VYRALUNIVERSITY

Sound Exchange:
Searching the
Databases

IN THIS ARTICLE...
HOW TO SEARCH THE HOW TO REGISTER WITH HOW TO USE “PLAYS”
DATABASES “PLAYS” SEARCH ENGINE
We will take a look at We will explain in We will go through the
the different ways in detail what “PLAYS” is different features and
which you can search and how to register functions of the
the databases and find with the “PLAYS” “PLAYS” Search Engine.
out if you are owed Search Engine.
any money

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 Vyral University: sound exchange: Searching The Databases

It is time to

VYRAL MUSIC
get started
collecting your
royalties

Sound Exchange:
Searching The
Databases

NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS, IT’S TIME TO FIND YOUR MONEY...
Let’s take an in-depth look at how to search Sound Exchange for your music using the search methods available
on the Sound Exchange website.

In order to help artists and SR Copyright owners to see if they have any uncollected royalties,
Sound Exchange has provided a few different tools to search their databases. You can search these
databases using a few different tools (some of which work better than others.) You may also use the
search tools to locate other Artists/Bands you may know or are friends with that might not know
about Sound Exchange.

Sound Exchange has

made it easy for you
to locate your
uncollected royalties.
They have also
provided some great
tools for sharing this
info with your social
network friends.

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GETTING STARTED

Now that you have a better understanding of the new laws regarding performance royalties, its
time to get started with the Sound Exchange system. Navigate to www.soundexchange.com and
scroll down to find this box:

Once you have located this box, click on the “How do I get paid?” button here to get started.

You will be taken to the Performer/SRCO Home page. Scroll down to locate this box. This is where
you will get started. There are two different options available to you, you can either find out if you any
royalties owed to you, or you can start the registration process.

The first thing we will go over in this tutorial is the tools available for locating any owed royalties
you may have with Sound Exchange.

Click on the “Find Out” button to get started locating your unpaid royalties.

If You have already completed this step, or do not wish to search the databases, you can navigate
to the Registration tutorial by CLICKING HERE.

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SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES
There are 3 different ways to search the Sound Exchange Databases. Each one will allow you to
search in a very specific way. I have found that it is best to familiarize yourself with all three, because
in some instances, what you are searching for may only be found on one of them.

Tip: You can use

either Navigation Menu
to browse through the
3 different databases.

UNPAID ARTISTS:
The Unpaid Artists database contains a list of recording artists, featured performers, and groups
who have uncollected royalties from Sound Exchange. It is important to note however, that this list
only contains those persons who have released something prior to 2001. If you know for a fact that
you have no releases prior to 2001, then it is best to skip this search, because your name will not
show up regardless of whether you may or may not have royalties awaiting.

Unpaid SRCO’s:
The Unpaid SRCO database is basically the same as the Unpaid Artists database. It houses a list
of SR Copyright holder’s who have uncollected royalties prior to 2001. If you had no luck with the first
search, it may be wise to try this database.

PLAYS:
The Plays database is far and away the most detailed, and extensive database Sound Exchange
provides. You must register to use the PLAYS database. We will go into more detail about the PLAYS
database shortly.

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SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: UNPAID ARTISTS & SRCO’S
The first database we will quickly walkthrough is the “Unpaid Artists” Database.

There are 2 main ways to search:

1) Use the search box

to type in the name of
an Artist/Band

2) Browse Artists/
Bands by clicking on
the letter/number
which displays all
results starting with
that letter/number.

Option 1: Search For Unregistered Artists

To use the search box, just type in the name of the Artist/Band you are looking for. Your search will
produce 1 of 2 results.

1) If the artist is found, You will 2) If nothing is found, you will see
see this screen. this screen.

Using the Results Box:

If your search turns up a result, you have two options. You can either choose to register, or if you
are searching for someone else, (friend, colleague, etc.) you can email that person to notify them that
they may have unpaid royalties.

note: the results screen will show up right below Option 2 on the same page. If you made a typing
error, or wish to do another search, just scroll up on the page to search again.

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SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: UNPAID ARTISTS & SRCO’S
Option 1: Search For Unregistered Artists
To use the browse artists search, just click on the letter/number that you wish to browse through
and the results will show up below.

Notice that the same two options are

available using this option.

To scroll through the pages, use

this tool. The number of results is
also shown here.

You can also scroll through the

pages at the bottom of the results
page.

Unpaid SRCO’s.
The 2nd database contains the list of unpaid SRCO’s. Although this is a different database, the
search options are exactly the same as the “Unpaid Artists” search. Just like searching in the “Unpaid
Artists” section, you can search by typing the name, or by browsing through their database
alphabetically.

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SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: PLAYS REGISTRATION
Sound Exchange PLAYS database:
“PLAYS” stands for Performance Log Archive of Your Songs. This is the most accurate, and most
extensive way to search the Sound Exchange database.

TO use the PLAYS database, you must first register. (This is not the same as registering with
Sound Exchange, this is a separate registration).

To register with PLAYS, click the

“Create An Account” button.

Once you have read through the

Conditions and Restrictions, click
accept to continue.

Conditions & Restrictions...

The Conditions & Restrictions you are accepting basically state 2 things:

1) That Sound Exchange is not liable for any accuracy errors in the database. (it is up to the
copyright holder to inform them of any errors, which can be done through the PLAYS database)

2) That you agree to not download or copy this information for commercial use.

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SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: PLAYS REGISTRATION
Step 1: Registration
The first step in the registration process is to fill out some basic info.
See Figure 1 Below
See Figure 2 Below
See Figure 3 Below
Figure 1: Sound Exchange
provides a list of pre-made
questions. PLEASE be aware
of any capitalization and
punctuation you make when
providing your answer!!!
Enter the email that you wish to use
with your PLAYS account. (must be valid)
Pick a security question from the drop-
down menu. Enter your answer below.
The Security Question is in case you
forget your password.
Enter your Name & Company (if applicable)
Enter your Address here.
Enter your phone number(s) here. Remember
to leave out the dashes. (EX: 8662251184)
Figure 2: Choose the user Figure 3: You can designate
type you fall under. If you a genre, or just pick “All
are more than one, just pick Genres” if you are unsure.
“Other”.
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SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: PLAYS REGISTRATION
Step 2: Email Confirmation
The second step in the process is to confirm your registration. You will be sent an email to the
address you provided during registration with a generated password.

You will use the generated password

the first time you log into PLAYS.

Step 3: Change Password

The third (and final) step in the process is to log in using the generated password sent to you in
your email.

Navigate to the PLAYS login page,

and enter your username and the
generated password.

Note: your username is your email.

The first time you log-in, you will

be prompted to change your
password. Enter in your email
address and the old (generated)
password, and then create an new
password. Once you are finished,
click “Submit”

You are now officially registered with PLAYS. In the next section we will go over the PLAYS Search
Engine.

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 SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: PLAYS SEARCH ENGINE
PLAYS Search Engine: Overview
Now that we have successfully registered, lets take a look at the PLAYS Search Engine.

Access Code:
Each time you log-in to PLAYS, you
are required to enter an access
code. Enter the code EXACTLY as
shown, and hit continue to get
started.

There are 3 main sections on the PLAYS Search Engine. 1)TOP NAV BAR: Here you can
navigate to the various
NOTE: Using the search box info pages including a page
will navigate you away from containing various forms.
the PLAYS Search Engine.

2) SIDE NAV BAR: Here you

can navigate to a few more
pages, including your
profile page. You can also
logoff PLAYS here, and
contact Sound Exchange.
3) SEARCH FORM: This is where
you can search the PLAYS
database for information on a
particular Artist/Band. You can
search by Name, Title of Song,
Album Title, or Record Label.

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 SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: PLAYS SEARCH ENGINE
Performance Repertoire Search:
Let’s look at the search form. There are a few ways to search the database. You can search by any
combination of Artist Name, Song Title, Album Title & Record Label.

1) ARTIST: You can

enter the name of a
particular Artist/Band.

2) TITLE: You can enter

a specific song title.

3) ALBUM: You can enter

the name of a specific
album.

4) LABEL: You can

search by entering the
name of a specific
Record Label.

Once you have entered

your search details, You can also contact
click “Search Now” to Sound Exchange via
submit the form. email using this link.

Search Rules:
You will notice on the right-hand side of the search form that Sound Exchange has provided a few
rules for entering in names. If you find that you are continuously getting “no results found” from your
searches, make sure and check to see if you are adhering to these guidelines.

Other Tips:
- You may fill in any combination of these fields to help narrow down your search. Only one field is
required.
- If you wish to start over, just hit clear form and the form will revert back to a blank form.
- If you are having trouble locating a particular Artist or Song, try entering in a partial name.
- There are a few names that are misspelled in the database, so if you are not getting any results
from your search, try using alternate spellings.

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 SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: PLAYS SEARCH ENGINE
Performance Repertoire Search: Search Results
Once you submit the search form, you will be taken to a search results page, which displays the
results of your search in table form. For my example, i did a search on John Mayer.

To change or modify your

search, click hear to go back
to the search form.

The number of results

found will show up here.

To Scroll through
the results pages
use these links

These checkboxes
allow you to
select the titles
that you have
questions about.

After you have

selected the
titles you wish to
inquire about,
click the Proceed
button.

Performance Repertoire Search: Search Results

The Search Results will display the Artist, Title, Album and Label of each result found. If your
search turns up results, then it is likely that you have unpaid royalties awaiting you with Sound
Exchange.
You can also use this search to locate any mistakes or errors, and then submit them to Sound
Exchange. (Sound Exchange Members will be given first priority on all change submissions)

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 SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: PLAYS SEARCH ENGINE
Performance Repertoire Search: Inquiries
If you choose to inquire about any of the results, you will be taken to the “Confirm Selection”
screen which will allow you to view all of the results you selected for inquiry.

Once you have reviewed

your selection(s), hit
the “Confirm Selection”
button to continue

Performance Repertoire Search: PLAYS E-Mail

Once you confirm your selection(s), you will be sent to the PLAYS E-Mail page, where you can
contact Sound Exchange regarding the titles you have questions or concerns about. The selections
you made previously will be automatically attached to this email.

Sound Exchange
automatically
inputs your email
associated with
your PLAYS account.

Type your
message here.

Once you are

finished, hit
“Send” to send
the email.

You can also

clear your
message and
start over by
clicking the
“Clear” button

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SOUND EXCHANGE DATABASES: PLAYS SEARCH ENGINE

Performance Repertoire Search: Edit PLAYS Profile

Sound Exchange allows you to edit your profile information at anytime. The only thing that you
may not edit is your PLAYS ID (email address).

You can change your password

here.

You may choose to

change or edit
your security
question.

This section
allows you to
change/update your
address.

You may change

your phone numbers
here.

Make sure to click

“Submit Form” to
save any changes”

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FINDING YOUR UNPAID
ROYALTIES...
Take The Time To Look...
It is free to do, and easy to
use the search tools available
on Sound Exchange’s website.
There are millions of dollars in
unpaid performance royalties
waiting to be collected, and
some of that money might just
be yours!
So I Found Something, Now What?
Well, the next logical step
would be to sign up with Sound
Exchange and collect your
royalties. We have an article
dedicated to the registration
process!!
What If I Don’t Find Anything...
Well, most likely it means
that you don’t have any money
There are a number of
waiting for you at the end of the
rainbow, but it could just be that reasons why things wouldn’t
show up even if you are certain
NEED MORE INFO?
For more detailed information on music
publishing i recommend checking out our
bookstore for some great guides to
publishing!
Click Here
you do, and it’s just not
showing up in the
search results for
various reasons. Finding Your
Money...
What If I Find Mistakes...
If you notice
something wrong with
one of the titles, then
your next step would be to that something should be there.
notify Sound Exchange. In that case, go ahead and
Remember that Sound register anyways, and also send
Exchange gives priority to it’s Sound Exchange an email with
members, so it is in your best your concerns so that they can
interest to register. (and if you work to fix it.
found something, it’s in your
best interest to register I Found A Buddy of Mine...
anyways!) If you find someone that you
know, and your thinking that
I Should Have Found they might not know about their
Something...But i Didn’t uncollected royalties, then you
should let them know. Sound
Exchange has incorporated this
function into the search results,
Other Articles
• Performance Rights Organizations
• How Your Music Makes Money
Copyright Registration
• How to set up your own Publshing
Company
• Song Plugging 101
• How to Prepare for a meeting with a
Publisher
• How to copyright your song
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