Managing Music Video Releases Print
In addition to managing audio content and metadata, users can upload and distribute music videos in AudioSalad. Music videos have intricate requirements that must be taken into consideration in order to deliver to DSPs. Please see our full guide for managing music video releases below and contact support if you have any questions.
Uploading Music Video Releases
Music video releases are managed in the same basic structure as audio releases and have the same minimum metadata requirements for distribution.
Each music video should be configured in AudioSalad as a standalone release, not attached as an additional file format within a standard audio release. The Format for music videos must be set to Video as per the screenshot below:
Accepted File Formats for Music Video Releases
AudioSalad accepts the following video file formats:
ProRes 422 HQ or ProRes 4444 compression format – MOV file container (.mov).
H.264 compression format – MP4 file container (.mp4).
For full details about formatting music videos in accordance with each DSP’s requirements, please review the following article:
Please note that AudioSalad can transcode ProRes files down to H.264, but it does not transcode in the reverse direction. As such, we recommend uploading ProRes files whenever possible, as this will ensure capability to deliver to the full range of DSPs.
Use the Probe tool to view the detailed file specs for the video:
Artwork for Music Video Releases
Unlike audio releases, cover art for music video releases requires 16:9 aspect ratio, with minimum dimensions of 1920×1080 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
Additional Considerations for Music Video Releases
Apple Music requires additional attributes for ProRes files that are cropped. These can be input in AudioSalad by clicking the Attributes button under the Media Details section for the track. The following Attributes must be set for ProRes files if the video is cropped:
video.crop.top (the number of whole pixels from the top of the encoded image to remove)
video.crop.bottom (the number of whole pixels from the bottom of the encoded image to remove)
video.crop.left (the number of whole pixels from the left of the encoded image to remove)
video.crop.right (the number of whole pixels from the right of the encoded image to remove)
Music video releases cannot be delivered to standard distribution targets in ZaytowGlobal; instead, video-specific distribution targets must be activated enable video delivery to DSPs. Please contact support to learn more and request video delivery in your ZaytownGlobal account.
Music video releases can be ingested in bulk by using the AudioSalad XML spec for content ingestion. See our Catalog Ingestion via XML Delivery Feed doc for details.