🇺🇸 Welcome to XJAZZ! Music The label was founded 10 years ago by Sebastian Studnitzky and is run by artists. We are setting up digital and physical releases, while production, design, marketing, PR, and manufacturing are covered by the artists = you. This way we keep the record deal lean and affordable. Part of the deal is your participation, so please always return to this FAQ. Our label work begins, once we’ve received all data and material: your music, your artwork and a filled out Label Copy. Estimate around 3 months later your first single. Your physical product (cd/lp) release depends on manufacturing: our storage must have your product at least 4 weeks in advance. We will generate your ISRC-codes, that you then forward to your Masterer (they create a DDP-file for your printing plant) - in order to do that, we need your complete material and a little time. Everything your designer needs, is in this FAQ. Lets get started and get your music out in the world! Your XJAZZ!Music label team. Some facts: Release on Fridays, min. 14 days between each single and the album. Digital & physical release can be on the same day or separate. Single 1 → Single 2 → Album Our distribution partner for both digital and physical products is The Orchard, including storage in Germany and shipping to several shops. For your CD/LP production, your mastering engineer will ask for ISRC codes. To generate them we need your music, artwork and filled out Label Copy. For your physical Artwork, your designer generates a Barcode, that has to appear on the backside of your CD/LP. We will generate a EAN number. You are free to choose your designer and manufacturer/printing plant, we can recommend our partners and provide all logos and guidelines. Physical products must be delivered to the storage at least 4 weeks before release. We recommend them being printed 8 weeks in advance. If you miss this deadline, your physical release date must be postponed. Communication with GEMA etc. stays in your hands. We’ll do everything possible to align your release with your promo and live dates, but we need time for internal approval processes with the distributor. 🇩🇪 Willkommen bei XJAZZ!Music Das Label wurde vor 10 Jahren von Sebastian Studnitzky gegründet und heute von Musiker:innen betrieben. Wir richten eure digitale und physische Veröffentlichung ein, während Produktion, Design, Marketing, PR von den Künstler:innen übernommen werden. Das hält die Kosten auf einem Minimum und lässt maximale Gestaltungsfreiheit. Teil des Deal ist eure aktive Partizipation, bitte befragt dieses FAQ denn hier findet ihr die meisten Antworten und auch alle relevanten Vorlagen. Die Arbeit des Labels kann beginnen, sobald uns alle Daten und Materialien vollständig vorliegen – rechne ab dem Zeitpunkt 3 Monate bis zur ersten Single. Wir benötigen: Musik, Artwork und eine ausgefüllte Label Copy (die Vorlagen bekommt ihr). Das physische Releasedatum hängt von der Produktion ab. Die CD/LP muss mind. 4 Wochen vor der Veröffentlichung im Lager unseres Distributionspartners angekommen sein, das Paket verschickt ihr oder das Presswerk für euch. Für die physische Produktion werden vorab von uns ISRC Codes generiert, die ihr eurem Masterer schickt. Dieser generiert eine DDP-Datei, die ihr ans Presswerk weiterleitet. Dafür brauchen wir ebenfalls euer komplettes Material und etwas Vorlauf. Euer Artwork checken wir auf Formalien, dafür braucht ihr von uns noch UPC/EAN und den Label Code, das alles ebenfalls erst nachdem wir eure Unterlagen beisammen haben. Die Kommunikation mit Presswerk und Grafiker:innen liegt bei den Artists, wir stellen alle Codes und Vorlagen zur Verfügung. Jetzt kann es losgehen - euer XJAZZ!Music Team! Einige wichtige Fakten: Freitags wird released zwischen jeder Single und dem Album müssen mind. 14 Tage Abstand liegen Single 1 → Single 2 → Album Euer physisches Produkt (CD/LP) kann zeitgleich oder nach dem digitalen Release erscheinen. Unser Vertriebspartner für digitale und physische Produkte ist The Orchard, sie stellen uns Platz in ihrem Lager und verschicken Eure CD`s an Shops. Design/Herstellung eurer CD/LP könnt ihr frei wählen, wir überprüfen nur ein paar inhaltliche Details und können Partner empfehlen. Wir benötigen euer vollständiges Material, um ISRC-Codes zu generieren, damit euer Master eine DDP-Datei erstellt, die das Presswerk benötigt. Für das Design bekommt ihr von uns auch eine UPC/EAN Nummer, aus der euer Grafiker einen Barcode generiert, der auf die Rückseite kommt. Physische Produkte müssen spätestens 4 Wochen vor dem Release beim Distributor eintreffen. Sonst wird es vom Vertrieb verschoben. Die Anmeldung der GEMA liegt beim Artist, von uns erhaltet ihr alle Logos und Gestaltungsrichtlinien. Wir tun unser Bestes, um euren Release mit allen Promo- und Live-Terminen abzustimmen, benötigen jedoch die vereinbarte Zeit für die internen Abstimmungsprozesse mit dem Vertrieb.

🇺🇸 Upload to your Google Drive folder: Album tracks as WAV files (24-bit, 44.1kHz) Artwork for album/singles in 72 dpi RGB, square format (3000 x 3000 px, max. 6000px) as JPG. Artwork for singles/album can differ, or be the same. We will also need your physical artwork for approval of our logo and copyright, but you are free to design it. Filled out Label Copy (template) Banner (1920 x 1080), video link, short ENG. promo text for your artist page on our website. Instagram: you invite us as collabs or tag us anytime (relevant to your release) 🇩🇪 Eure Uploads im Google-Drive Ordner, den wir bereitstellen: Album-Tracks als WAV-Dateien (24 bit, 44,1 kHz) Artwork für Album und Singles (alle gleich o. unterschiedlich) in 72 dpi RGB, quadratisch (3000 × 3000 px bis 6000 px) als JPG (für physische Veröffentlichungen brauchen wir die Druckvorlage, um auf unsere Logos und Copyright zu schauen, in der Gestaltung seid ihr frei). ausgefüllte Label Copy (unsere Vorlage) Banner (1920 × 1080 px), Video-Link und ein kurzer englischer Promotext für Eure Künstlerseite auf XJAZZ!Music. Bei Instagram könnt ihr uns taggen und als Collab einladen, wenn es für das Release relevanter Content ist.

🇺🇸 Label provides: after we get your material and have set up your release Catalogue number Label code UPC / EAN codes ISRC codes (please inform us if you already have your own) PO number for shipping of your physical products to the storage and delivery address URI number for your new Spotify Artist account Coordination of digital and physical releases License income accounting (earliest one year after release) Communication via XJAZZ! Music channels (IG and Website) Instagram collab (@xjazz__music): tag us in your release content XJAZZ! Music Website: your banner, promo text, and video link for your artist page 🇩🇪 Das Label stellt bereit: nachdem wir euer Material angelegt haben Katalognummer Labelcode UPC / EAN Codes ISRC Codes (bitte informiert uns, falls ihr eigene habt) PO Nummer für das Versenden eurer physischen Produkte und die Lieferadresse URI Nummer für euer Spotify-Artist-Konto (muss vor dem Release beantragt werden; bitte Bearbeitungszeit einplanen). Weitere Hinweise zur Einrichtung anderer Streaming-Accounts findet ihr im FAQ. Abrechnung der Lizenzeinnahmen (frühestens ein Jahr nach Release) Kommunikation über Instagram: veröffentlicht euer Artwork/Promovideos auf euren Kanälen und ladet uns als Collab ein (@xjazz__music) XJAZZ! Music Website: wir richten euer Artist Portfolio ein mit eurem banner, video link und Promotext

🇺🇸 How do we schedule your release? Digital release: the label can get started once you send us all required materials (artwork, music, and a fully completed Label Copy). We say that 3 months is the perfect amount of time for the process. Physical release: before the pressing plant can begin their work, we have to generate ISRC numbers. That will be done after you have submitted all the required material. Also the designer can finish their work after you deliver the necessary codes and logos. Your physical products must arrive at the warehouse min. 4 weeks before the release date and your physical release date can differ from the digital. 🇩🇪 Wie timen wir euer Release? Digitales Release: wir benötigen die vereinbarte Zeit, um euer Release anzulegen und können erst beginnen, sobald ihr uns alles schickt (Artwork, Musik, Label Copy). Physisches Release: das Label generiert ISRC Codes für den Masterer und einen EAN Code für den CD/LP Barcode auf eurem Artwork. Erst dann kann das Presswerk anfangen zu arbeiten. Anlieferung der physischen Produkte: sie sollten spätestens 4 Wochen vor VÖ im Lager ankommen, dafür müsst ihr auch Zeit einplanen. Das physische Datum kann also nach dem digitalen sein.

🇺🇸 For your physical master and production you will need ISRC codes. We create them, but before we can do that, we need all of the mentioned material: tracks, artwork (digital) and the filled out Label Copy. After some time we will create the codes and copy them into the Label Copy. You will also need UPC/EAN codes for your physical artwork (barcode), therefore we also need your material and can generate the codes after. You will find everything in your Label Copy. The artist is responsible for the communication with all parties (masterer, printing plant and designer) and we give you all the necessary logos, label code and design manuals online in this FAQ - but also in your Google Drive folder. 🇩🇪 Für euer Master und die physische Produktion benötigt ihr ISRC-Codes. Wir erstellen diese, brauchen dafür aber zunächst alle genannten Materialien: Tracks, Artwork (digital) und die ausgefüllte Label Copy. Nach einiger Zeit erstellen wir die Codes und fügen sie in die Label-Copy ein. Für euer physisches Artwork braucht ihr außerdem den UPC/EAN Code (zur Erstellung des Barcodes). Hier gilt dasselbe Prozedere, wir können alle Codes erst generieren, nachdem uns alles vorliegt und hinterlegen es in der Label-Copy. Der Artist ist für die Kommunikation mit allen Beteiligten (Mastering-Studio, Druckerei und Designer) verantwortlich. Alle notwendigen Logos, Label-Codes und Vorlagen für das Artwork stellen wir in diesem FAQ zur Verfügung, sowie im Google Drive-Ordner.

🇺🇸 The Label Copy is our central communication and setup document. It is used collaboratively between the label and the artist to organize all information needed for the release. Over time, the label provides certain data, which the artist is responsible for sharing with relevant parties, such as the mastering engineer (ISRC), manufacturer (Catalogue number), and when shipping physical products to the warehouse (PO number). Your designer will request Logos and a UPC/EAN number for the barcode of your cd/lp, also the GEMA if your are based in Germany. If you are looking for information, please always check your Label Copy. 🇩🇪 Die Label Copy ist unser zentrales Kommunikations- und Arbeitsdokument. Sie wird gemeinsam von Label und Künstler:in genutzt, um alle für den Release benötigten Informationen zu organisieren. Im Laufe der Zeit stellt das Label darin Informationen und Codes bereit, die von euch an die jeweiligen beteiligten Parteien weitergegeben werden – an den Mastering Engineer (ISRC), das Presswerk (Katalognummer), Grafiker:innen (Logos und EAN für den Barcode eurer cd/lp) und die GEMA Anmeldung. Wenn ihr Informationen benötigt, schaut immer wieder in die Label Copy, dort legen wir alles ab.

Please fill out the marketing infos, to be found at the end of your Label Copy. Focus tracks are a key piece of information for retailers to know what track you are aligning your marketing efforts around. They cannot be singles, please choose a different track of your album. Artists know their stories best, use quotes and creative context to help showcase your message. Here are some helpful annotations: MARKETING HIGHLIGHTS * = required * Song/Album Blurb (500 characters max): (Tell us about the process of creating this project/song, recent highlights and plans to promote it.) * Label/Artist will be pitching directly in Spotify for Artists: Yes/No (Let us know if the artist’s teams will be pitching in SFA directly.) *Album/EP Street Week Focus Track = Focus Track (The track that editors, programmers will focus on when the project is released. This is a new track that has not previously been released - Focus track should not be a single) *Focus Track Mood: (This should include the general mood of the track, where it fits in terms of sub genre. Examples: Chill, Energetic, Happy, Fierce, Meditative, Romantic, Sad, Sexy) *Is The Focus Track a Cover? Yes / No (Please include whether or not this track is a cover of another song released by another artist) *Artist Hometown: (Please include the city, state, and country of origin for the artist, this is not their current location) *Currently Based: (Please include city, state and country for the artist’s current location) * Moods (please choose up to three): Chill, Energetic, Feel Good, Feeling Blue, Fierce, Fitness, Focus, Happy, Heartbreak, Meditative, Motivation, Party, Romance, Sad, Sexy, Sleep (Please choose up to three of these prepopulated moods.) *Release Timeline: (Please include release dates for audio/video releases associated with this campaign) Example: 'Track 1 Title' - Released as a Single & IGT April 30th 'Track 2 Title' - Released as a Single & IGT June 13th 'Track 3 Title' - Released as a Single & IGT July 25th Album (Focus Track: ‘Track Title) August 1st *Artist Quotes on Project/Single: (Quote from artist on all singles and focus tracks - i.e. creative context, anecdotes, synopsis, themes, story behind making the music, inspiration) *Album Blurb: (Concise description/elevator pitch of the album. The “perfect” blurb should be short, relevant and selling. Ideally not more than 500 characters. Preferably, a blurb should include three different elements: A short description of the album (theme, context), background information on the artist project and previous results (what has happened before - think “CV”) and finally, information about promo & marketing activities around the new release - what happens now) Artist History (i.e. specific narratives, international support, accolades, etc.): (Concise description/elevator pitch of the artist and their history.) Fans Also Like: (Please include similar artists, or artists that their fans also follow/listen to) TikTok Handle: (If the artist is active on TikTok, please include their handle) Hired Teams (Radio, PR, Marketing, Manager, Agent, etc): (Please include names of companies/key personnel who have been hired to work this campaign. This should include names of any management, tour agencies, digital agencies, publicists hired by territory) Example: Publicity US - Name @ Agency UK - Name @ Agency EU - Name @ Agency AU - Name @ Agency Radio / Club Service AU - Name @ Agency DE - Name @ Agency EU - Name @ Agency Booking Agent US: Name @ Agency UK: Name @ Agency AU: Name @ Agency Press/Publicity/Highlights: (Please include links to recent major press hits + upcoming/confirmed major press hits) Press Quotes: (Recent notable press quotes around album campaign) Radio Promotion: (Please include any radio stats, talking points, hired teams/partners and plans) Touring/Live: (Please include notable tour dates and shows and highlights) Advertising Plans & Spends: (Please include details for any advertising spends including budgets, length of campaigns, target platforms/locations) For digital spends, please include details for each platform below if applicable: Spotify Apple TikTok Snapchat YT IG/Facebook Retail Campaign Drivers (Broken out by account) (Please include plans such as contesting, social posting, fan engagement, experiential and any applicable activations you are using to promote the record that drive fans directly to digital and physical accounts) Digital Sales/Streaming History: (Please include streaming highlights and stats that show growth and or fan engagement) Physical Sales History: (Please include physical sales highlights and stats that show growth/demand in the market. Please include territory specific information where applicable) Press Photo Link: (Please include a link to the hi res press photo either by google drive or dropbox) Link to additional assets: (Please include links to any additional promotional assets that you may have for this campaign. This may include artist BIO, music video files, promotional assets, cover art, WAVs, Links to campaign decks and more)

🇺🇸 What are the accepted audio file specifications? We prefer WAV (.wav) format in 24-bit and 48 kHz. However, we support all of the formats below: WAV (.wav) and FLAC (.flac) and Apple Lossless (.m4a) 16-bit: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz WAV (.wav) and FLAC (.flac) 24-bit: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz 🇩🇪 Was sind die akzeptierten Spezifikationen für Audiodateien? Wir bevorzugen das WAV-Format (.wav) in 24 Bit und 48 kHz. Wir unterstützen jedoch alle der folgenden Formate: WAV (.wav) und FLAC (.flac) und Apple Lossless (.m4a) 16-Bit: 44,1 kHz, 48 kHz WAV (.wav) und FLAC (.flac) 24-Bit: 44,1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88,2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176,4 kHz, 192 kHz

We will assign a Catalogue number / cat. number (XJM...) to your release. You will find it in your Label Copy - it is often requested by manufacturers. The catalogue number does not need to appear on your physical artwork. Wir vergeben für jedes Release eine Katalognummer (XJM...). Ihr findet sie in eurer Label Copy - sie wird häufig von Presswerken oder Herstellern abgefragt. Die Katalognummer muss nicht mehr auf dem physischen Artwork erscheinen.

Release Formats Album – typically preceded by 2 singles Unrelated Single – stand-alone release, not part of an album or EP EP – shorter collection of tracks, released all at once CD – compact disc LP – vinyl format You can choose just a digital release, or digital release + physical (only cd/lp or both).

🇺🇸 Artist/Account naming (Spotify) For new jazz projects, artists often want to combine their personal name with a new band or project name. While we understand this from a musicians perspective, streaming platforms follow strict rules based on the Apple Music Style Guide (which is mandatory for all services): A primary artist can only be claimed as a musician OR a band/project. Combinations of both are not accepted — such releases will be rejected. Individual artists (e.g. John Lennon, Paul McCartney) and existing bands (The Beatles) can be claimed together. What is not possible is merging everything into one hybrid name. Featured guests appear as such on streaming profiles. Artwork Requirements All primary artists and the album/single title must appear exactly as listed in the metadata. The distributor will check this — discrepancies lead to rejection. For physical releases the rules are more flexible, but for digital artwork consistency is mandatory. Alternative: provide artwork without text, using only image. 🇩🇪 Künstlernamen für neue Accounts (Spotify) Bei neuen Jazz-Projekten möchten Künstler:innen häufig ihren eigenen Namen mit einem Band- oder Projektnamen kombinieren. Wir verstehen diesen Wunsch aus musikalischer Sicht, allerdings gelten auf Streaming-Plattformen klare Vorgaben, die auf dem Apple Music Style Guide basieren (verbindlich für alle Dienste): Primary Artists können nur als Name oder als Band/Projekt eingetragen werden. Einzelkünstler:innen (z. B. John Lennon, Paul McCartney) und bestehende Bands (z. B. The Beatles) können nicht als Hybrid angelegt werden. Special Guests werden auf Streaming-Profilen als „feat.“-sichtbar gemacht. Anforderungen an das Artwork Alle Primary Artists sowie der Album- bzw. Single-Titel müssen exakt so auf dem Artwork erscheinen, wie sie in den Metadaten angegeben sind. Abweichungen werden nicht freigegeben. Für physische Cover gelten etwas flexiblere Regeln, bei digitalen Artworks ist Konsistenz zwingend erforderlich. Alternative: das Artwork kann auch ohne Text, also nur mit Bildmotiv, eingereicht werden.

🇺🇸 After we have submitted your release, you will get an URI number to claim your account. Please contact their support service if you have any questions. You claim your account here: https://artists.spotify.com/en/claim For all questions please use their customer service: https://artists.spotify.com/home Other streaming Services You can set up your Apple Music account by yourself after your first single release. We recommend claiming all accounts, please reach out to their customer services in case you have questions: amazon music for artists apple music for artists spotify for artists deezer for artists tidal for artists 🇩🇪 Nachdem wir euren Release eingereicht haben, erhaltet ihr eine URI-Nummer, mit der ihr euer Spotify-Artist-Konto beanspruchen könnt. Bei Fragen wendet euch bitte direkt an den Support-Service von Spotify. Account-Claiming: https://artists.spotify.com/en/claim Kundendienst: https://artists.spotify.com/home Weitere Streaming-Dienste Euer Apple Music-Konto könnt ihr nach der Veröffentlichung eurer ersten Single selbst einrichten. Wir empfehlen, alle Streaming-Accounts zu claimen. Bei Fragen kontaktiert bitte direkt den jeweiligen Kundendienst. amazon music for artists apple music for artists spotify for artists deezer for artists tidal for artists

🇺🇸 With Spotify for Artists pitch tool we try to keep all our pitches in English. This is to increase the chances for a release to travel and get picked up by playlist editors around the globe. The “perfect” pitch text, aka blurb, should be short, relevant and selling. According to Spotify, a blurb can’t be more than 500 characters. Preferably, a blurb should include three different elements: A short description of the song (theme, context), background information on the artist project and previous results (what has happened before - think “CV”) and finally, information about marketing activities around the release (what happens now). Below are four examples of how a blurb could look like: Local act: Example 1 Fourth single of the year from the Swedish country-pop singer-songwriter who won "Swedish Idol" in 2010. His first solo album, Jay Smith [2010] topped Swedish music charts and was certified platinum. A second solo album, 'King Of Man' was co-produced by seven-time Swedish Grammy-winner Dan Sundquist. He has also released two albums with the band Von Benzo. Example 2 New upcoming EP from Ida Kudo, Danish/Japanese who offers equal parts of Eastern mystique and cool Scandinavian precision. Ida Kudo has previously been supported by Clash Magazine, Gaffa, Bands of Tomorrow & Jajaja as well as received airplay on P3 DK. She has also supported American rapper Caleborate in London, and played Danish festivals such as SPOT Festival and Uhørt Festival as well as most recently at Sørveiv Festival in Norway. Focus track is 'Killer'. International act with not a lot of local marketing drivers: Single from the London pop artist who formerly recorded as Loop. A preview of her second EP, which is scheduled for release in 2019. Her January 2018 single "Give 'n' Take" ["the spicy tropical pop banger you never knew you needed until now...bold, precocious pop music," Clash] has received 12M+ streams. Her May 2018 single "Love The Lie" ["one part Zara Larsson and one part Purpose-era Justin Bieber, only even more summery, somehow, and a bit more dirty, sweaty," tmrw] has received 3.5M+ streams. The video for her September 2018 single "Cut And Run" featured on Just Jared. Not enough marketing drivers really but still trying to entice curiosity: The Stockholm based producer duo A.M.Y, evolved from the shadows of the music industry. A fellowship that began late 2017 in the basement studios in Stockholm, proved itself to be of great value for both parts of the duo. Composed of Ardalan Azadi och Yaroslav Polikarpov, they started out early on producing songs for other artists, they have previously worked with world leading producers such as Martin Garrix, Nicky Romero, Kryder and Trilane. Social media campaign leading to DSPs for approx. 12k SEK in budget.

🇺🇸 UPC & EAN UPC codes for each album or single will appear in your Label Copy. Physical and digital. Adding a 0 upfront creates your EAN number (important for your barcode). The graphic designer will generate a barcode for your physical product (extra FAQ article). important for your barcode (cd/lp) and GEMA 🇩🇪 UPC / EAN UPC codes erscheinen in eurer Label Copy für jedes Album / Single, digitale und physische Produkte. Mit einer 0 vorneweg habt ihr euren EAN code. Euer Designer wird daraus den Barcode für die Rückseite der CD/LP erzeugen – bitte lest dazu den FAQ-Artikel. relevant für euren Barcode (cd/lp) und die GEMA

🇺🇸 Unfortunately our label currently does not have the capacity to do support promotion and pitching to media, playlists, radio or concert venues - this is managed by the artist. We are working on solutions and can recommend partners, please dont hesitate to ask. 🇩🇪 Aktuell hat unser Label keine Kapazitäten, Promotion und Pitching an Playlists, Radio, Magazine oder Veranstalter:innen zu übernehmen. Diese Aufgaben liegen in der Verantwortung der Künstler:innen. Wir arbeiten dennoch Ideen aus, wie wir Euch in Zukunft supporten können und empfehlen Partner:innen.

🇺🇸 The festival and the label are historically connected, but the XJAZZ! festival has its own booking team, so we would kindly ask you to apply there directly, if you are interested in playing. booking@xjazz.online 🇩🇪 Das Festival und das Label sind historisch miteinander verbunden, jedoch hat das XJAZZ! Festival ein eigenes Booking-Team. Wenn ihr Interesse an einem Auftritt habt, bitten wir euch daher, euch direkt dort zu bewerben. booking@xjazz.online