FAQ

What is Holding Pattern?

Holding Pattern is a brand new platform to promote and foster the talent of undiscovered and independent creativity.
Our sole purpose is to give power back to the artist, their fans, and allow people to explore and discover music they've never had the opportunity to listen to before. We're doing this by stacking our virtual shelves with the most diverse and comprehensive collection of undiscovered and independent music on the planet.

Regardless of the type of music - whether it be Indie Rock, Jazz, Hip Hop, Indigenous or even Classical music, artists have never had the opportunity to be discovered, listened to, and ultimately paid for the music they produce.
Holding Pattern's goal is to rip that model down and give the power back to the artist and fans to decide for themselves!

For the commercial user we've created an easy to use, streamlined business model that offers immediate access to automatic licensing in an intelligent, quick and innovative commercial platform.
Our 'Visualiser' has been created to educate the user by displaying all the categories and genres of music in an innovative floating 3D musical DNA. This unique visual search is interactive and allows the user to listen and purchase, while exploring the vast musical world.

What percentage does Holding Pattern take?

Good question... We've thought long and hard about this, and unlike other hosting sites out there (we both know who they are) Holding Pattern has been created for the sole reason that all artists should receive legitimate payment from sales they deserve.

- Holding Pattern takes just 20% of all consumer (fans and everyday users) and commerical sales (productions companies using your work for TV & Film etc )...that means 80% for you!

So, what have we created here :
1. We've provided a completely free platform for artists to decide what price they want to sell their works directly to the public and fans...great!
2. We've designed a visual search engine 'Visualiser' created to make exploring the many genres of music fun, and unique. This increases exposure to the artist by helping them get discovered, listened to, and bought.
3. We have also created a fantastic commercial business platform for production companies and creatives to use that's quick and innovative. This provides the opportunity of earning real cash for artists (that means you!), and exposure through release from commercial sales.

How does Holding Pattern's pricing compare with other music sites?

Well, its completely free! There isn't any other independent sites like this that provide both the commercial and consumer platform for the artists.

Holding Pattern has been created for the sole purpose of allowing you to make money from both commercial and consumer sales, build a fan base, stay in touch with trends and thoughts with our Blog, and get discovered with our innovative search engines.

Who owns the tracks listed on Holding Pattern?

You, the artist! The copyright owner of the music.
We only host your music on Holding Pattern, you can take your tracks down whenever you want to, we don't own anything, and its completely free to post as many tracks as you want. You must own the copyright to the track/s you are selling. No covers!...Sorry, not yet.

Why is there a difference in pricing between consumer and commercial usage?

Well, we thought you should have complete control of how much you want to sell your tracks to your fans for!
We have also established a 2 tired pricing format (Classic and Premium) to give even more control to you when your tracks are used for commercial purposes...read this Why are there 2 pricing's when uploading my music for commercial use?

What if I don't want to release my tracks for commercial use?

No problem. When uploading your tracks just select 'Not for Commercial Use' and you're ready to sell your music just to your fans.

How do I know if my tracks are what production companies are looking for?

Production companies and creatives look for all different types of music, sounds, and scores to use in their works. So, by giving them a vast and diverse selection of real music to search and explore (and not boring library music they usually access) we can help improve the quality of work they produce.

But remember if you don't make your tracks available for commercial use, then you'll never know if your tracks are what creatives are looking for, and for you to reap the rewards and future royalties that you deserve! 

Should I register my tracks with a Performing Rights Association?

Absolutely! It's free, it's really easy, and you can do it on-line. This is where you continue to make money and receive royalty payments from the usage your tracks have been selected for.
http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/

Does Holding Pattern take any ownership rights of my music?

Absolutely Not! Remember we only hold your music. All we ask for is the obvious non-exclusive rights to host your content. If at any stage, you want to take your tracks down, you can!

Can I continue to sell my tracks on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, or wherever?

Of course you can...you can sell your tracks wherever you like, and you should! Holding Pattern is designed to help you make money so you can continue making great music.

What if I have my own band website?

Can I link Holding Pattern from my website and vice-versa? Sure can....and It's a good idea that you do. The more exposure and traffic you get through Holding Pattern, the more chance you'll get paid. Remember we've created the marketplace for you to promote yourself....but its still up to you to be competitive and fly your flag, set your price, sell your goods, and to tell your fans where you are....we can't do all the work!

Why do you have different file type requirements for uploading tracks?

Well, because of the different sizes and lengths of music, we wanted to accommodate all artists and fans.
We allow full stereo AIFF and WAV files as well as high quality MP3's when uploading. This allows you to have the very best version of your tracks available. We then compress your files into high quality MP3's to allow your fans and the public to explore and listen to them.
The commercial user will want the best quality possible for public broadcast, so make sure you upload a stereo AIFF/WAV version of your track if you can.

What's the maximum size of my track that I can upload to The Holding Pattern?

There is no maximum...we can take it all! How cool is that?!  You can upload as many as you like individually, or with our 'Bulk Upload' function. The only thing we require is to limit your additional musical stems to 200mb each. What are Musical Stems?

What are Musical Stems?

Musical Stems are individual musical components or instruments used in your tracks. For example, Drums, Guitar, Vocals, Synth, Clarinet, Trumpet, Trombone, Cello, etc. It can be anything that contributes to your track.

Why should I upload my Musical Stems?

Sometimes production companies or creatives just need a bass line, a drum beat, a cool guitar riff, some strings, trumpet solo, or a vocal line they've heard and liked from a track...

This gives them a much broader choice than other boring music libraries out there, because it's real music made by real artists. So when they purchase your track, they get a selection of all available instruments within your track (stems) rather than just the whole track by itself.

What is an Exclusive License?

This gives a commercial user the right to use your track/s across all our usages for the specified duration which will give you greater exposure....and much more money!

What is an Non-Exclusive License?

This means any commercial user can use your track on any of our listed usages at the same time. Which means, more commercial users of your tracks = more money!

What is the duration of these licenses?

3 months, 6 months, or 12 months.
We keep track, as well as notifying you when someone has selected your work for commercial use.

What is 'The Visualiser'?

There are so many genres to classify music nowadays that searching and listening to music hoping to find something new or similar to your taste of music is unlikely. More importantly the artist never gets the opportunity of being discovered, or listened to.

Holding Pattern's Visualiser has been created to educate the user by displaying all the categories of music in an innovative floating 3D universe. This unique visual search is interactive, and promotes exploring the vast musical world.

When do I get paid?

When your account reaches the magical $10 threshold from purchases you can select the "PAY ME NOW" button in your profile. Boom...your hard earned money is then transferred to your nominated bank account for you to do whatever you like!

What type of files do I get when I purchase a track for commercial usage?

When purchasing a track from Holding Pattern you'll notice that we store all the information about the track on the "Track Details" page. This will give you, or your sound guys all the info they need about the track (WAV, AIFF or High Quality MP3)...and more importantly, this will erase any confusion as to what file you will receive.

Why do I receive a ZIP file when I download a track for commercial use?

This is to ensure you have all the music stems (additional content) available to accompany the main audio. If you only want the guitar, vocal line, trumpet solo, or even just the harp from a track, and its available...we thought you may as well get the lot! This would help if you wanted to add more character or layers to your work.

What is the sound quality when listening to tracks from the player?

Depending on your browser and internet connection, we stream a lower quality MP3 around the 160-192kbps. We do this to protect our artists from those pirates out there who like to steal, and also to provide the full track for fans to listen to as well. We think this is better than a 30 second random snippet! Once downloaded the highest quality is available and supplied to the purchaser.

What if my band, or myself is signed to a label already?

Go you! All we need is permission to host your music see our terms & conditions...and to watch you gain world domination! Put simply, we believe you should be able sell your music anywhere! We're here to break down the shackles of an old fractured music system, and to bring greater control back to YOU the artist.

What if my band, or myself has a publishing contract?

Good for you! But you do need to make sure that you control/own the rights in the tracks you are licensing to us. Most publishing deals require that you licence or assign to the publishing company your rights in the tracks. If this is the case, you will need to get permission from your publishing company before uploading tracks.

Fingers crossed your publishing company see's the benefits of having your tracks on Holding Pattern without too much fuss - with the amount of production companies and creatives listening to tracks to find the one to use on that huge ad campaign, your publishing company will probably thank us. 

If they only grant you permission to sell your tracks for 'personal use' then select "Not For Commercial Use" when uploading your tracks.

What's the story with tax?

Obviously we're not tax geeks, but we highly recommend that you consult your own personal accountant to handle all your financial affairs / taxes in regards to sales that you'll be earning from Holding Pattern.

What is this GST tax thing all about?

GST or Goods and Services Tax - is an Aussie tax on all transactions, which is currently set at 10%. The tax is paid by the either the consumer or commercial user when purchasing a track, and it's built into the price automatically. Just to be clear, the artists does not have to pay this tax! And when it comes to tax time, Holding Pattern will take care of the GST payment to the tax man.

What are the 2 price levels, Classic or Premium, for commercial use?

Classic - MP3 recordings or individual recordings of Instruments.
Premium - Stereo AIFF/WAV recordings of full tracks, or instruments.

For example :
If you're uploading a high quality MP3 of a guitar riff, or a trumpet solo you've just nailed, and let's say another artist uploads a 10 minute stereo AIFF or WAV file, then there should be a price difference.  Not only for the artist, but also for the commercial user. Remember this is a "market place" and like any other market place you have to be competitive, and realistic to the pricing of your goods/tracks you are selling. So, if you think your track is a cracker-jack winner then a 'Premium' price is for you...but...if you think you can make more money by selecting a realistic 'Classic' price.... then by all means be more realistic with your pricing. 

Why can't I sell my track for free?

Two reasons:
1. There is NO limit to the size of track you can upload to Holding Pattern.
What this means is, your guaranteeing your fans the best quality of sound possible from the track you've recorded....and from a commercial point of view they're getting the full stereo, uncompressed version of your music.
2. For us to provide this unlimited storage for you, we have to set a minimum price for you to sell your tracks, so we can pay for this service....bandwidth is expensive! That's why 80c is the minimum you can charge per track for your music to your fans.

We will be allowing you to sell your tracks for free very soon...stay tuned!

CAN I sell my EP or Album?

You certainly can! By using our 'Bulk Upload' function you can upload 5 tracks at a time. Or select exisiting tracks already uploaded and create your own Album or EP. Then, select an image you want to represent your Album or EP and your away!

Want to add your own music genre?

If you want to add your very own music genre on Holding Pattern you can, but we need a certain amount of information from you first before you get your own element in The Visualiser. They are:

1. You must have at least 25 bands or artists.
2. At least a 150 tracks.
3. And have a similar sound to each other that is unique to any other genre within Holding Pattern.

Once we have received your submission the team at Holding Pattern will review your information and will contact you via your profile page.

We believe that the musical universe is for ever growing and changing, so we have created The Visualiser to reflect this by allowing the artist to adjust and add new genres where necessary. Your new element will adjust in size to reflect the amount of content within your genre. The more artists and tracks you add to your genre, the bigger your element will be, and the more visible it will become when exploring our musical universe

What's next for Holding Pattern?

Holding Pattern is in a constant state of development, and we have a number of exciting projects on the horizon which is going to revolutionise the entire creative space...stay tuned!

What happens to the commercial usage of my tracks if I cancel my membership?

Your commercial usage will run the specified duration even after you have ended your membership or cancelled your account. For example, if your track has been selected for a TV commercial which runs for 6 months and you cancel your account with us during that time, then your track will remain linked to that commercial usage until it ends.

What if I play in a number of bands?

Great! We thought you would be...We've created Holding Pattern to allow you to be in as many bands as you like. You can access all the bands you are a member of from your 'My Profile' page....or from the band profile pages individually.

What is 'Tagged Music' ?

This is where you 'tag' a certain song into a playlist or selection of tracks for a specific reason or occasion. For example 'My Party', 'Film Track', 'Road Trip' or whatever list you wish to create. We added this so you can create your own track list quickly and easily. Now get out there and start tagging!

What if I live in the U.S, Europe or anywhere else in the world? What currency do I pay or receive?

All transactions on Holding Pattern are denominated in Australian Dollars (AUD). For example, when an artist wants to withdraw cash from their account Holding Pattern will pay them in AUD into their registered bank account. If the artists is from overseas, the cash amount will be converted into the local currency (by their own bank) of where the artists lives. The same applies to any purchases made by either a Consumer or Commercial user.

As Holding Pattern is in a constant state of development - we will be building in the capability for artists to list tracks in alternate currencies soon. Stay tuned!