Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions Q: How can I submit my band’s information to be included on the Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange web site?
A: The Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange is open to all Louisiana-based musicians. We’ve worked hard to make the submission process as easy as possible. Simply visit the Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange homepage (www.talent.jazzandheritage.org) and click the “Join Now” button on the right side of the page and follow the instructions. After providing a Username, Email address, and a Password you will be sent an activation email. Following activation of your account you can upload songs, videos, photos, bios, tour dates, etc. If you ever have any problems with the sign up process, you can always contact the Site Administrator at talent@jazzandheritage.org We’ve created a step-by-step video tutorial to walk you through the process of setting up an Artist user account. Check it out here.
Q: I never received an Activation Email. What gives?
A: Check your spam folder. It likely ended up there. Be sure to add us to your “safe list” so that future correspondence doesn’t end up there. If you still can’t find it, email the Site Administrator at talent@jazzandheritage.org
Q: I can’t find my page on the site. Why not?
A: Before your Artist page will be visible to the public you must complete your user profile by providing all of your contact information and the contact information for the person who coordinates live performance engagements for you. (It’s okay if you act as your own booking agent. It’s also okay if you choose not to accept live engagements – but give us your booking contact anyway.) Additionally, you must upload at least one song and all of the contact information for those who administer the Master Use and Publishing rights for that song.
Q: Are you giving away my music?
A: No. The Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange offers music in streaming audio only – no downloads. But bear in mind that all songs posted on the Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange are done on a royalty-free basis. Please review our Disclaimer and Liability waiver for details (http://talent.jazzandheritage.org/disclaimer). Please do NOT upload any material to this site for which you are not authorized to waive Public Performance, Digital Performance and Mechanical royalties.
Q: Are you giving anyone the right to use my music in a movie, TV show, commercial or videogame?
A: No. The only way a film, TV show or other production can gain the rights to use your music is by contacting you (or your representatives) and making a deal for the “master use” rights and the “synchronization” rights.
Q: Are you charging me for this service? A: No. This is a pilot program, and at this stage in its development the Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange is a completely free service of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. We have funded this project with our own resources and with grants from various agencies of the Louisiana state government. We don’t charge artists a fee to post their music and information on the web site, and we don’t charge a commission for gigs booked or music licensed through the site. But we’re also only hosting four songs per artist. In the future, if we host more songs per artist we may need to introduce a fee to cover the costs of bandwidth and hosting. And if a large amount of our staff time is taken up with facilitating gigs and licensing generated by this site, we may introduce a small administration fee. But for now this is a pilot program that is completely free.
Q: Why are you doing this?
A: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission that includes economic development. If we can leverage our brand visibility and recognition to connect the independent musicians of Louisiana with festival buyers for live performance employment, and with film/TV production to generate music licensing income, then we’re doing our job.
Q: How many songs can I upload?
A: Four. In the future we may allow Artists to upload more but may need to introduce a fee to cover the costs of bandwidth and hosting.
Q: I’m an Artist with a number of side projects, can I list more than one group on the Jazz and Heritage Talent Exchange?
A: Sure, as long as the other groups are known by different names
Q: What is the Louisiana Entertainment Incentives Program and how can it help me?
A: In recent years Louisiana has made a name for itself in the Entertainment industr y by providing economic incentives to companies doing business in the State. Currently, the State of Louisiana offers incentives for producing films, sound recordings and live performances. The Jazz and Heritage Talent Exchange provides a bridge between companies looking to use Louisiana music and musicians, and the wonderful pool of talented artists in our State. For more information on the Louisiana Entertainment Incentives visit: www.louisianaentertainment.gov
Q: I’m an Artist, can you help me connect with Music Supervisors and Talent Buyers?
A: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is making this service available so that you can help yourself. We’ve given you a lot of tools to help attract Music Supervisors and Talent Buyers. Take a look at our “Best Practices” blog for more tips on making yourself more visible to our users.
Q: I’m a Music Supervisor/Talent Buyer, am I going to get bombarded with unsolicited materials by participating on this site?
A: Absolutely not. We have a very strict privacy policy and will never share your information with other users on the site. Contact information for Talent Buyers and Music Supervisors is not published anywhere on the Talent Exchange site. And only Talent Buyers and Music Supervisors who are registered users of the site have the ability to initiate communication through our internal messaging system. Artists may reply to inquiries but can’t initiate them.
Q: I’m a live performer but I don’t have any recordings of songs that I can post to the site. Can I still be listed?
A: As much as we respect the many wonderful live performers in Louisiana, you must have recorded music to post to the site in order to be listed.
Q: Can I upload “Covers”?
A: Yes, but only if you are authorized to waive Public Performance, Digital Performance and Mechanical royalties. Also, you must provide the correct songwriter/publisher information for that song. We strongly advise against uploading cover versions as a matter of policy. This is because one of the principal goals of this site is to help you make money through licensing opportunities. If someone wanted to license your version of someone else’s songs, you’d be missing out on a big portion of the licensing fee.
Q: Can you help me get a gig at Jazz Fest?
A: Sorry. We don’t handle booking for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. You can find more information about getting a gig at Jazz Fest here: www.nojazzfest.com (look in the FAQ section).
Q: Can I add talent@jazzandheritage.org to my mailing list?
A: We respectfully ask that you do NOT add us to your mailing list. This email address is for site administration ONLY. If you want to get the word out to us about your shows, etc., please find us on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter. We’ll be your friend there.