This page covers some important info you'll need to know before using the platform.

Private files

Private files are the files from your catalogue which we require secure keys to access. For example, your source audio WAV and FLAC and full-length files are kept under lock and key and only accessible by you when you are logged into the system. The same goes for all files in your files manager (aka incoming demo manager). The exception to this rule is that we offer a way for you to obtain a secret link which you can share privately with other people.

Public files

Public files are not restricted in any way and are available on the public web. These files include album art, your label logo, non-full-length or non-full quality audio clips, and similar assets which often need to be available when we link to your products on our automatic landing page, and label catalogue listings. These listings can also be disabled in your label settings if you wish. Just to be clear, none of your sensitive content is available as a public file.

Queue system

This is one of the most important concepts about LabelGrid.

How it works

Almost every feature which utilizes scheduling or has batch operations will utilize an operational queue in which each item is processed (one at a time) but concurrent with other queues. For example, if you have a post sitting in your Soundcloud queue, as well as another item in your Youtube queue; both of those items will be processed at the same time as soon as a spot becomes available in the queue processor.

FIFO

These operations should happen rather quickly, so please get in touch if you think something is stuck. In another example, if you have 2 items in your Soundcloud queue, the first item you added to the queue will be processed first, and then the 2nd one will be processed after -- in a first-in-first-out sequence.

Fine-tuning your posting schedule

Keep in mind, it is also encouraged that you setup posting rules for certain services so that your posts can be spread out over time rather than posted all within the same period. You can read more about in the other sections of our documentation which covers things in greater depth.

Handling errors

Lastly, in most cases, if you try to queue up the same item again which has already been delivered previously, your operation will be rejected and an error will be displayed to you after you submit the form. The way around this is to make sure to check the "force delivery" checkbox. This may also be called "redelivery". You will only want to use force delivery when it is needed. You should not check this box on the first delivery. Just keep that in mind.

Mailing system

The notable things about our mailing system are the alerts and zip-mailer.

Alerts

Alerts refer to emails we send out to your email address on file to notify you of important events or information. These alerts are sent on an as-needed basis to you and possibly other parties, on your behalf.

Keeping you and your team informed

For example, when a Bandcamp upload finishes or a Youtube video has been posted, we will send you an email notice along with the link to the post. As another example, if you receive a demo upload into your inbox, or if you reject or approve a demo, the system will send an automatic message to the interested parties. You also get a chance to customize some of these messages before they are send, in particular, ones that are sent to a third party.

Zip-mailer

Our mailing system allows you to send mail from our servers to your own recipient list (or subscriber list). The zip-mailer, will package up a zip file for a specific release and send it to a single recipient or group of recipients that you have chosen. You can use this for pre-release promos and internal sharing or anything else you wish. The zip is also available for direct download so you can bypass our mailer altogether and have a zip file complete with all the relevant release info and files.

Statements, bulletins, etc..

We will also send periodic sales statements, bulletins, and reports via this system, so make sure when we mail you the first time from any new address, to whitelist that address to avoid any future problems receiving our messages.

Zip packages

Zip packages can be created on the fly as soon as you have created a release with full art and audio files in tact. These zip files will contain the 320's, WAV's, artwork and a TXT info file with all your release's details inside. This is used for convenient sharing to press, internal staff, stakeholders, or anyone you wish.

Also note, if you have previously sent out a zip-mailer to someone and afterward you need to update a track file or artwork, you will need to regenerate this zip file so that the mailer recipient's zip file will contain the new files. If the recipient already downloaded the old zip, they will need to re-download it to get the latest files. All you have to do is regenerate a zip using LabelGrid and the recipient's old zip-mailer link will automatically be pointing to a new zip file with the updated contents.

Soundcloud

We offer 2 ways to push your content to Soundcloud from LabelGrid.

Method 1: Posting via Soundcloud API

This method is done via the "Post to Soundcloud" link on your toolbar and this method utilizes Soundcloud's official API to post a track directly to your Soundcloud profile as if you uploaded it manually yourself. This gives you full access to change, update, remove, change buy links, etc inside your Soundcloud post. This is an important distinction which is not available when you post via the feed method (method 2) which is described next.

Method 2: Posting via Soundcloud feed (send to shops)

This method is done via the "Send to Shops" button on your toolbar after which you will see "Soundcloud Monetization" come up in your chosen shops list. This method can be handy if you do not already have a Soundcloud profile. The drawback to this method is that you will not have control on how Soundcloud handles the content. For example, Soundcloud will post the track on the artist's Soundcloud profile rather than the label's profile. The artist will not even be able to hide the track from their profile. Additionally, you will not have any ability to update, delete, or change certain info on the Soundcloud post from within Soundcloud, and any takedowns or updates will have to be pushed again via the Soundcloud feed which can slow down your workflow.

Soundcloud Monetization

Soundcloud monetization is available for both of the above posting methods.

If you use the API method, we will automatically attempt to apply monetization to the track by posting the appropriate ISRC, UPC, artist info and other meta-data that Soundcloud needs to monetize the track.

If you choose the Soundcloud feed method, the monetization rules are automatically included when we upload the release package to Soundcloud's feed -- no other action is necessary. Once a track is monetized, log into your account and view the track on Soundcloud, and you should see a small blue badge with a dollar sign icon appear under the track.

YouTube

Our YouTube posting interface gives you a convenient way to generate and post artwork music videos to YouTube in 2 formats, single-track videos, and multi-track videos.

When using this feature, we are posting the video directly to your YouTube channel just as if you uploaded the video manually.

Posting a single-track video

A single-track video can be posted by using the "Post single-track to Youtube" button on your toolbar which will use our video-generator to create an HD music video using your existing album art + audio. You will have the option to supply alternate artwork and clip start and end settings. Additionally you will have ability to choose from 6 different layouts for your video.

Posting a multi-track video

A multi-track video is just like a single-track video, except in this case we will splice all selected tracks (usually from an album), into a single video, including fading in and out between each track on the video. This is useful for posting whole album videos.

Youtube monetization

Monetization on Youtube is available as well and is not as restrictive as the Soundcloud monetization options. To enable monetization for your content, we submit your audio files for fingerprinting to Youtube's Content ID service which tells Youtube's system to scan their entire site for any audio that matches your audio fingerprint, and then to run ads on that video. The money collected from that then gets forwarded to us and will appear in your royalty statements.

Distribution lead-time

Although we can typically have updates and inserts posted and live within a matter of hours, all DSP's prefer additional lead-time when inserting new content into their libraries. This is typically at least 5 business days for Spotify 3-5 days for Beatport, 1 day for iTunes, etc. Additionally, to be considered for play-listing on Spotify or editorial features on various outlets, you will want to upload and notify them ahead of time -- typically 4-6 weeks in advances and at a minimum 1 week for Spotify release radar inclusion. Specific details about content scheduling and best practices can change often so be sure to check with each DSP, either in their public docs or by asking them directly.

Accounting and Payments

Our accounting system is built with transparency in mind and allows you to request payment as soon as 20-45 days after reports are available. This delay is necessary so we have time to process reports and receive money from the DSP's into our account. The timeline can depend on many factors. At this stage of our platform, we prefer to report on most accounts quarterly to cut down on the overhead required to process every month; however if you have a need for monthly reporting, and are doing over $300 per month in sales, just let us know and we will set you up.

General tips when using the system

We have taken extra time to provide hints and tool tips that are built right into our dashboards, and user interfaces to help guide you as you use the system. This information is designed to help you navigate and learn how things work, so be sure to read these tooltips, especially when you are not sure about something. If you reach a dead-end in our documentation or aren't able to find what you are looking for, shoot us a support request and we will be happy to answer your questions.