
My Account & Contacting SoundOut
Once logged in to SoundOut you can view your order history and change personal details in the 'My Dashboard' tab.
Do I relinquish any rights to the music by uploading it to SoundOut?
None at all, you just grant us the right to stream the track a set number of times to the reviewers for the sole purpose of collecting the reviews required to generate a SoundOut report.
No. Neither SoundOut nor Slicethepie allows downloads.
Will I receive spam and junk email?
No – we hate junk mail and spam. We will send you emails about promotions from SoundOut and our partners from time to time. If you don't want these, just email unsubscribe@soundout.com with your registered email address.
How do I contact the SoundOut customer service team?
Feel free to email us at any time at: info@soundout.com
