What rights do I give Pump Audio when I sign the agreement?
You give Pump the right to license your songs on a non-exclusive basis to any of our production or media clients worldwide at a license fee determined by Pump based on competitive factors and the type of usage. You agree to keep your music in the catalog for a minimum period of one year - or two years if your material is loaded onto a PumpBox hard-drive. You retain all ownership of publishing, copyrights and masters. Pump only has the right to broker your music to interested parties for production, information or entertainment services use (no sound-alone recordings), and to administer the uses Pump generates on your behalf with the corresponding performance rights society.

What responsibilities do I take for the music I submit?
You are giving us your guarantee that the material you are submitting is your own, written and recorded by you and not sampled. Anyone who owns any part of the master recording or the publishing, or has any rights over the music at all, must sign the agreement prior to submission. Should this turn out not to be the case you are fully responsible for the consequences as you are indemnifying Pump and our clients if your submission infringes on the rights of another person.

What happens if I get a record or publishing deal in the future?
You must tell the record or publishing company that certain songs that you have recorded have been provided to Pump Audio. If for some reason the company does not want these songs offered to customers through Pump Audio, you can write us a letter, and we will remove the songs from our catalog.

What if I already have a record or publishing deal?
Pump Audio needs the permission of every person or company that has control over the copyright in the sound recordings and songs that you wish to have licensed, which would presumably include your record company and music publishing company. The written consent of these parties is most likely necessary for Pump Audio to place your music, so you need to put their names on the License Agreement and have them sign as well. If necessary, Pump Audio will provide the label or publisher with a separate License Agreement.

If I sign an agreement with Pump Audio, can I work with any other music companies?
Absolutely. We encourage our artists to pursue other avenues with their music. The agreement with Pump is completely non-exclusive.

What do I need to do to submit my music to Pump?

1) Register an account with Pump.

2) Once ou have registered, you will have your own account page. From this page, upload 2 tracks of your best work to be evaluated and given the "Green Light". We are not looking for a specific genre or style of music here. Send us two songs that will show us that you can write and record music at a professional level.

3) Once you have been Green-lit, you will be able to submit music via your account page. We will not consider any submissions for our catalog if they are not accompanied by a completed, signed agreement and CD.

4) If your music is not Green-lit, you will be able to submit two more tracks for consideration after 90 days. (Sorry, no exceptions.)

What criteria must my music fulfill to be accepted into the catalog?
a) First and foremost, you must confirm via our Artist License Agreement, that all of the songs you submit are original to you and/or controlled solely by you. If there are co-owners, we will need their permission as well.
If you wish to submit music that contains any samples you must be absolutely certain that they are royalty-free and cleared for use. The best way to indicate this is by sending along a photocopy of the copyright agreement from the sample program. You must be certain that you have the rights to all of the elements used in any recordings you submit to us. Unauthorized samples are not permitted.
b) All music must be submitted on a broadcast quality, 16bit, 44.1khz CD. We do not accept any audio that has been compressed (i.e. converted to mp3's) in any way, during any stage. Compressed audio will not be used.
c) Pump accepts both vocal and instrumental music from all genres, on a rolling basis. Your music will go through a preliminary screening process to check for sonic quality. Because we need to screen hundreds of songs each week, this process may take 2-3 weeks after we have received it. Our A&R department will then audition each song on your submission and select which, if any, will be accepted into our catalog. You will be notified via email again if your music is selected for the PumpBox product.

What quality recordings must I submit?
All music must be submitted on a broadcast quality, 16bit, 44.1khz CD. Copies should be of the highest technological quality possible: you need not have spent a fortune to make them, but we do not want recordings with buzz, hiss, dropouts, and other flaws (allowing for artistic effects). Please: No MP3's!

Can I submit songs that have co-writers?
Yes. Songs with multiple writers are eligible for catalog consideration if you are able to obtain the signatures of all parties who have any ownership of the music. This includes those who possess rights to the master and/or the publishing. If there are co-writers listed on the submission schedule who have not signed the license agreement, Pump will delay the screening process in order to obtain the necessary confirmation from licensor. Songs that are not to be considered for licensing (i.e. cover songs or songs where co-writer does not give permission) are to be clearly listed as such on the submission schedule.

How do I know when my music has been received?
Pump will contact you via email to let you know your submission has been received and your contract has been approved. Your submission will then be reviewed by our A&R Department. After your submission has been reviewed, you will be informed via email to let you know of its acceptance status.

If your contract is missing information we will contact you via email to let you know exactly what is missing from the contract.

How much music can I submit?
Please submit as much music as you like. As long as each submission is accompanied by an Agreement we will listen to every track.

I already have music with Pump. What do I have to do to submit more music?
If you wish to submit more music for catalog consideration, you must send it along with a new contract found on our web site www.pumpaudio.com. Even if you have already been accepted into the catalog, we treat each CD as a separate, time-sensitive entity. It is also a beneficial way to update us with any new contact information such as change of address, email or phone number.

My co-writers don't live near me, how can I get their signatures?
Please have each write fill out the Signature Page (pg 12) of our Agreement and mail it back to you before submitting music. We require the signature of every writer, publisher and master owner before reviewing your submission.

What is the standard length of tracks for submission?
3-4 minutes in length. We prefer full tracks rather than edits. Of course, if you have shorter (or longer) tracks that you would like reviewed, feel free to send them along.

Can I submit music that has samples? How about royalty-free samples?
If you wish to submit music that contains samples, you must be absolutely certain that they are royalty-free and cleared for use. The best way to indicate that is by a photocopy of the companyÕs copyright agreement.

Do you accept instrumentals?
Absolutely. We recommend sending the instrumental mixes of your tracks along with lyric versions, if possible. If you don't have these mixes, that's fine.

What if I'm not yet a member of a performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc.)?
Please list "No PRO" on the Signature Page (pg 12) of the Agreement. You can submit to Pump Audio and join a P.R.O. (like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, e.g.) later on. When/if you do sign up with a PRO, please email artistrelations(AT)pumpaudio.com your PRO affiliation, member number and CAE/IPI number. We do strongly recommend you join a P.R.O. at some point so that you're eligible to collect performance royalties.

Will I receive performance royalties (i.e. ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc)?
Any use of your licensed material in broadcast, cable or certain Internet transmissions, as well as a number of foreign broadcasts and exhibitions, will entitle you to certain performance royalty payments from your respective performing rights society such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, if you are a member of one of these performing rights societies.

As part of the agreement with Pump, (or if you have an older contract and signed up for our administration service), you give Pump Audio your permission to register your songs in the form licensed by Pump with performance rights societies. This means that for Pump uses (and Pump uses ONLY), your songs are re-titled with the PRO and administered through Pump. This does not affect any other use that doesn't come through Pump.

Pump then administers the performance royalties owed on the publishing share, of which you will receive 50%. You will receive 100% of the writer's share directly from your P.R.O.

Pump does not take any permanent ownership in your material as part of this process. Pump only administers the uses/licenses that Pump places. This does not affect any other use of your music or the ownership of your songs in any way.

I do not live in the USA. Will I receive royalties for uses of my music anywhere in the world and how?
Depending upon your affiliations with rights organizations in your country, and their corresponding relationships with rights organizations in the country where the productions are created or performed, you may receive writers and/or performers royalties directly. Pump will be authorized to collect your share of any publishing royalties due in relevant territories, for the particular use, and distribute your share to you.

What benefit comes from Pump acting as the Administration Agent for royalty collection?
We feel that collective representation of the large number of PumpBox artists by Pump Audio to ASCAP, BMI and foreign performing rights organizations will result in far superior royalty collections overall. Pump is in a better position to monitor the various broadcast and other performance uses licensed by Pump, and to deal regularly with the performing rights societies, both domestic and foreign. We are in constant contact with our clients and have access to information that is critical to ensuring proper collection - including accurate cue sheet filing.

Is the Administration Agreement a Publishing Agreement?
No. A publishing agreement requires that all or a part of the ownership, including copyright, of the music be transferred to the publisher. Pump does not take any part of the copyright in your music.

How long does the Administration Agreement last?
The Administration Agreement runs concurrently with the License Agreement pursuant to which you submitted your material to Pump, meaning that so long as the License Agreement is in effect, upon Pump licensing your music to a broadcast or performance client, Pump then becomes the Administrator with respect to that use. However, Pump's right to act as administrator and to collect its share of the performing rights revenue continues for as long as the time period provided for in the use license. After you ask for your songs to be removed from the Pump Audio catalog, the administration agreement ends too. In other words, if we are no longer placing your music, we are no longer entitled to administer new uses.

How does Pump monitor royalties?
Pump will register songs with the performing rights societies and will track and confirm all uses of your music with them. Pump will aggressively pursue every royalty owed to you by ensuring the broadcast client fills in and submits accurate cue sheets in both the USA and internationally.

What is a CAE/IPI#?
A CAE/IPI number is a unique international identifying number given to you by your Performing Rights Organization.
US Residents:
If you are a member of ASCAP this number can be found by clicking here:
If you are a member of BMI this number can be found by clicking here:
If you are a member of SESAC this number can be found by clicking here:
If you are a member of a Performing Rights Organization outside of the US, please check with your respective PRO's website.

I do not live in the USA. Will I receive royalties for uses of my music anywhere in the world and how?
Depending upon your affiliations with rights organizations in your country, and their corresponding relationships with rights organizations in the country where the productions are created or performed, you may receive writers and/or performers royalties directly. Pump will be authorized to collect your share of any publishing royalties due in relevant territories, for the particular use, and distribute your share to you.

What are the possible payments I can expect?
Payments vary according to type of use—a TV show vs. commercial, the broadcast market it is used in, etc. Many of our artists have received thousands of dollars as a result of dozens of incidental uses. Some have received thousands for a single use. Usage fees can range from several thousand dollars for a national advertising spot, to hundreds of dollars for a national promo spot, to tens of dollars for an incidental background use on television programming. Remember that Pump and its artists are partners in this process in that we always attempt to get the most money we can for every project. However, each project demands that we price competitively in order secure the license in the first place, and to ensure future business with each client.

Why do you ask for a Social Security Number and a W-9 tax form?
We need Social Security numbers and W-9 tax forms (included in the license agreement document) to pay U.S. residents. Non-U.S. residents obviously do not need to provide Social Security numbers or W-9 tax forms, but we do strongly recommend that you fill out a W-8 BEN so that we don't have to withhold any of your payments for tax purposes. Again, this is optional for international artists, but is recommended.

If I would like payment made to my company do you need my SS#??
No, we will need your Federal Tax ID number and a completed W-9 form.