Hi there! Glad to see you here. If you have a question that’s covered here, then just jump to it. If it’s not covered here (or you’d like more concrete information), get in touch with me!
Can I use a song of yours for my video/game/podcast/etc.?
Get in touch if you would like a licence for a specific track.
I may not be able to grant a licence (if it’s reserved for a project of some kind, then it’s out of the question), but do get in touch anyway so we can sort actual details and documentation.
Depending on the licence needs you may be expected to pay an upfront fee. What it depends on is the use case and extent of the use. If this is needed, and once it is paid, I will make available to you a .PDF detailing the licence, along with a master copy in a lossless format.
Love your songs! Can you make more available on streaming?
First of all, thank you for your interest. Even if I’m not always responding, I deeply appreciate the continued support.
Here’s why I’m almost never saying yes to this, at least not right away:
- It takes some time to organise releases, in exchange for very little in return.
- It’s a chicken-and-egg situation, not enough up to interest people, not enough interest to continue putting effort in.
- For me a release is more than just the song itself. Notably, I like having some art to go with it, and it’s one of these things that I am not very good at. This takes time, and sometimes causes problem with the distributor if they take issue with the provided artwork.
- I am not interested in using any sort of AI imagery. I know others pivot to this, more power to them if they find it works for them, but the accompanying art is just as important for me.
- I’m having issues with my distributor, and I am not sure if I’m able to continue distributing without changing who I’m working with.
- Namely it’s over the price I’m paying for the service I receive, the very strict regulations (more so than other distros), and the lack of tools or transparency for why these regulations are in place.
- I would like to switch, however to do so it takes some effort and communication between the two distributors, so right now I’m more or less locked to my existing one. Perhaps this has benefits of its own.
- One thing I would like to distribute are remixes, covers, etc., but most distributors will not allow such things distributed without appropriate licences beforehand.
- Such licences, with very few exceptions, require you to put a number of expected downloads/listens, which comes with its own hiccups.
- What if I put in, say, 1000, but then the track gets really popular and I get millions? Sure, that’s great, but then the licence is no longer valid and I am liable for damages to the original artists. On the flipside, what if I pay for millions, and I only get a few hundred?
- I know of exceptions, which let you pay a small upfront fee ($5/track, I believe) and then take a small cut of the revenue afterwards, but there’s more mental baggage to sort things like it out than it’s worth.
In addition to the above, I know some people have been cut off some platforms entirely due to “suspicious streams”. It seems that you can get added to a playlist with high “bot-like” activity, in turn terminating either the track or the entire profile.
Bandcamp is the absolute best way to support me. If you buy an album, you get unlimited streaming with it as well via the mobile app, in addition to straight-up downloads in lossless formats. I also put in effort to provide liner notes in booklet form that goes into detail about the tracks for some releases. In turn, I get most of the cut from the album sales. If you can’t afford it, simply listen to it on SoundCloud or YouTube. These still help a lot!
That all being said, I want to work on at least bringing to parity whatever I can. If for no other reason, it’s to ensure all you folks have as many means to find and listen to my music as possible. Even if it makes me no money in the long run.
How do you make your music? What tools and techniques do you get?
I would suggest get in touch for more specific answers—I’m happy to answer emails or comments about my process if I remember it.
Largely, I’m a FL Studio user. I’ve been using it for over 10 years, it along with tools like 0CC-FamiTracker and Furnace have been my go-to for all sorts of things for personal and professional works. I’ve been practicing and learning all by myself, with the only help being from friends and material online.
I don’t tend to have a “process” for composing, it’s whatever comes to head combined with whatever I stumble upon while in the zone. It’s hard to answer this because unless I know I wanted to achieve something via a technique, it’s always intuition. Sometimes I’ll find a few references and note what in them I like and what I definitely want in a track, it can help. Sometimes it doesn’t, though.
What are your rates for commissions?
Firstly, thank you for considering me. It means a lot.
My rates vary depending on your needs—typically it’s a mix of “what kind of songs do you need?”, “how long do they need to be?”, and “how quickly do you need them?”, it’s worth considering these and pulling up a few references for what you need ahead of asking, it does help a lot with determining a fair price for both of us.
If you already have a budget in mind, it’s also worth mentioning it. I am willing to make things work on a budget, especially if I believe in a project, so best to get in touch about my rates.
What’s the best way to contact you?
The absolute best way is via my contact page. It gets forwarded to my email, which I will read.
Alternative means are through Bluesky DMs or via Discord. Although I have other socmed accounts, I very rarely check them.
MelonadeM 