Uploading a clip to your own YouTube channel and delivering a music video as a video release are two different jobs. On your channel, you decide what is acceptable. A video release goes through distribution to music video services, and they expect a clean, professional file with matching metadata. Most rejections come from a handful of details that are easy to fix before you submit.
How a video release differs from your own upload
When you upload a video yourself, you can add end screens, a subscribe animation, your social handles and a link in the description. A distributed music video is treated as a product in a catalogue, next to videos from every other artist. That is why services ask for the video itself, clean and complete, with the information carried in the metadata rather than written on the picture.
In the CULT portal, music videos are submitted as video releases. How many you can submit depends on your plan, and the plans page on cult.az lists it.
The master file
Deliver the best version you have, not a copy downloaded from a social network or exported again from a compressed file. In practice that means:
- the original resolution, at least Full HD, ideally the resolution it was edited in
- the original frame rate, without conversion
- a high-quality export from your editing software, not a version made for messengers
- a picture that fills the frame, without black bars added to change the aspect ratio
- no long black screen, countdown or slate at the start, and no long empty tail at the end
Exact codec and file size requirements vary and change, so check the current specifications in the submission form before you export. If an editor or videographer delivers the final file, send them those specifications in advance. Re-exporting a compressed file to meet the rules only adds more damage.
What must not be burned into the picture
This is the most common reason a music video is sent back. Remove from the image:
- channel logos, watermarks and production company bugs in the corner
- website addresses, social media handles and QR codes
- release dates, "out now," "new single" and any other calls to action
- subscribe buttons, end screens and links to other videos
- references to specific stores or platforms
- prices or advertising for products
An artist name and song title shown briefly at the start, as part of the creative design, are usually fine. Anything that works like an advert usually is not. Even if you want a version with such graphics for your own channel, keep a separate clean export without them.
The audio has to match
The sound in the video should be the same master as the audio release. Services match video and audio, and a different mix, a different master or sound that drifts slightly out of sync causes problems later, from confusing listeners to complicating rights matching.
If the video has extras that the audio does not, such as a spoken intro, a scene with dialogue or an extended ending, say so clearly when you submit. Often such a video is treated as a separate version with its own title. After export, check that sound and picture stay in sync from the first second to the last, not only at the start.
Thumbnail, metadata and credits
Prepare a still from the video for the thumbnail: a strong frame with no added text. Write the artist name, song title and version exactly as on the audio release, character for character. Set the explicit tag if the lyrics or the images call for it.
A music video usually gets its own ISRC, separate from the code of the audio recording, because it is a separate recording. If you don't have codes, distributors usually assign them. Credit the director and, where the form allows it, the production team.
Rights for everyone and everything on screen
You must own or have permission for everything in the video, not just the song. Before you submit, make sure you have:
- written consent from everyone who appears, including dancers, actors and extras
- permission to film at each location
- licences for any stock footage, archive clips or photos you used
- permission for artworks, posters or screens that play a visible role in a shot
- a clear agreement with the director or videographer that you may distribute the video
A typical case: Nina Cole's video for "Paper Boats" includes two seconds of drone footage taken from a friend's travel clip. The review raises a question about it, and the requested change appears on the release page in the CULT portal. Nina gets written permission from her friend, adds it to her files and resubmits. It costs her a week, which is why the rights check belongs before the export, not after.
A quick checklist before you submit
- A master export at the original resolution and frame rate.
- No logos, addresses, dates or calls to action in the picture.
- Audio identical to the released master and in sync throughout.
- A clean thumbnail and metadata that match the audio release.
- Written permissions for people, places, footage and the director's work.