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FAQ

Answers to frequently asked questions.

Registered Members (Non Composing Members)

1. Registered Members
2. Home Area
3. How to Contact Composers
4. Event Types

Composer Membership

1. Composing Membership Application
2. Audition Track
3. Composer Short-Listing
4. Panel Auditioning
5. How Long Will it Take to Get Approved?
6. Composer Membership Annual Subscription
7. Why Charge Composers?
8. Composer Classifications
9. Specialising Genres

Composer and Track Search

1. Genres
2. Moods
3. Quick Composer Search
4. Advanced Composer Search
5. Quick Track Search
6. Advanced Track Search

Track Comments

1. Track Comments and Recommendations
2. How to Comment on a track
3. Track Comment Terms & Conditions

Advice On Encoding

1. Mp3
2. Kbps
3. Upload Speed

Screened Music Network Membership

Registered Members (Non Composing Members)

Registration of the Screened Music Network is free and allows you to:

1. Commment on tracks and leave recommendations
2. Receive our newsletters

N.B. Registered users have a profile page that displays all the track comments they have made. This can only be accessed by clicking on the user name on the track comment itself.

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Home Area

All members have access to a home area, which is displayed in the primary navigation when logged in. This area can be used to manage your profile, upload a photo and biography and upgrade your membership to Composer Membership.

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How to Contact Composers?

All Registered Users can contact Screened Music Composers. Once you are logged in you can view a Composer's phone number (if supplied) or send them a message via our secure on-line form. Your message will instantly be forwarded to the Composer's email address.

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Event Types

The Screened Music Network currently runs two event types.

1. Professional development lectures and master classes. These range from technical master classes to orchestration workshops or industry Q&As. They are aimed at professional film and television composers only and are free to all Screened Music Composers. The Screened Music Network runs a minimum of two professional development events each year.
2. Film and video screenings. These events provide an opportunity to view films, documentaries and video games scored by Screened Music Composers. They are open to all members and the general public.

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Composing Membership Application

Screened Music Composers can either be invited into the network by a member of the panel or apply for membership via the monthly panel audition. The audition process is done online by uploading an MP3 audition track and some details about your composing style and experience. Online application is a 3-stage process:

1. Apply Online. You must be registered as a member and logged in to apply for composing membership. Then simply complete the online form with your composer details and upload an MP3 audition track. You will be asked to provide a visual context for the music and to confirm that you are the sole composer of the track
2. Shortlisting. Applicants are shortlisted before they are submitted to the panel. We aim to inform you whether your application has been shortlisted within a week of your track upload date.
3. Panel Auditioning. This is a monthly process in which the panel audition the application track. The panel will leave a comment and assign a percentage score. If you receive an average panel score of 80% or above you will be invited to join the Screened Music Network as a Composing Member.

Application is free.

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Audition Track

The audition track (and any tracks subsequently added to a Composer Profile) must be under five minutes in length, encoded as a stereo MP3 with a maximum file size of 5Mb. In order to keep file sizes down, we ask that you encode at a bit rate no higher than 128 kpbs (kilobits per second). See the Advice on Encoding section for more details.

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Composer Short-Listing

We regret that it is not possible to submit every track to the Panel. Tracks are shortlisted before each round of Panel auditions in order for the system to remain manageable for the Panel. Approximately 20 tracks are shortlisted each month.

Shortlisted tracks are chosen because they display a combination of the following factors:

1. A high degree of musical creativity, development and originality (melodic ideas, harmony, instrumentation, texture etc.)
2. A professional level of production, mixing, and use of sound.
3. Successful musical interpretation of the visual context, or suggested usage, described by the composer during the track upload.

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Panel Auditioning

Panellists audition shortlisted tracks monthly using a secure on-line platform and give each piece a percentage score according to clear guidelines similar to those outlined in the composer short-listing section above. An average panel rating of 80 or above will result in a composer being invited to join the Screened Music Network. They provide written feedback where possible and every composer can receive their panel comments and percentage score, regardless of whether they have been accepted.

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How Long Will it Take to Get Approved?

We aim to inform all applicants whether their track has been shortlisted for Panel auditioning within a week. Once shortlisted, it may take approximately a month to get through the Panel audition.

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Composer Membership Annual Subscription Options

Composer Members can choose one of the following membership options:

Services	Standard £80+VAT	Premium £120+VAT
A listing in the Composer Directory	Yes	Yes
Audio tracks in Composer Profile	Up to 10	Up to 25
Video tracks in Composer Profile	Up to 5	Up to 10
Listed at the top of Composer Directory	No	Yes
Returned at the top of music searches	No	Yes
Access to composer forum	Yes	Yes
Guaranteed entry to all professional development seminars and lectures	Reduced	Free
A Web Link in Composer Profile	No	Yes

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Composer Classifications

Screened Music profiles composers with varying levels of experience, separated into the following three categories, referred to as Composer Classifications.

• Emerging: Highly regarded emerging composers, rising to the forefront of the British film and television music industry.
• Established: Well established composers working regularly in television or feature film. Published and with major broadcast credits.
• Acclaimed: Critically acclaimed, award winning or world-renowned composers, working in high-end feature film or television.

You can use specify one or more of these classifications in the Advanced Composer Search.

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Composing and Specialising Genres

Composers in the Screened Music Network are required to set up a Composer Profile, which specifies which musical genres they compose and specialise in. This allows users to search and filter composers by specialising genres if required. A composer can specify as many composing genres as they wish, however they can specialise in a maximum of 5 genres. The quick composer search only returns composers who specialise in the selected genre.

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Genres (Tracks and Composers)

When searching for tracks or composers you can specify the genre(s) you require. A track may be allocated up to three genres from the list below. Genres can also be used to refine your composer search. Composers can specify a maximum of five specialising genres and an unlimited number of composing genres. This information can be viewed in the Composer Profile page.

• Ambient (+Sound Design)
• Acoustic
• Blues (+Soul)
• Chamber Group
• Choral
• Country
• Dance (+Techno, D&B, House)
• Easy Listening
• Electronica (+Psychedelic)
• Experimental (+Progressive)
• Folk
• Industrial
• Jazz (+Funk)
• Orchestral (Full orchestra, brass, woodwind)
• Piano (+Keyboard, Organ)
• Pop (+Electro, Disco)
• Reggae (+Dub)
• Retro
• Rock (+Metal, Indie)
• Strings
• Urban (+R&B, Hip Hop)
• World

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Moods (Tracks only)

Every track is allocated at least one mood. However a track may be allocated up to three from the following list. This allows users to search and filter tracks by mood.

• Atmospheric
• Cheerful
• Cheese
• Chilled
• Cool
• Dark
• Dramatic
• Energetic
• Epic
• Factual
• Fun
• Minimalist
• Quirky
• Sentimental
• Suspense
• Weird

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Quick Composer Search

The quick composer search allows you specify one genre only and will return results for composers who specialise in that genre. Composers can specialise in a maximum of 5 genres.

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Advanced Composer Search

The advanced composer search allows you specify as many genres as you wish, and allows you to specify whether a composer specialises in these genres. Composers can specialise in a maximum of 5 genres. You can also use the advanced composer search to filter composers by admission date and experience classification.

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Quick Track Search

The quick track search allows you specify one genre and / or one mood only.

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Advanced Track Search

The advanced track search allows you specify as many moods and genres as you wish. You can also use the advanced track search to filter tracks by tempo and date posted.

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MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3)

MP3 is a common compression scheme used to transfer audio files via the Internet and store in portable players and digital audio servers. The default rate of compression used in most converters is 128 kbps (kilobits per second) and results in a file size of approximately 1Mb (Megabyte) per minute for stereo audio. The Screened Music Network asks that all MP3s be encoded at a data rate of 128 kbps (kilobits per second).

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Kbps (Kilobits per second)

Kbps is the unit of measurement used to express the data rate of digital audio and commonly refers to how fast data is transmitted on a communications path. Standard MP3 files have a data rate of 128 kbps, with CD quality audio being 1411 kbps. The majority of audio software has the ability to change the data rate, with 160 or 192 also being common settings. This function can usually be found in the advanced compression or audio settings of the software. Raising the data rate of an MP3 file will result in an increased file size, longer upload time and less efficient streaming ability. The Screened Music Network asks that all MP3s be encoded at a data rate of 128 kbps.

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Upload speed

Upload speeds are typically much slower than download speeds. An average broadband connection will upload at a speed of approximately 30 seconds per Mb (Megabyte). Uploading files larger the 1Mb is not recommended if you are using a dial-up connection (56k modem). Uploading even small audio files with a dial-up connection will take several minutes per Mb (Megabyte) and may result in a system crash.

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Track Comments and Recommendations

All registerd users can post a comment against a track.

When leaving your first comment against a track you can show your appreciation for it by flagging it as either Recommended or Highly Recommended.

Track comments (and track charts) are categorised by user type as follows - Members, Composers and Panellists.

As well as being a useful way to draw attention to a track, the track recommendation process plays an important role in the track charts. Highly recommended tracks are attributed 2 points while Recommended tracks are attributed 1 point.

it is not possible to post a comment anonymously. Every posting has a full name attached to it (and a verified email address) and ideally a photo. We hope that all comments will be constructive in nature. Any impolite or abusive comments will be removed immediately and are likely to result in revoked membership.

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How to Comment on a track

You must be logged in to comment on a track. Use the box at the bottom of the track page to leave your comment. During your first comment you will be given the option to either Recommend or Highly Recommend the track.

Your comments will be visible at the bottom of the track page and any recommendations will instantly affect the track charts. Your full name and photo (if supplied) will be displayed next to your comment.

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Comment Terms & Conditions

Screened Music reserves with right to edit or delete any comments without prejudice.

Comments may be edited or deleted for any of the following reasons:

1. If a comment is deemed to be insulting, impolite, or unconstructive in nature.
2. If a comment does not refer directly to the associated track.
3. If a comment contains a web address or HTML.
4. If a comment contains any insults or profanities.

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