Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
I’m a client. Where can I listen to and license your music?
Our music is available for auditioning and licensing on our global Sub-Publishers' websites and the Harvest Media Player. See LICENSING page for links depending on your country. In the UK, USA we are represented by BMG.
I'm a client. Can I get custom/bespoke music?
Sure, drop us a line at production@evolutionmediamusic.com, we’re very interested to hear what you are looking for.
What styles or genres do you release?
An eclectic array to meet the demands of any production. Orchestral, synthetic, pop, rock, hybrid, atmospheric, piano based, etc. You get the idea. Take a listen and hear for yourself.
Where are you?
We are based in London and Manchester, UK.
Who are you?
We are Tolga (CEO), David, (Head of Production), Emma (Business Development & Operations) and a small team of Curator/Producers with a wide range of industry experience, working with a large roster of talented composers.
Who should I contact?
You can contact admin@evolutionmediamusic.com for all non-submission enquiries and production@evolutionmediamusic.com for all submission-based ones.
What makes Evolution Media Music different to other production music libraries?
We believe that in working closely with our composers in a language they understand, and making them a true part of the team, we can achieve great things. Production music is released in vast quantities but we aim to raise the quality bar. We believe that through collaboration and expertise, we deliver a catalogue of music that excels in terms of production, composition, and commercial viability.
What is Harvest Media?
Harvest Media is a hosting platform which allows us to present all of our catalogue online and distribute it to our global Sub-Publishers.
Where is the music released? Who are your Sub-Publishers?
Please see the Licensing page for more info of our distribution network and links to our representation in countries across the globe.
Our music also goes straight to the fingertips of BBC, ITV and Channel 5 programme-makers through their in-house music search platforms.
I’m a graphic artist, mastering engineer, mixer - can I work with you?
Yes you can, send us some examples of your work and we will see if we have any opportunities to work together.
I haven't got a reply yet...
We aim to respond as soon as possible, but we receive a lot of emails and are a small team with a large workload and must prioritise emails depending on urgency - thank you for your patience! We review all submissions but may not be able to get back to every enquiry.
Submissions, Contracts and General Composer questions
Can I submit music?
Yes - We would love to hear your work but may not have time to respond to everyone. See the SUBMIT MUSIC page.
How does the submission/revision process work at Evolution Media Music?
To submit, you email us a a shareable cloud storage link (Dropbox or Box.com for instance) to your tracks. If we feel it has good potential, we will contact you and potentially ask you to make some alterations. During this process of revisions, we work together to get your track sounding as strong as it can be. Wherever possible, unlike the A&R departments of many libraries, instead of a flat rejection for tracks which show great potential but aren't there in a ready-made releasable state, we believe in investing time and effort to develop them with composers in an atmosphere of mutual growth and benefit - and it's in everyone's interest to get the track sounding great and securing good usage!
Is there a submission fee?
No
Will you let me know if my track has been accepted or rejected?
We will contact you as soon as we can if we accept your submission. Please allow plenty of time for a response before chasing it up. Due to time constraints we may be unable to inform composers of unsuccessful submissions.
I live outside the UK, can I submit?
Yes
What do I need to do before I submit?
We ask that composers send music that has a coherent, targeted theme when pitching. Please don’t pitch an entire portfolio of varied styles for actual consideration of publishing, though this is fine for illustrative purposes.
For all tracks that are accepted and released by Evolution (after any development necessary), the writer(s) must be members of a PRO (performing rights organisation) in order to be paid when the track is licensed and/or broadcast. So please don't submit music unless you are a PRO member, or have applied to one.
What format should I send my music in?
For submissions and revisions, please send your track as a shareable cloud storage link (Dropbox or Box.com for instance), in a high quality audio format. No file attachments, please.
For final deliveries, we work with 48KHz 24bit wavs. You will be required to deliver 60, 30, sting and underscore versions of your tracks.
What is a licence?
When production companies, filmmakers, advertisers etc want to include a production music track in their Radio or TV show, film, advert, etc, to do so they need to buy a licence. A license fee can vary depending in the usage - from a small online client to a worldwide advertising campaign. You can see the full fees and breakdowns on the rate card.
Are the contracts exclusive or non-exclusive?
On a track-by-track basis, we are exclusive. Don't submit a track that you have used elsewhere, and once a track is signed and published with us, don't use it anywhere else.
Composers are completely free to work with other labels and libraries on other works too, but the works published by Evolution must be done so exclusively.
Will you tell me when my music is licensed?
It is not possible to keep track of every single music usage. We do monitor UK & European tv channels and if we spot a noteworthy placement we will do our best to inform the composer as any big sync will be promoted on our ‘music use’ page. Beyond that, the main way of knowing whether your music has been licensed is when you get paid! Either directly via our mechanical payments, or your PRS statement (see payment schedule).
I don’t understand my contract, can you help?
We can cover the main points, but it's always recommended that if you don't understand something, seek independent legal advice.
What if I submit some music and don't hear back?
In this field we have all faced rejection! Please don't let it dishearten you. There is a lot of competition out there. We simply cannot respond or give personalised feedback to unsuccessful submissions, due to time constraints, but to give you an idea of some of the most common reasons we might not choose a track to develop and include:
Often, we hear musical ideas that show great potential, but the production is clearly not going to reach a commercially-releasable standard quickly enough - or vice versa: fantastic production but no great ideas. Sometimes we love a track musically and sonically, but it is just not on-brief enough, or doesn't sit well in the lineup with the other tracks for the album. Sometimes there is simply a saturation of that particular style - and we can only release so many albums a month.
Best to go away, evaluate why it may not have been accepted and don't let it deter you from submitting tracks again in future.
You have had my track for ages, why is it not making any money?
This may be for a number of reasons. The first, and the one neither of us want to hear, is that it may just not have been used yet. Being released is no absolute guarantee of income, and unfortunately this can happen. Another reason may be that it has been used, but the next PRS or MCPS distribution to cover the usage period has not happened yet, or PRS are waiting on the client to deliver the cue sheet to inform them of usage. We use a number of methods to track usage ourselves but they can often take time coming through. Production music is long distance, not a sprint, and it may be a while before the royalties start coming through. Please be patient and know that Evolution and our global sub-publishers are doing everything we can to promote your music.
I don’t agree with your feedback, how do we proceed?
That's fine. In striving for the creative best, decisions aren't binary and there is often healthy bit of pressure! Music is subjective and we all have different reactions. We do ask, though, that you have faith in the experience of the team - both musically and commercially - to shape the tracks towards the best appeal for usage within the current trends of TV productions. We are only giving you the feedback because we all want the best outcome for the track.
What is a cutdown?
A cutdown is a specific length alternate version of your full length track. When we release an album we include these alternate versions along with the main track: Underscore (usually a sparser mix of the main version with the main melody removed - very appealing for use with voiceover), 30 second version, 60 second version, and sting. Don't worry about these until you have received a contract - but well-formed, impactful 30s and 60s in particular have great usage appeal as off-the-shelf solutions for commercial and TV promo editors.
Where can my music be used if published by Evolution?
All over the place. As well as here in the UK, we have distribution in Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, France, India, Australia, New Zealand, and many more! Your track could be used on anything from a Mexican soap opera to a Singaporean game show. TV, Film, Ads, Video Games, Idents, Trailers, Promos - you name it!
How do I make money?
Royalty payments to writers are generated in two ways. The first from your music being licensed (mechanical), and the second by your music being performed or broadcast (performance).
You need to be a member of a PRO (performing rights organisation, such as PRS here in the UK) in order to be paid.
For a general overview, this will help:
http://www.prsformusic.com/creators/helpcentre/pages/whatwedo.aspx
How do I get paid?
There are 2 main methods of payment. Directly from PRS (4 distributions a year: April, July, October, and December) - and via our mechanical distribution which happens half-yearly (March and September).
Whats the difference between Mechanical and Performance income?
A performance royalty is money generated every time a piece of music is performed publicly. This could be on the radio, a television advert - anywhere a person could hear it. This money is collected by your PRO and paid to you directly via them, which is why you must be a member of one to earn anything.
A mechanical royalty is money generated when a piece of music, or a licence, is sold.
Why do I need to be a member of a PRO?
You need to be a member of a PRO (performing rights organisation) so you can get paid when your works generate royalties. There are different PROs in each country, such as:
Australia - APRA
Germany - GEMA
Italy - SIAE
Japan - JASRAC
Spain - SGAE
UK - PRS
USA - ASCAP, BMI, SESAC
You should be able to find your country of residence’s PRO online.
Do I need to register my Evolution track(s) with my PRO myself?
No. As the publisher, we take care of the administration for all tracks under our label. You just need to supply us with your decided splits between you if you have any co-writers, and the full names, PROs and CAE/IPI numbers for each writer on your track, and then sit back and relax!
What are your standard deal terms/splits?
Our terms, offered in respect to released track(s), are:
- Performance and Mechanical royalties received: 50% to writer(s), 50% to publisher(s)
- Copyright is owned exclusively by Evolution Media Music or one of our affiliates
- Composers receive Performance royalties direct from their PRO, and Evolution account 50% of receipts of Mechanical royalties to composers bi-annually.