Music Video Content Requirements

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Partner Pricing

Fee per video per DSP:

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H.264 (HD) - Facebook, Spotify, Tidal, Vevo

$35
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H.264 (4K) - Facebook, Spotify, Tidal, Vevo:

$45
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ProRes (HD)- Apple Music, Amazon Music:

$65
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ProRes (4K) - Apple Music, Amazon Music: 

$85

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The following issues can be approved but MIGHT be rejected by DSPs (e.g. VEVO/Apple Music):

• Hash tags 
• Scrolling credits accompanying music and visuals
• The following displayed for no more than 3 seconds at end of video:
  Album Single Pack Shots (Cover Art)
  Logos: Record Label, Management, Production Company, Charitable Foundation
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The following issues WILL FAIL at Apple Music. They will also FAIL at Vevo (unless pre-approved):

• Release Dates (including Coming Soon and Out Now)
• Logo Bugs / Chyrons / Lower Third Graphics
• Burned in Logos
• Brand or Product Logos
• Digital/Physical retail or DSP callouts/buttons
• URLs / Twitter Handles / Instagram Handles
• Text credits on a static screen with no music (i.e. title cards.)
• Missing black frame at the beginning and end of the video

Facebook, Spotify, TIDAL & VEVO

All videos must begin and end with at least one black frame for VEVO. Re: VEVO, please see above for possible rejections and avoid them in your video. 

Video Specifications

• Compression Type: H.264
• File Format: .mp4 
• Dimensions: 1920x1080 (preferred) 
• Frame Rate: Native (No less than 23.98) 
• Bit Rate: 20mbps (Minimum 7500 kb/s, if necessary) 
• File must be de‐Interlaced (Please, no Interlacing) 
• Multi-pass encoding is preferred 
• Do not use frame re-ordering in your encoding settings
• Do not include front or end slates, title or end cards, etc.
  
  

Audio Specifications

• Format: AAC 
• Channels: Stereo (L R) 
• Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz 
• Bit Rate: 320 kbps CBR

Important Vevo Channel Creation Information

• Vevo Channel requests for new artists and/or artists needing a Vevo Channel created should be submitted three weeks out from the video release date. 
• While compound artists will be credited, the video can only be associated to a single artist's Vevo channel.
• Artist profile photo must be at least 5000 x 5000 px at 72 dpi.

Amazon & Apple Music

All videos must begin and end with at least one black frame for iTunes/Apple. In addition, videos that begin with or contain empty edits will be blocked; the file can contain an empty edit in its edit list only if it is the last edit. Please see the beginning of this document for possible rejections and avoid them in your video. 

Accepted Delivery Formats

Apple ProRes 4444 (.mov file container)

Digital Betacam

Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) (.mov file container)

HDCAM 4:2:2

Video Specifications

Standard

Resolution

Frame Rates

Color Space

4K

4096 x 2304

29.97p / 25p / 24p / 23.98p

ITU-R BT.2020

4096 x 2048

29.97p / 25p / 24p / 23.98p

4096 x 2160

29.97p / 25p / 24p / 23.98p

4096 x 1714

29.97p / 25p / 24p / 23.98p

3996 x 2160

29.97p / 25p / 24p / 23.98p

3840 x 2160

29.97p / 25p / 24p / 23.98p

HD 

1920 x 1080

29.97i / 29.97p /25i / 25p / 24p / 23.98p

ITU-R BT.709

1280 x 720

29.97p / 25p / 24p / 23.98p

SD

720 x 486

29.97i (Lower Field First)

ITU-R BT.601

720 x 480 

29.97i 

720 x 576

25i / 25p

Audio Specifications
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Stereo

5.1 Audio (+LT/RT)

Audio Codec: Linear PCM Format: Big Endian or Little Endian 

Sample Depth: 16-bit or 24-bit 

Sample Size: 48kHz
Audio must be stereo paired

Audio Track 1: Ch.1 Left (Front)
Audio Track 2: Ch.2 Right (Front)
Audio Track 3: Ch.3 Center
Audio Track 4: Ch.4 LFE
Audio Track 5: Ch.5 Left Surround
Audio Track 6: Ch.6 Right Surround
Audio Track 7: Ch.7 & 8 Left Total / Right Total (Stereo Pair)

Any external audio provided for an editorial session MUST be 48kHz .wav / .aiff audio file. 44.1kHz audio will NOT be accepted

Audio levels should remain constant at -6db as much as possible. Please prevent audio levels going below -12db

If you are unsure of the specifications of your video file, use the Probe feature (Release Editor > Tracks) to view the full  specifications of the video and audio and compare to the above. 

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Artwork for Music Video Releases

Unlike audio releases, cover art for music video releases requires 16:9 aspect ratio, with minimum dimensions of 1920x1080 pixels @ 300dpi. 

The artwork must be created with a still image thumbnail from the video itself. The thumbnail image must not include any black bars or framing. For full details about proper image formatting, please review Apple's guidelines at the link below:

https://help.apple.com/itc/videoaudioassetguide/#/itc0e49b485c

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Asset Ingestion

Before uploading a music video, the video and thumbnail files must be organized in an individual folder for the product. The file choreography should appear as follows:

My Video — Product folder (folder name will be set as the product title)

• My Video.mov — Video file (file name will be set as track title)
• thumbnail.jpg — Thumbnail cover art

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Files can be uploaded to Unchained via the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/request/UsNpgbdL5bzLHH02hzSq

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