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What is A Cappella Records?

A Cappella Records (ACR) is an independent record label based in San Francisco, CA that provides digital licensing and distribution services to a cappella groups.

What is a Mechanical Royalty?

Mechanical royalties are payments made to the copyright owner of a musical composition exchange for permission to distribute a cover of the song. The following are the current royalty rates set forth by the Copyright Royalty Board: Physical Product (CDs, vinyl, tapes) and Digital Downloads (i.e. MP3s): For recordings under 5 minutes in length: $0.091 per song For recordings 5 minutes in length or longer: $0.0175 per minute, rounded up to the nearest minute per song Ringtones: $0.24 per unit, regardless of song duration

Is ACR hiring?

We are not currently hiring. However we are always looking for outstanding talent and encourage any prospective applicants to email us their resume: jobs at acappellarecords dot com A Cappella Records is headquartered in the mission district of San Francisco, CA.

With ACR, how much money will we make per track?

For a typical iTunes download, the price is ninety-nine cents. iTunes takes approximately thirty cents off the top, and the remaining money is sent to the label. ACR takes care of any royalty payments (usually 9.1 cents per song), and the remaining balance is split evenly between the label and the artist. It is important to note that artists with most major record labels receive between fifteen and seventeen percent of the yield per track. ACR never makes more money from a download than the artist.

How much does it cost to join ACR?

There is a one-time upfront fee for each album, single or EP signed to the label, and a fifty percent cut of sales to maintain licenses and pay royalties. For more details, visit our pricing page.

How long does it take to get an album into stores?

After we receive your master recordings, signed contract, and licensing and processing fee, we guarantee that your music will reach the marketplace in six to eight weeks.

Does it affect the signing process if an album is already being sold online?

No. We simply ask that you remove your album from the store(s) in question before your music goes live with ACR, in order to avoid repeat copies of an album being present in the marketplace.

What are the correct dimensions for album art?

All album, single and EP art needs to be at least 800 X 800, 72dpi and RGB formatted. We strongly suggest all artwork be in the .PNG or .JPG format. If you are having trouble with this, please contact info at acappellarecords dot com.

Does my music need to be uploaded as a .wav?

All music should be uploaded as .wav or .aif. It is important that we have the best quality track to submit to digital stores for sale. Please remember that you can not convert an mp3 or any other compressed version of a track to .wav or .aif. In order to maintain quality, you must upload the original, not compressed version of your music. If you are having trouble with this, please contact info at acappellarecords dot com.

How long is the term of the contract?

The contract lasts for three years. With the exception of iTunes, our contractual relationship with the digital stores is a three year term.

What stores can we sell music in?

We distribute to every major digital retail store including iTunes (worldwide), Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, Spotify and Rdio.

Please contact us directly with any questions not in this list.