Submissions - Still Stream

Want your music to be considered for airplay? This is how.

(If you have already filled out this form, you can just send us links to new tracks via our Contact form.)

READ THIS PART!

Please do not submit music if it falls outside the genre of ambient, as it will automatically be rejected.

If you send jazz, it will be rejected.
If you send prog, it will be rejected.
If you send singer-songwriter, it will be rejected.
If you send R&B, it will be rejected.
If you send Rap/Hip-Hop, it will be rejected.

Seriously. Ambient only!

How We Select Music
StillStream provides a free, non-commercial all-ambient radio stream for its listeners, as a way to promote interest in this genre of music as well as provide exposure for ambient artists.

We support all ambient artists, regardless of fame, but like everyone else we have only 24 hours in a day. Thus, we cannot possibly play all music we would like to and are forced to choose which music will receive airplay and which will not. We base our music selection criteria solely on the quality of the music, the quality of the recording and production, and our own subjective impressions of the music - as well as the nature and number of tracks we currently have programmed. Further, each individual host chooses their own music for their shows. Please note that because of this we cannot guarantee that every track submitted will receive airplay.

We receive many new albums to consider every week, and because we audition every track (a monumental task), there is always a backlog of new music to be considered. Sometimes this backlog is larger than at other times, and the order in which we audition music out of the pool is substantially random. Therefore, it is impossible to estimate how long it will take for us to review a particular track or how long it will be until it sees airplay, and in some cases it may be weeks or months. We can guarantee, though, that we will eventually listen to every track submitted. Your patience is appreciated.

If we do not play a particular track or tracks on our station, please do not be discouraged or assume it means we didn't think the track was any good - it could simply be that it didn't match the format of our station or that there simply wasn't room enough for all the tracks we wanted to play. However, please do bear in mind that all decisions regarding what tracks we will play are in our sole discretion and are final.

How We Handle Music Licensing

Under US copyright law, radio stations must generally pay license fees for the privilege of broadcasting music to listeners. StillStream is, however, a non-commercial, zero-revenue station. This means we do not run advertising nor do we receive any regular revenue stream. In fact, our only cost relief comes from the sales of benefit albums that certain artists have donated to StillStream's cause. We consistently lose money every month, because the cost of hosting a radio station (particularly the bandwidth required) is quite expensive. But we do this because we love ambient music and as long as we keep the expense managed it is a sustainable endeavor.

But because we have no revenue stream, we very simply cannot afford to pay commercial license fees.

Therefore, StillStream does not pay license fees or royalties of any kind. For example, we do not license music from ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or SoundExchange, or any related entities. Consequently, we can legally play music only in the following two scenarios:
1. The music is released under the Creative Commons license; or ...
2. StillStream has a license fee waiver on file from the artist/rightsholder of the music
We strongly support ambient artists and their right to profit by their music, but there is simply no way that StillStream could afford to pay commercial license fees. Plus, for the ambient genre at least, we believe that radio exposure has meaningful value and so broadcasting music without fee is a fair trade, particularly given our zero-revenue, non-commercial nature.

Therefore, if you are an artist seeking to submit music to StillStream for airplay, we welcome you, but before we play your music we must ask for either a documented waiver of all licensing fees for your music, or some kind of notice that shows the music is available under Creative Commons.

If you are unsure which option to choose, click the “Commercial Copyright” link, since that gives us proper permission to air your music regardless of your license.
Email*
Please enter your email address. It must be unique, and cannot be entered more than once. If you have already submitted work to StillStream for inclusion in the library, you do not need to complete this form again; in that case, please fill out the Contact Us form and include links to your new work.

NOTE: here's a trick: If you're a label or promoter entering multiple artists but you only want to use a single email address, you can create a unique email address for each artist - just add "+artist-name" after your name in the email address. Mailers ignore anything after the + sign, but it'll look unique to our database. So you could, for instance, use label+artist.name@gmail.com (where "label" is your normal email ID, and "artist.name" is the name of the artist you're submitting).
Enter Email Confirm Email
License Type*
- Creative Commons
- Commercial Copyright
Are you the copyright holder of the music you will be submitting?*
NOTE: if you are not the only person who has rights to the music (for example you are in a band), then you must get permission from all those people before clicking 'Yes' above. You must not proceed with granting us permission to play the music unless you are certain you are authorized to speak on behalf of all other parties.
- Yes, I (or we) own the rights to the music free and clear ...
- No, one or more third parties also have some rights to the music ...
We're very sorry, but you can only grant StillStream permission to broadcast your music if you own the exclusive rights to the music, free and clear.
Step 2: Name*
Please provide your full name in case we need to reach you.
First Last
Step 2: Name*
Now we must ask you to sign the StillStream artist agreement for us to be able to play your music. This is a simple process and will only take a moment of your time.
First Last
Following is the waiver agreement we need you to sign so that we can play your music. Here's a plain-English summary of the agreement:
1. You give StillStream permission to freely play all your music on StillStream, including individual show podcasts, waiving all royalties and license fees, so long as we remain non-commercial.
2. This agreement does not in any way imply a transfer of ownership of any of your rights as an artist and copyright holder. You are simply granting us permission to play your music on our stream without cost.
3. StillStream promises to attribute the music to you and to link back to your web site whenever we play your music.
4. You promise that if you are or become a member of any Performing Rights Organization, such as ASCAP, BMI, etc., that you will file all necessary documentation with them establishing your waiver with us.
5. You promise that if we play your music on StillStream, no one is going to come to StillStream at a later date demanding royalties or license fees.
6. The agreement can be terminated at any time simply by notifying us. We do ask for 30 days notice so we have time to remove your music from our library. There is no cost for termination.
Please note that we dislike legalism as much as anyone, but unfortunately we have no choice but to clearly document permission, given the legal climate in which the music industry operates today. Thus, it is very important that you understand this agreement before you sign it, so please read carefully.

If you are comfortable with the terms of this agreement, please sign below. This is a legal and binding agreement, so do not sign until you are certain you have met all requirements and are comfortable with the terms of the agreement!

DIGITAL SIGNATURE

By signing below, you agree to the terms of and to be bound by this agreement.

Please re-enter your full legal name, as signature:
Legal Signature*
Please re-enter your full legal name exactly as it is in the previous name field. This is your electronic signature.
Okay, we're almost done. We just need a bit more information about you for our records. Bold fields are required.

All information you submit is covered by our Privacy Policy, and will not be shared with anyone for any reason unless required by law. Don't worry, we'll treat your data with the same respect we'd want you to treat ours with.

* Note we may need to contact you to verify your information, so please enter these fields carefully.
Artist/Project Name*
Artist/Project Web Address*
Please include http:// or https:// with the web address.
Brief Description / Tag Line
Please provide a short description of the project.
Detailed Description
Please give us a longer description of the artist/project here.
High-quality Download Links

Because of the nature of our station (zero-income, no ads, no support other than our own pockets and the generosity of our artists), we request our artists allow us to play their tracks without compensation. (We're not getting paid either.) Please provide download codes for any and all tracks that require payment.

Please be sure that all download links provide files that are mp3, 320kbps CBR (constant bit rate) or higher.
Download Link #1*
Download Code #1
Is a download code required? If so, please enter it here.
Download Link #2
Download Code #2
Is a download code required? If so, please enter it here.
Address*
(if you live in a country where a State/Province/Region is not part of your address, please type N/A in that field. Leaving it blank will result in an error).

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Phone*
Thank you for sharing your music with StillStream and our audience.

Please carefully review all of the information you have provided above. Once you submit it, you can edit it only by contacting us, so please ensure all of the information is correct!
Verified?*
Check the box to acknowledge that you have verified your information and are ready to send it.
- Ready!
Are you human?
Please enter the characters you see into the field provided.
Email
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

How We Select Music

How We Handle Music Licensing

High-quality Download Links