We work with all kinds of artists here at our Nashville mastering studio, including many independent artists. Once the mastering is complete, the artists often have it pressed to a CD, vinyl and/or just ready the digital files for digital release, but there’s one question we often get:
“How do I get my music on Pandora?”
We recently reported that Pandora founder Tim Westergren’s blogged how much some of the artists played on the site make per year (i.e. Drake gets around $3 million!), so it’s no wonder artists want their music played on the station. Additionally, it’s also a great way to obtain exposure from listeners who enjoy similar music to yours.
Since Pandora’s process is a little different than other streaming music sites like Spotify, I thought I’d detail the process here, particularly for artists that aren’t signed to a record label that handles this sort of thing.
- You must have a physical CD of your work. This undoubtedly is a hindrance to many artists, since so much music is released in digital only forms these days.
- Your CD must contain a UPC code. This is on the barcode on the back of the CD, and can typically be added as an option with the company printing your albums.
- The CD must be available for sale on Amazon. This is another requirement many artists don’t meet – but fortunately it is fairly simple to put your record for sale on the site. Again, your CD must have scannable barcodes with UPC codes on the back cover, and you must pay a fee of $29.95 to list your CD. Additionally, Amazon takes a 55 percent commission on each sale.
- This seems like a no brainer, but you must own the legal rights to your music for it to be accepted for play on Pandora.
- You must set up a standard Pandora account (which is free).
- You must submit two tracks from your album in MP3 form.
It should be noted, however, that meeting all these requirements does not guarantee that your music will be added to the Pandora library. The site uses a selection process, and the company admits that most submitted music will not be played.
“We have a deep respect for artists and their work, and we take the responsibility of curating Pandora’s collection very seriously,” reads the website. “While we feel a great affection and respect for everyone who makes the choice to create, the reality is the majority of the music or comedy we receive does not get selected.”
A final element you’ll want to be sure your music has are ISRC codes. This stands for International Standard Recording Code, and are written into the data of songs and are used for distribution rights. For more in depth information about ISRC's, click here.
Fortunately, Sage Audio offers sequencing services which include ISRC encoding for only $35. To find out exactly what our audio mastering can do to improve your final mix, head to our Artist Account page to get a free mastering sample of your work.
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, community, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 4 unique value-points and 5 additional bonuses included with your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
$8,900 | Member Price = FREE
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets that match the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video modern in-depth mastering course that dives into every secret nuance of making chart-topping masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for modern mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course.
- SAU courses include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Weekly Quizzes to continually test your knowledge and grow your audio engineering skills.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, and social channels.
- New course lessons are added every week with the latest knowledge and techniques so you can continually build and refine your skills as the industry evolves.
Yes! I Want To Join The Membership Now
2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
$6,500 | Member Price = FREE
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
- Unlimited private access to us for advanced mixing feedback, where we provide detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
Yes! I Want To Join The Membership Now >
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
$5,800 | Member Price = FREE
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve and produce professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is highly valuable - giving you continual direct access to us for real-world suggestions so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
Yes! I Want To Join The Membership Now >
4. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
$4,700 | Member Price = FREE
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
Yes! I Want To Join The Membership Now >
Bonus #1: Weekly Live Chats
Member Price = FREE
- Live chats are held every Thursday.
- Join us for fun group chats about mixing, mastering, and more!
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Bonus #2: Community
Member Price = FREE
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
Yes! I Want To Join The Membership Now >
Bonus #3: Mixing and Mastering Competitions
Member Price = FREE
- Compete in Weekly Mixing and Mastering Competitions to win prizes, connect with friends, and have fun!
- Competitions are a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside other producers and engineers in a professional environment.
Yes! I Want To Join The Membership Now >
Bonus #4: 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
Member Price = FREE
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
Yes! I Want To Join The Membership Now >
Bonus #5: 700+ Video Catalog
Member Price = FREE
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into categories so you can easily take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your skills at your own pace.
Yes! I Want To Join The Membership Now >
