Arkade Artists FAQs
Contents
What are Arkade's key features?
- You run your Arkade Site yourself. – You are in control!
- You get 100% of the price you set for your tracks and products.
- You keep all your Rights.
- Non- exclusive.
- FREE starter pack.
- Arkade is a legal Music Site.
But did you know that now you can:
- Generate your own Ringtones
- Edit your Previews
- Opt-In to stream your tracks on Radio Arkade
- Opt-In to include each track in your widgets
- Stream your videos from YouTube
- Automatic link generation for all your products or pages – If your Facebook fans want to download your track, point them to your Arkade site to make the transaction, because you get the best deal at Arkade – 100% of the price you set!
- Manage Blogs
- Manage mailing lists
- Tiered administration - band leader decides which versions of which tracks are posted & at what price, but can appoint other site administrators with permissions set for each page - e.g. to keep the news, gigs &/or gallery pages up to date.
- Territorial Exclusions – Exclude each track from being available in any territory (this might be useful if you have any licensing arrangements in place).
- Widgets
- Multi Currency – set the prices for your tracks in your currency and your fans around the world will see them in their currency.
- Mechanical Royalty collection & and payment service for your cover versions.
- Get ISRCs
How do I manage my Music Files on Arkade?
There are three simple steps to get your music into business on Arkade.
Step 1: Upload Music
The online User Guide explains step by step how to upload and manage your MP3 tracks to Arkade.
You will be advised by email when each track has been uploaded and processed. When processing has been completed your uploaded track will be stored in your Music Bin.
Processing embeds Track Meta Data (Artist Name, Track Name and other details you provide) and does not affect the track quality. Previews, streams, and download specs are the same as you upload.
Step 2: Music Bin
Once uploaded and processed, your tracks will be placed in your Music Bin.
Here you can edit all the track details. The information you enter will ensure that the Artist Name, Track Name and Genre (Meta tags) always accompany your track when streamed or downloaded. You can also add an image/artwork that will accompany your track when posting on the Music Page of your site and define the preview segment that fans will hear using the Arkade Preview Editor.
You can obtain an ISRC number from Arkade for all the tracks in your Music Bin or use your own if you already have them.
Tracks can be deleted from the Music Bin at any time.
You can create a Ringtone of your Tracks using the Arkade Ringtone Generator.
A Territorial Exclusions option allows you to exclude tracks from being available in any territory in the event that you have any licensing arrangements in place.
Step 3: Music Page
This is the final stage and allows you to post tracks from within the Music Bin onto the live area of your site.
Within the Music Page you can also set the price and create special promotions.
Arkade allows you to "bundle" products together. This can be solely digital items (MP3s) or physical products (Vinyls, CD's, t-shirts or other Merchandise that you have in stock) or any combination of the two. Bundles allow products to be grouped together for sale as a single item, often at a discounted price.
You can 'Opt-In' each track individually to a number of schemes available like Radio Arkade and widgets.
How does Product Pricing work?
At Arkade you are free to set the price for all your tracks and products and 100% of the price you set will be paid to you for all sales.
Arkade enables Artists to set special pricing offers:
With the Promotion 1: Introductory Offer you can set a Price for a limited number of sales to be made at a special Price.
With the Promotion 2: Limited Availability you can limit the total number of sales available.
You can offer both promotions at the same time
You can also change the price of your products at any time. A Price History log allows you to keep track of any changes in prices that you have made to the various items for sale on your site.
The comprehensive online User Guide explains in detail how to set prices for your products on Arkade.
What Transaction Charges are added to the Price I Set for my tracks & products?
To ensure the security of your fan's card details, Arkade has teamed up with the reputed payment processor, Paypal. Arkade never sees their card details.
See Paypal for their current charges
NOTE: Processing charges also include Sales Tax (VAT at 20%) where applicable.
What Music File formats can I upload to Arkade?
Arkade supports all valid MP3 formats.
Arkade recommends that tracks are uploaded at a minimum of 192kps for reasonable listening quality and preferably at 320kps, which is near CD quality; using a Sample Frequency of 44.1 kHz.
Previews, streams, and download specs are the same as you upload.
What Music File formats can my fans download from Arkade?
Previews, streams, and download specs are the same as you upload. Arkade supports all valid MP3 formats.
Can I get ISRCs from Arkade?
You can obtain an ISRC number for all the tracks uploaded to Arkade or use your own if you already have them.
After I upload and post my products for sale, what changes can I make?
You can change anything and everything at any time except the original Meta Tags (Track Name, Artist Name, MP3 file specs).
Can I upload my Images and Artwork to Arkade?
Images make your Arkade Site much more appealing to those viewing it.
Posting your images could not be simpler. You can upload artwork and images in JPEG format.
You can upload or delete images from your Image Bin at anytime.
Your Artist Site's Gallery Page provides your fans and other users browsing Arkade with an insight into your world.
The online User Guide explains step by step how to manage your Images on Arkade.
Managing Your Videos on Arkade
If you have uploaded videos to YouTube, you can easily show them on your Arkade site.
You can add additional credits to your Video Page and manage the way your videos are presented to fans.
You can add or remove videos from your Arkade Site at any time
The online User Guide explains step by step how to Link to your YouTube site and manage your Videos on Arkade.
Managing your Profile on Arkade
The online User Guide explains step by step how to manage your profile pages on Arkade.
Populating Your Home Page
Make sure your home page is attractive. If you want visitors who do not know you to visit your site, a good home page presence is essential. Your bio and an image would go here.
Left Column Information
Left Column Information is picked up by other areas of your site. Here you can display your welcome message and an image (logo).
Posting your News
Keep your news updated regularly to let your fans know what's going on. If you can't be bothered to keep your site updated with fresh and exciting news and content it's unlikely your fans will continue returning.
Posting Events
If you are gigging or have a live event you can post it on the events page.
Events published on Arkade Gold, Platinum and Diamond Packs are forwarded to Ents 24 to ensure your gigs get publicised.
Posting Credits
Everyone loves to get credited. Keep your team happy by using this page to publicly thank those that help you.
Can I cancel my subscription at any time?
You can deactivate your site temporarily (for example while you are working on it) and reactivate it at any time.
You can also cancel your subscription permanently at any time. Any monies due to you from the sale of your products will be paid to you at the next quarterly accounting as per the Arkade Terms and Conditions. After that time, everything that you have uploaded to Arkade will be deleted from the Arkade servers.
How do Arkade Subscription Packs work?
When subscribing to the Arkade there are limits set as to:
- The total number of MP3 files you can upload to your site.
- The number of download deliveries you can make from your site within the subscription period.
- The number of merchandise products you can offer for sale on Arkade.
You can upgrade your Pack at any time and some Packs allow you to just upgrade individual Pack Components as required. See the different Arkade Pack Options available to see which Pack suits your needs.
Arkade subscriber packs have been designed to suit a wide range of options and budgets. A "Free Trial Pack" is also available.
The online User Guide explains step by step how to Create an Artist Site on Arkade.
Where will I see my Subscription Pack Details?
The Pack Overview Page displays the following information:
- Pack Type
- Creation Date
- Expiry Date
- Renewal Date
- No. of Tracks in Music Bin (No. used / No. Permitted)
- No. of Physical Products in Product Bin (No. used / No. Permitted)
- Digital Delivery Capacity (No. of downloads used / No. Remaining)
- Artist Site URL
- Next accounting date
How will I track my sales on Arkade?
The Sales Info page allows you to keep track of all your digital sales and displays how much you sold them for, and when you sold them.
You can arrange the information in order of Item Name or by sale date and you can reverse the order and also export the data to CSV
A similar page will display your Merchandise sales information.
What Statistics will I get for my Arkade Site?
The Site Statistics Page allows you to view statistics for each of the tracks available on your site.
This page provides you with the following information:
No. of Visits to this site
No. of Downloads from this site
No. of Previews from this site
No. of Streams from this site
No. of Individual Tracks Purchased from this site
No. of Bundled Tracks Purchased from this site (No. of Bundles / No. of Individual Tracks within the bundle).
No. of Free Tracks Downloaded from this site
No. of Free Bundles from this site. (No. of Bundles/No. of Individual Tracks within the bundle).
You can arrange the table of statistics in order of Track Name, number of previews, or by the number of purchases.
All the statistics shown are the totals for the entire time the tracks have been available on your site.
You can also generate statistics for a particular period of time or view the statistics for one track in particular.
Can I appoint additional managers to administer my Site?
User Access enables you to authorise other people (secondary users) to edit or manage your site or specific pages within your site. For example one band member can run the Gallery, Events & News pages and the Manager can manage the tracks, merchandise and pricing.
User permissions can be created, amended or cancelled at any time
The online User Guide explains step by step how to set up Tiered Administration.
Can my Fans contact me?
Your Artist Site will have a Contacts Page which allows your fans to send you messages which will be forwarded to your Arkade registered email address. You can also reply to your messages.
You can also see and reply to messages from Arkade administration.
Can I sell my own stock of Merchandise on Arkade?
On Arkade you can sell your own stock of physical products (T-shirts, caps, badges, CDs, vinyl records, or any other kind of merchandise that you have in stock).
Arkade provides the tools to select images for your products, set the price and offer special promotions.
You can create bundle s (e.g. a CD + a T-shirt) and also mix merchandise and digital products together (e.g. a CD + a T-shirt + a Track download)
Arkade provides the tools to track your orders, helping you to fulfil your deliveries effectively and manage your stock quantity.
Arkade will pay you 100% of the price you set for all your product sales as per the Arkade Terms and Conditions.
The comprehensive online User Guide explains in detail how to manage your merchandise on Arkade.
Can I send a Mail Out of my new release?
The Arkade Direct Marketing Service allows you to create messages and manage mailing lists. Used effectively this is a powerful tool that will allow you to expand your fan base and keep fans up to date with your latest news and products.
You can import your own Mailing List to add to anyone who has joined your mailing list on Arkade and the list of fans who have bought your products in the past (unless they have opted-out from receiving mail from Arkade)
The Tracking Statistics page displays a table showing the time and date of each message sent using the Arkade Direct Marketing system.
The online User Guide explains in detail how to manage your Mailing Lists and create Mail Outs on Arkade.
Can I maintain a Blog on Arkade?
Arkade provides you with the tools to create manage and maintain your blog.
Blogging is an integral part of marketing yourself or your band and a great way of communicating with those who are interested in you.
Blogging has the added advantage of improving your 'visibility' on the various search engines and improving your search engine ranking so those who don't yet know about you stand more chance of finding you in the future.
Blogs should be entertaining and can be about anything…. "Life On The Road", "In Rehearsal", "In The Studio", "Auditions", "Five Go Mad in Berkshire" whatever you like.
You will be advised by email if visitors to your site or Arkade as a whole add comments to your blog. You have the option to approve any added comments and decide whether they should be published to your "Live" blog
The online User Guide explains in detail how to manage your Blogs on Arkade.
Can I Link my Facebook page and other websites to my Arkade Site?
Arkade Links provides a selection of link buttons with a description and an example of what the link will look like. You can generate HTML code for links to the Arkade Home Page, your Artist Site, individual tracks or bundles, or your merchandise products for placement on any web site.
Linking to your site is the best way to generate traffic. Post links on forums, blogs, email messages or other websites and draw traffic to your Arkade site. Remember "You've got to be seen to Be Heard"
The online User Guide explains in detail how to get your Links from Arkade.
Create an Artist Site on Arkade
Creating an Artist Site on Arkade is very straightforward and the online User Guide will help you every step of the way.
- Login and click 'Create an Artist Site' on the Arkade home page. Check out the five points you will need to know about Arkade. Clicking on the 'PACK COMPARISON TABLE' button launches the Pack Comparison Table where you can compare all the Features and Services that Arkade offers and see which pack is right for you.
- Accept the Arkade Terms and Conditions for Subscribers wishing to make their content available through Arkade by checking the 'I ACCEPT' check box and click 'Continue'
- You will be asked to Enter the Name of your Artist Site in the box provided and also the Artist Email address to which all messages sent to the Artist via the Artist's Contact page are forwarded. Click 'Continue' and you will be asked to confirm the Artist Name and Email address that you have given by clicking 'Continue' or clicking 'Go Back' to change the details.
- You will see the Arkade Packs available; choose a pack that's right for you; from a starter FREE 'Trial Pack' to fully featured packs for the serious Artist and professional indie labels. Click on the 'Pack Information' buttons to review the extensive range of additional Features and Services each pack provides.
- Click on 'GET PACK' next to the pack of your choice or alternatively, if you have a promotion code, enter it in the box provided and click 'Continue' and then click 'GET PACK' to confirm and add the pack to your Subscriber shopping cart. Checkout in the normal way.
You will be sent an email confirmation of the transaction.
Your Artist Site is ready for you to populate with your content.
How do I get paid?
You will be paid 100% of the price you set for the sale of your product from Arkade. If you price a track at £1 or $1 or €1 then your account will be credited with £1 or $1 or €1 for each and every sale you make.
At the end of each quarter the amount owing to you is calculated. According to our Terms and Conditions your PayPal Account will be credited within 60 days from the end of each quarter, - so, for example, your sales for Q1 2012 will be credited to your PayPal account by the end of May 2012.
If the amount owed is under £5.00 it will remain credited to your account and paid when the total amount reaches the £5.00 current minimum limit at the end of any given quarter, (please see clause 2 of Arkade's Terms & Conditions)
This minimum is to help defray the costs to you of getting paid (one large transfer to you is cheaper than several small transfers).
If the amount is over £5.00 an instruction will be sent to PayPal to pay you. This instruction has two components:
A: The amount to be paid
B: the email address to identify the PayPal account which is to be credited.
NOTE: The email address we supply to PayPal is the validated email address registered with Arkade at the end of the quarter.
If you do not have a PayPal account, PayPal will use this email address to advise you that they have received funds for you and provide you with instructions to open an account and receive your money.
If you have a PayPal account you should ensure that it includes your Arkade registered email address. If it does not you should add it (a simple process). If you don't, PayPal will advise you by email to your Arkade registered email address.
How do I set up a PayPal Account?
You can set up an account at PayPal by going to www.PayPal.com but you don't need to do this immediately. Here's how it works:
At the end of each quarter the amount owing to you is calculated. According to our Terms and Conditions your PayPal Account will be credited within 60 days from the end of each quarter, - so, for example, your sales for Q3 2007 will be credited to your PayPal account by the end of November.
If the amount owed is under £5.00 it will remain credited to your account and paid when the total amount reaches the £5.00 current minimum limit at the end of any given quarter, (please see clause 2 of Arkade's terms & conditions)
This minimum is to help defray the costs to you of getting paid (one large transfer to you is cheaper than several small transfers).
If the amount is over £5.00 an instruction will be sent to PayPal to pay you. This instruction has two components:
A: The amount to be paid
B: the email address to identify the PayPal account which is to be credited.
NOTE: The email address we supply to PayPal is the one you validated when registering with Arkade.
If you do not have a PayPal account, PayPal will use this email address to advise you that they have received funds for you and provide you with instructions to open an account and receive your money.
If you have a PayPal account you should ensure that it includes your Arkade registered email address. If it does not you should add it (a simple process). If you don't, PayPal will advise you by email to your Arkade registered email address
How much of my sales revenue does Arkade keep?
Arkade will send to your PayPal account 100% of the price that you have set for your tracks and products. Please check with PayPal regarding their fees and charges.
What countries do PayPal service?
PayPal provide a service to 190 countries at the moment, the list of which is at http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-approved-signup-countries-outside
Can I change my Personal Account details?
You can see and update your Registration Details at any time
Can I change my Arkade registered Email Address?
You can change your registered email address at any time.
Can I run more than one Site from my Arkade Account?
You can open one account with Arkade and run any number of Artist sites from it.
What happens when my subscription runs out?
Arkade Subscriptions are usually for 12 months depending on the Subscription Pack. You can renewal or upgrade your Pack at any time. Pack renewals will run for the period of the pack + the unused period of the current Pack.
Your account will not be deactivated without prior notice.
How can I promote my Arkade Artist Site?
Some ideas for promoting yourself:
Do I have to be at least 18 years old to get an account?
You must be at least 18 years of age to agree to and enter into this Agreement on your own behalf and to register for use of this Site. – see Terms & Conditions
If you are under 18 but at least 15 years of age, you must present this Agreement to your parent or legal guardian, and he or she must check the box below to enter into this Agreement on your behalf.
Children under the age of 15 may not register for this Site, and parents or legal guardians may not register on their behalf.
In what way is Arkade suitable for Indie Labels?
Arkade was specifically created for use by Artists, Indie Record Labels and managers. With one Subscriber account you can:
- Operate an Arkade Site for each artist on the label. All of the Artist Sites that you open on Arkade will appear only under your one account. When you log in, you will see all of your Label's Sites and you can then manage the content of each one individually.
- Generate your own Ringtones for each track
- Edit your Previews (start the track preview after the 3 min bass & drum intro; fade in/out)
- Opt-In to stream each track individually on Radio Arkade
- Opt-In to include each track in your widgets
- Stream your videos from You Tube
- Links - Automatic link generation for all your products or pages – If your fans want to download your track, point them to your Artists' sites on Arkade site to make the transaction, because you get the best deal at Arkade – 100% of the price you set!
- Manage Blogs
- Manage mailing lists
- Tiered administration - Label controls which versions of which tracks are posted & at what price, but can appoint other site administrators with permissions set for each page - e.g. to keep the news, gigs &/or gallery pages up to date.
- Territorial Exclusions – Exclude each track from being available in any territory (this might be useful if you have any licensing arrangements in place).
- Multi Currency – set the prices for your tracks in your currency and your fans around the world will see them in their currency.
- Mechanical Royalty collection and payment service for your cover versions.
Do I get paid when someone previews a sample of my song?
Previews do not earn a payment. Previews are samples for your fans to check out your tracks and ensure that the tracks in their shopping cart are the tracks they intend to buy. However, Previews are a great way to encourage people to buy your tracks. Use the Arkade Preview Editor to get your Previews just right (start the track preview after the 3 min bass & drum intro; fade in/out).
Does Arkade have or take ownership of any of my master recordings, copyrights, merchandise rights, live performance income, public performance royalties or any other income streams or rights?
No. Furthermore, Arkade gets no rights to make CDs, vinyl records, DVDs or anything else. All of these rights remain with you.
What rights am I granting to Arkade?
As you'll see on our Terms and Conditions you grant Arkade only these rights:
- You grant Arkade the NON-exclusive right to deliver your downloads to your customers.
- You grant Arkade the right to collect and transfer to you all the money owed to you from the sale of your music through Arkade.
- You grant Arkade the right to use the name(s), photographs and likenesses, artwork images, biographical and other information provided by you in connection with your music.
- You agree to the Terms and Conditions for our services and our Privacy Policy.
IMPORTANT Arkade does not own your songs, your masters, your copyrights, or the rights to any art work or band photo you submit. You maintain all ownership and control of all your rights. Also remember, Arkade gets no rights to manufacture CDs, vinyl, or anything else. These are your rights, not ours.
Can my fans buy my music through Arkade?
Your fans and indeed anyone can come into Arkade to browse and preview new music that they discover. They can also purchase your tracks to download, but they must register first.
How can I promote my Act on Arkade?
Some ideas for promoting yourself:
What are Arkade's minimum System Requirements?
- A Broadband internet connection
- Supported Web Browsers:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 7+
- Mozilla Firefox 3+
- Safari 4+
- Chrome 10+
- Opera 10+
Arkade may work in other web browsers but we recommend use of the above browsers for optimal performance.
- Latest Flash Player
Please ensure Javascript is enabled – we use ASP.NET technology within the website and this requires Javascript to operate correctly.
Arkade makes use of both HTTP and secure HTTPS protocols in order to keep your personal data as safe as possible.
What is MP3?
MP3 is a way of encoding music files to make them much smaller so you can fit many more of them in a computer's memory.
MP3 is the most widely-used format for music downloads and has the advantage that it will play on just about every computer and personal audio player on the market. Put it another way, we haven't found one yet that won't play an MP3.
Therefore MP3 formats play on ALL iPods and ALL other digital music players including Apple iPod, Aigo, Archos, ATMC, Audiotech, Coby, Cowon, Creative, iRiver, Logitech, Philips, Samsung, Sandisc, Sony, Sumvision, Technet and Zune
MP3 formats operate on all hardware including all PC and Mac systems
MP3 formats are compatible with all software systems including iTunes, Windows Media Player, Realplayer, JetAudio, Foobar, Winamp, MOD Plug Player, Music Jukebox, Audion, Cocomodx, VLC and XMMS
MP3 formats have no DRM (Digital Rights Management) restrictions which means there is no limit to the number of devices or computers you can transfer the track onto.
How do I get help with my account?
Check the Online User Guide and the Subscriber FAQs in the Site Management pages to see if your question is answered there. If not, email your question to support@arkade.com for any problems relating to your account or site(s).
The Arkade Support Team will always be there to help!