Whether you are having difficulty listening to music or setting up an account, we are here to help.
Select an option from the left to view the associated help page.
If you have further queries, comments or feedback you wish to share, please contact us
Q. How do I search?
It's easy. You can search our catalogue by genre, tempo, mood, or instrumentation. You can choose any combination of the four to narrow your search results. Simply click on the relevant term in the drop down window. If you choose not to make a selection in any given field, the search results will include all tracks in that field.
Q. What if I can't find what I'm looking for?
A. If you do a search and keep coming up with 0 search results, you probably need to broaden your search criteria. For example, unless you know you need a specific genre of music, selecting 'any' will widen the search. The same goes for selecting 'any' under the other search criteria.
At MusicState we are more concerned with the quality of the music rather than the quantity, therefore the collection is an evolving one, with music always being added to and removed from the site. This should ensure refreshing new content for you each time you visit.
Q: What is the difference between streaming and downloading?
Streaming refers to music that can be heard while you are online. It is music that can be listened to on the site, but not otherwise. Preview tracks that are downloaded can be held on your desktop and listened at your convenience, but only in non-broadcast quality. Once a track is purchased, you can download it in broadcast CD quality.Q: What is a preview track?
A: Preview tracks are those that are used for experimentation prior to selection and purchase. They may be downloaded for presentation purposes, but can only ever be used in non-broadcast quality. Preview is an essential part of the creative and approval processes. Once a preview track is purchased, you can download it in broadcast CD quality.
Q. Can I email a music track to a colleague?
A. Yes, simply click on the 'email this track' icon on the Search results page.
Q. What formats of audio tracks can I listen to?
A. You can listen to any of the tracks without registering on the site. However, if you are a registered user, you can download a non-broadcast quality full track onto your desktop, and sort your selected tracks into personalised project folders in MyMusicState. These are known as preview tracks and are supplied in 8-bit mono, non-broadcast quality, which is good enough to work and experiment with, or for client demo purposes. Once you license and purchase a track, you can download it in broadcast CD quality.
Q. Which audio players do I need to listen to music on this site?
A. You need to have the Adobe Flash plug-in installed. It is likely you will have this already, but if you cannot listen to the music on this site, you can download the plug-in from the Adobe site.
Q. What if I can't get the audio to work properly?
A. Did you download and install the relevant player? Does your company's firewall allow the streaming of MP3 files? If not, call your technical support person and have them set the appropriate TCP ports. If you experience any ongoing problems with audio, contact us and we'll try to assist you.
Q. Are pricing and licensing the same thing?
A. No. The licence gives you the right to use the music you have selected, for the purpose you intend. For example, you may license a 30-second piece of music for use in a TV commercial across a selection of countries for a period of one year. The licence allows you to do just that, and the price simply reflects the usage terms.
Q. What is MyMusicState?
A. MyMusicState is your shopping basket, and it also allows you to try before you buy. It is your personal track management storage area where you can preview as many tracks as you like, put together a demo for a client, and store tracks in your own project folders before you buy. You can also calculate the price and license your selected track.
Q. How much does the music cost?
A. The cost of licensing a track depends on several factors. The licensing section is designed to give you the price for your specific needs. To get a quick estimate of the cost range for our music, you need to select certain criteria from the drop down menu. For example, the media type for which the music is being purchased; the territory in which it is to be used; the licence term, i.e. the amount of time you wish to actually licence it for, and the amount of music you wish to use for your production. Once you have input this information our automatic pricing calculator will give you a price within seconds.
Q. What if my requirements do not match the exact fields?
A. You can either complete the fields selecting the closest match possible, or alternatively please contact us.
Q. If I download a preview track from your site, can I send it to anyone?
A. Yes, but there are restrictions. Music on our site is in copyright, i.e. it is protected intellectual property. Customers who download preview tracks can only copy or distribute them for the purpose of their business. If you wish to email a track to a colleague, this can be done on the Search results page. Your colleague will receive a hyperlink to the track on the site.
Q. If I have licensed a track, can I send copies to my friends?
A. No. A licence applies to the use of a particular piece of music for its intended application only. The production quality files are still copyright protected tracks.
Q. How are performance royalties calculated and paid?
A. Performance royalties are paid by the broadcaster in question to the relevant performance society in the territory of use. These are then paid by that Society to the writer/s of the composition, providing they are a member of an applicable copyright society.
Q. What is the advantage to the end-user in having all tracks pre-cleared and ready for professional use?
A. When you license music in the commercial environment, you have to track down the publisher, record label and/or artist to seek permission and then negotiate a price. This can be a lengthy and difficult process. At MusicState we do not need to seek prior approvals from our content providers, so we can provide music for immediate use. The user can download a preview track to see if it fits and their client is happy with it, determine the price, license it, then purchase and download a broadcast quality version — all in a day.
Q. How do I purchase a track?
A. MusicState makes the purchase process easy. You can pay for music by credit card (we do not hold credit card details on site, so there are no security issues), or you can set up a corporate account with us.
Q. How many tracks can I download?
A. As many as you like, there are no restrictions.
Q. Can I be invoiced rather than use my credit card?
A. Yes you can apply to open a corporate account.
Q. What are the benefits of an account?
A. You will be invoiced on a monthly basis rather than have to pay immediately.
Q. How do I set up a corporate account?
A. You can click on the "Set up a Corporate Account" button in MyMusicState to apply for a Corporate Account.
Q. How long will it take to process my completed corporate account application?
A. A maximum of three working days.
Q. What are the account terms?
A. Invoices need to be paid within 30 days.
Q. What kind of proof of purchase will I receive when I buy music online?
A. Upon purchase you will be emailed a Purchase Confirmation note, which outlines the details of the licence, the cost and full track credits (i.e. details about the artist, writer/s, record label and publisher). Corporate account holders will also receive an invoice.
Q. Where do I send my payment?
A. To the Accounts department at: MusicState LTD, 8 Saga Centre, 326 Kensal Road, London, W10 5BZ
Q. How do I access MyAccount information online?
A. MyAccount information can be accessed in MyMusicState. Account Details allows you to update your address, email and password. Corporate account holders will need to confirm these details in writing to us. Purchase History lists all the songs that you have licensed by date, song, artist, writer, record label, publisher and price
Q. How do I download either a preview or a purchased track?
A. If you are downloading non-broadcast quality previews, specific downloading instructions will pop up when you press the "Download preview" button. The site will list the pieces of music you have licensed. Once you have purchased these, click on the Download button to commence downloading. If you have purchased more than one item, click on each item's download button. After you click on a track to begin the download, you may see a pop-up window that will ask you where to store the track on your computer. We recommend you create a special folder on your hard drive and save your tracks to this folder, and write down where the file will be saved on your computer. Be aware that MP3 files can each take up between 3 to 15 MB of disk space. If you have chosen to download the full quality, uncompressed WAV file, this can take up to 60 MB + of disk space.
Q. What formats can I download music in?
A. You can download your music in one of two formats: MP3 (compressed file means faster download) or WAV file (uncompressed so may take longer to download).
Q: What is MP3?
A: MP3 (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3) is a file format based on a music compression-decompression ('codec') technique that stores audio files in a compressed open format. The original sound data from a CD is shrunk down by a factor of 12, without losing sound quality. Factors of 24, or even more, still maintain a sound quality that is significantly better than that obtainable by just reducing the sampling rate and the resolution of samples. The technique relies on perceptual coding techniques addressing how sound waves are actually perceived by the human ear. Bandwidth Bitrate Compression Near CD Quality 15Khz 96 kbps 16:1 CD Quality 15Khz 128 kbps 12:1
Q. What are WAV files?
A. WAV files are the full quality, uncompressed audio files.
Q. How long will it take to download my music selections?
A. The amount of time required to download your music depends on three variables: The size of the music track you are buying, the file format you select, and your Internet connection speed. You should be able to estimate specific download times from the table below. Figures are based on a 3-minute track:
| Connection speed | 7.1MB MP3 | 30MB WAV |
| 56k modem | 25 mins. | 1hr 50 mins. |
| ISDN (1 channel) | 22 mins. | 1hr 30 mins. |
| ISDN (2 channels) | 11 mins. | 47 mins. |
| T1 | 1 min. | 4 mins. |
| E1 | 40 secs. | 3 mins. |
Q. How can I speed up the download process?
A. Purchase a faster modem or subscribe to a faster communication link such as ISDN, ADSL or a cable modem service.
Can't find the answer to your question? Contact us
Q. Do I have to register?
A. You can stream any of the tracks without registering, but if you register you will gain full access to the benefits of the site. Registration entitles you to download preview tracks and to utilise MyMusicState for digital storage of your audio files, and for experimentation. You can also license and calculate prices, and purchase and download broadcast quality tracks.
Q. How do I register?
A. There is a short, simple form to complete for registration. We will email you a password, which can be changed to one of your choice at any time. These must be kept confidential to ensure privacy of your files and searches.
Q. Do I have to log in each time I use the site?
A. If you are a registered user, you will need to log in only when using a different computer.
Q: What is the difference between MusicState and traditional music libraries?
A: The immediate difference is that all tracks are pre-cleared and ready for professional use, saving you much time and uncertainty. The other key difference is that MusicState is not a production music library, but a stylised collection of high quality innovative music that is not easily available for sync needs.