Freesound Forums

Hi there,

I recently tried to release a full original soundtrack for a game I produced. I don't have any uploaded sounds, so I guess it didn't go through. Is releasing music not allowed here? or am I just doing something wrong.

Thanks much

Hello
Full music pieces are not allowed because freesound is dedicated to sounds, not music.
There are lots of places dedicated to music: soundcloud, ccmixter, bandcamp...

We want to keep freesound dedicated to sounds only. Note that we accept loops, acapellas, small pieces (30-45s), sequences, riffs - basically things that can be used by others to make their own music.

edit: Alien maybe I took too long to form my response, you ninjad me.

Hello Dan

Yes that is correct. Although it doesn't give an explicit guide in the FAQ, it is a policy that full length composed music tracks are not suitable for Freesound, so they won't get through moderation. The mod that was handling your upload should have made an action against the ticket and that would have automatically sent an e-mail to your address with the details they gave; it's worth checking your spam folder for that e-mail if you missed it, it should headline as "A Freesound Moderator handled your upload".

I understand there might be a bit of ambiguity as to what makes some 'music' unacceptable, and there are many other more suitable places to upload music tracks e.g. SoundCloud, CCmixter, The Free Music Archive etc. So lets detail what's ok here and what's not...

The following forms would be acceptable:

• Loops or any composition that is intended for use as a component.
• A cappellas
• Motifs / Melodies and short multi-layered sequences.
• Passages of particular instrumentation, again intended as a component and not a full soundtrack.
• Buskers or street performers (with permission)
• Potentially music that is creatively recorded to provide an effect of some sort.

The following forms would be unacceptable:

• Library Music
• Full length soundtracks from external media (unless compartmentalised).
• Album tracks
• Music subject to copyrights (of course)
• Demos and other promotional music
• Concerts or other public music included with other sounds (again about legality)

There are some grey areas I must admit like band practice which is up for debate, but that is the general policy to follow which will make sure your specific music definitely gets onto the site.

Hope this helped, and have a good day.

HP

Alrighty, thats ok, thanks for the detailed answers yall.

Ok, happy to help

I look forward to your contributions to Freesound.

Well Panda Dan, at least you were up front by calling your work an original soundtrack.

I submitted my one upload recently (I have been a member for approximately two months), and it was rejected and deleted within six hours by a moderator, stating that I should submit "music" to the sites listed in the FAQ. The moderator's post was polite, but had the same rhetoric that you would find in any form letter (most likely it was a form letter). Although disappointed, I kind of shrugged my shoulders and forgot about it.

Well, forgot about it for about a half a hour.

Having my upload rejected really started bugging me after a little time had passed, mainly for two reasons. One, I did go over the rules and regulations of the site regarding uploads, and had review other people's work, concluding my work was the same as theirs. Secondly, I believed my upload was nothing more than a musical sequence (at just over one minute), a sequence that editable in more than one way. It definitely wasn't a song or soundtrack selection by any means. I have heard "sounds" on Freesound that I believe a reasonable person would consider to be a "song" or full-on "music".

Obviously, I wrote back on the moderation ticket within the hour of receiving it, stating that although I would respect that particular moderator's decision (hey, its their place), I did not agree with it. I found the decision to be unfair and wrong. I listed 8 different examples (and there are more) in my reply where I felt the "sounds" were nothing more that actual music tracks. As of this time, I have yet to hear back on my reply.

Believe me, Panda Dan, I realize that rejection of my upload was not the end of the world. Perhaps I went to one too many Gerry Spence Lectures, so now when something bothers me, I debate about it. Just reading your post reminded me of my situation that happen just a couple of days ago, so I thought I would write about it. As I see it, its their place, so they have the right on who to let in and who to kick out. I may still use Freesound, but I definitely won't submit any more uploads to it. That experience didn't go over well in my case, and frankly, there are already enough "Foley" type sounds here.

I wish you continued success with your music, Panda Dan.

Hi MORTradio

I'm sorry to hear you feel a bit disconcerted about the decision with your upload.

Did you upload it to another site in the end? Is it possible for me to hear it to give you a second opinion?

I second Headphaze’s comment, something isn’t right there. The definition of a ‘sound’ versus ‘music’ as far as Freesound uploads are concerned should probably be tightened up.

I realise it’s a somewhat philosophical issue, but in my mind, the scope of Freesound is building blocks for original compositions, as opposed to completed compositions. But that opens a whole other can of worms, given the subjectivity of music and the number of corner cases between ‘sound’ and ‘composition’.

In the end though, I think that content projects need to be tolerant of new contributors not immediately getting everything right. MORTradio’s comment reminded me of my attempt to contribute to Project Gutenberg, which was an exercise in how not to welcome contributions. That said, my own experience with moderation on FS, even when I’ve got things wrong, has been nothing to complain about; maybe the mod in question just got out of bed the wrong side.

jamesabdulrahman wrote:
I second Headphaze’s comment, something isn’t right there.

That's not what I said.

You haven't heard it, so you can't assume anything. I'm completely objective here, and as I haven't heard this sound, I don't know if it was an appropriate action or not by a fellow moderator. I trust them fully, so I was curious to know if my second opinion would be aligned with the original choice of rejection.

I think we can also leave philosophy out of this. It muddies the waters

Sorry Headphaze: I didn’t mean that “the moderator’s decision is wrong” because, as you say, I haven’t heard the upload in question.

What I mean is that if a new contributor is feeling unwelcome, because they feel there is a lack of consistency and clarity in what is ‘music’ and what is a ‘sound’, that is an issue that should probably be addressed. Your suggestion of a ‘second opinion’ is a good one.

This is what I get for writing posts while half asleep

Ha okay, not to worry, I understand your point of view.

Yea, that's exactly why I was attempting to alleviate any feeling of injustice.

Freesound is a happy place

Headphaze wrote:
Ha okay, not to worry, I understand your point of view.

Yea, that's exactly why I was attempting to alleviate any feeling of injustice.

Freesound is a happy place

I can't figure out what to put in those blank spaces. I must have purposely forgotten already

I think perhaps you should do the same.

Ah, the memory. 'tis but a but a nightmare. I shall try nonetheless.

I do agree that the moderation is a bit arbitrary (and I say this as a moderator). I take a fairly strict approach, which I feel is appropriate, other moderators are less strict. I disagree with a lot of "sounds" that are here, but once they are here, not much can be done I suppose.

Speaking of which, who are the Freesound moderators?

As for sounds and music - maybe it's recommended to rewrite the definition for music here; i.e. specify WHAT it becomes WHEN it's uploaded to Freesound, to point the context of further use. A soundtrack is a source of sounds to explore. "Music" is not limited to chords and patterns. A sound file is a sound file.

Corsica_S wrote:
I disagree with a lot of "sounds" that are here, but once they are here, not much can be done I suppose.

It depends if they are found to be violating the Terms of Use or not.

Moderators have to look at several things. We try to be consistent, but there are some differences since there are a few of us. Being humans, we also make the occasional mistake.

Another point to bear in mind is that the moderation rules have slightly changed over the years, as the site traffic increased and the mods built up their collective experience.
You may find a sound at freesound that has been here for 5 years, but which would have been rejected today.

Music is the one that causes most arguments.
We reject 'produced music' - but what if it is a 20 second short piece? That is likely to go through... In my case, such approvals come with a(friendly) warning to the user that a longer piece would be considered a 'music' and would have been rejected.

We are more permissive with what I will call here 'recorded music'.
Example a sound described as "me practicing the clarinet" is likely to be spproved.
Sounds of buskers and street musicians are also likely to be accepted, especially if the uploader confirms they had the performer's permission to record.
But then there is the case if the music performed is a commercial/copyrighted piece... In that case, mods should reject...
... As you see, gets complicated.

Then there is the matter of descriptions and tags, which mods also check. This is a completely different chapter.
Again, some mods might be more 'demanding' in relation to what are constitutrs a good enough description or tags.

When rejecting a music piece, I always try to be considerate and encourage the user to upload items that would be acceptable: loops, fragments, riffs, acapelas,...

The rule on music rejection is often questioned by users.
This rule will not change anytime soon: Freesound is one of the few places dedicated to sounds and will be kept that way.

Well, I wasn't going to post anymore regarding this subject, but I have had a couple of Bull Shots (a Vodka and Beef Bouillon cocktail), and I am listening to The Cramps, so what the heck, I'll toss in another two cents.

Here is a suggestion. Perhaps it is workable, and maybe it isn't. Who knows? Anyhow, to make it easier on your future contributors, as well at your current contributors, you should restrict any and all audio submissions to only Foley-type sounds. Any sort of music (ambiance, soundtrack, loops, etc.) should be rejected. Probably the only "music" that should ever be allowed is street music that is part of an overall street sound (and if those particular clips are over a minute, they probably should be rejected, since anything longer would probably be considered bootlegging).

Perhaps it is too convoluted of a subject to be broached. The proverbial idiom of "one man's music is another man's sound" and visa versa (heck, some people say that "Revolution #9" is a song). Perhaps a contributor's attitude should be one of a person playing Darts. Sometimes you hit the bull's-eye. Sometimes you don't.

Actually, the only reason I posted my first comment on this topic was because I did respond (in respectable detail to and towards the moderator) to Moderation Ticket #103580, and never heard anything back from it. That's fine. I just question as to the reason why even offer the opportunity to respond in the first place.

Anyhow, enough of my rambling. The music is playing, and its time for another cocktail.

Here wishing you and site continued success.