# MusicLaunch > MusicLaunch is a desktop app for independent musicians that keeps a whole release campaign in one place: tasks, social posts, press and playlist contacts, performance numbers, budget and sync licensing, plus songwriting and production tools. It runs on macOS, stores its data on the user's own Mac, and is sold as a one-time purchase with optional monthly plans for its built-in team of AI assistants. This file is a plain-text summary of the MusicLaunch website for AI assistants and other text-only readers, followed by the full text of the help guides, which are also built into the app. The Settings & Account and Getting Started guides (license, plans, privacy, backups) come first. Each guide is also published as its own Markdown file; a shorter version with a link to each one is at https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/llms.txt. **Key facts** - Availability: MusicLaunch for macOS is available now from the download page (version 1.0.3, released October 15, 2026). - Platform: macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, Apple Silicon or Intel, with at least 4 GB of RAM and 1 GB of free disk space. Mac only for now. - Price: the base app is a one-time purchase, $99 at our launch price ($150 after launch). No date has been announced for that change. Every section and all 1.x updates are included. The 30-day money-back guarantee covers the app purchase only. - License: one license works on one Mac at a time. Moving to a new Mac, having a lost key emailed again, and freeing a license from a lost or broken Mac are self-serve at https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/license/. - Team plans: optional monthly plans for the built-in team: 15 AI assistants in release-team roles such as Manager, Publicist and Booking Agent, working from the user's own campaign data. Backstage Pass $15/month (up to 2 artist profiles), VIP $35/month (3X the monthly allowance, up to 5 artist profiles) and All Access $150/month (10X the monthly allowance, up to 20 artist profiles). The team is included for the first 30 days after activation. After that, every section of the app still works without a subscription, but the team and its generators need a plan. Owners add, switch or cancel a plan themselves, in the app under Settings → License or at https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/license/, without buying the app again. - Campaign planning: Campaign Dashboard, Kanban task board, release checklist, and several release campaigns side by side. - Content and social: Content Calendar, Social Hub (post composer and metrics), Studio for short videos, and Media Hub (files and a Music Library). - Contacts and outreach: contact database, pitch emails and follow-up sequences sent through Gmail, Local Scene directory, and SMS campaign drafts (it does not send text messages). - Performance and budget: follower growth charts, cross-platform comparison, fan funnel log, Playlist Tracker, imports of distributor reports and royalty statements, and Budget Tracker. - Music business: Sync Licensing catalog, submission pipeline and earnings log, Collaborators directory with split sheets, and Merch & Promo (smart links, QR codes, merch mockups, flyers from 12 classic templates and 23 genre styles, stickers and pin-back buttons, and name banners for Bandcamp and YouTube). - Production and writing: Producer's Pad (a production tracker for each song), Gear inventory, Artist Retreat (lyrics, chord sheets, setlists and bios in a private space that can be locked with its own password, plus songwriting tools), and Spark Plug, a record button on every screen (⇧⌘I) that records audio ideas as 24-bit WAVs in Media Hub → Ideas. - Posting and email: direct connections to YouTube, Facebook Pages, Instagram (Business or Creator accounts), TikTok (uploads arrive as a notification in TikTok's Inbox, to finish and post in the TikTok app), Bluesky and Gmail. X, Threads, Mastodon, LinkedIn, Tumblr, SoundCloud and Bandcamp are copy-and-open: the app copies the post and opens the site. - Data: local-first. Campaign data is stored in a SQLite database on the user's Mac and nothing syncs through a cloud; media files are kept in a folder on the same Mac. Most sections export their lists to CSV and Excel, and the Google Sheets option copies the table to the clipboard. Most features work offline; posting, team requests, platform numbers and license checks need an internet connection. Some things leave the Mac for the feature that needs them: published posts and emails; photos posted to Instagram, Facebook or TikTok (held for one to two days on uploads.musiclaunchapp.com); a copy of a track run through Deep Analysis with the user's own Cyanite account; AI requests with the campaign data they need (through MusicLaunch's server to its AI provider); license checks; Music Business News feed requests, sent straight to each publisher; and an anonymous monthly usage report that can be turned off. - Who makes it: built by an independent musician, Mike Grebb, and published by MBG Creative Services LLC. Support: hello@musiclaunchapp.com. **What it does not do** - Windows is not available yet (a Windows version is in the works, with no date), and there is no iPhone, iPad, Android or web version. - It is a single-user app. There are no shared workspaces, team logins or real-time collaboration. - It is not a music distributor. It does not deliver releases to Spotify, Apple Music or other stores. - There is no cloud sync between Macs, and MusicLaunch keeps no copy of the app's data; data comes back only from the user's own backups. - There is no free trial. A license key is needed to use the app. - The app purchase on its own covers one artist profile. Additional artist profiles need a plan: up to 2 with Backstage Pass, 5 with VIP and 20 with All Access. - Smart links are exported as an HTML page for the user to host; MusicLaunch does not put the page online. - The team's AI assistants work from the user's own MusicLaunch data and their built-in knowledge of the music business, and do not search the web or look up live information. They never write or shape the music. - Instagram posting covers photo posts only, not videos or Reels. YouTube uploads arrive on the channel as Unlisted. - It does not detect Spotify playlist adds; the Playlist Tracker is a manual log of pitches. - Spark Plug records audio only, with no editing. - Scheduled posts and email follow-ups go out only while MusicLaunch is running and the Mac is awake. The app does not read the Gmail inbox. - Sales are currently limited to customers in the United States. ## Product pages - [Home](https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/): Overview of the app, with screenshots. - [Features](https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/features/): Every section of the app and what it does. - [Release Team](https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/team/): The team's 15 AI assistants and a comparison of the three plans. - [Pricing](https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/pricing/): The one-time app price, the team plans, and a pricing FAQ. - [Download](https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/download/): The macOS download and the system requirements. - [License Help](https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/license/): Self-serve help for a lost license key, moving to a new Mac, freeing up a license, and adding or managing a plan. - [Help Center](https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/): Index of every help guide, as web pages. - [About](https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/about/): Who built MusicLaunch and why, with contact details. Mike Grebb, an independent singer-songwriter and producer, finished building it in late 2026 and is using it for his own new album, due in early 2027. ## Help guides: Settings & Account ### Your Team Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/ai-assistants/ Who is on your team, what each member does, and how the monthly allowance works. MusicLaunch comes with a team of 15, each named for the music-business job it does and tuned for one part of the app. They're context-aware — each one sees only the data it needs (your current campaign, your contacts, your songs, etc.) so its suggestions are specific to what you're working on. Your team members are AI assistants. Each one introduces itself that way at the start of a chat, a small line under the message box says your team runs on AI, and any member will tell you so if you ask. The first time Your Team opens on a Mac, a short card explains what goes online; Settings → Your Team says it too. Every assistant also knows your artist name and genre, so what it writes fits your style. It uses the Genre set on your campaign: to change it, click the genre at the top of the Campaign page (it says "Set genre" when there is none). With no genre set, it goes by the genres on your Sync Licensing tracks, or writes without assuming a genre. #### What your team works from Your team works from your own MusicLaunch data and its built-in knowledge of the music business: they analyze your numbers, advise on promotion and help write your promo materials (pitches, captions, press releases, bios). They never help make the music itself: no lyrics, melodies, chords, arrangements, or recording and mixing advice. They can tell you about your finished songs, such as which one to send to bloggers first. They don't draft agreements, contracts or other legal documents, not even samples or templates, and they don't give personal tax advice: they can explain in general what an agreement usually covers and which questions to ask, and suggest a music lawyer or a tax professional. They don't search the web or look up live information, such as a venue's current calendar or today's prices, and that built-in knowledge can be out of date. Treat a venue, curator or outlet it names from its own knowledge as a lead to check, and confirm anything time-sensitive before you act on it. #### The 15 assistants - Release Manager (Campaign) — strategy, planning, idea generation for your release - Content Planner (Calendar) — content ideas, posting cadence advice - Social Strategist (Social Hub) — caption brainstorming, hashtag strategy - Publicist (Contacts) — pitch drafting, outreach strategy - Analyst (Performance) — interpret your metrics, spot trends - Business Manager (Budget) — spending advice, ROI analysis - Studio Manager (Producer's Pad) — session planning, tracking progress, what's stalled - Royalty Admin (Collaborators) — split sheets, credits, royalties - Gear Tech (Gear) — gear values, insurance, warranties and maintenance - Merch Manager (Merch & Promo) — merchandise planning, promo strategy - Brand Manager (Artist Retreat) — bios, press kit check, promo angles from your finished songs - Sync Agent (Sync Licensing) — pitch strategy, catalog metadata, supervisor outreach - Media Manager (Media Hub) — release media checks, matching files to posts, alt text and captions from your description (works from file details only; it cannot see inside files) - Booking Agent (Contacts → Local Scene) — venue and promoter pitch drafts, co-bill ideas, show promo timelines, setlist orders, tour routing (drafts and advises only; on the Contacts → Local Scene tab) - Manager (everywhere) — big-picture strategy and any music-business question that doesn't fit elsewhere Two team members are reached a little differently: the Media Manager appears whenever Media Hub is open, and the Booking Agent appears on the Contacts → Local Scene tab (the other Contacts tabs use the Publicist). The Calendar page also has a Booking Agent button, under the page title, for planning and promoting shows; click Back to Content Planner, or close Your Team, to return to the Content Planner. The button at the top right of the window always names the team member you are talking to. Don't want AI at all? Settings → Your Team → Hide Your Team hides your team and the Help chat everywhere. #### Team tools outside the chat Beyond chat, your team also does specific jobs: Campaign Generator (auto-generate phases + tasks from a release date), Content Plan (Calendar → Generate Week / Auto-Draft), Sync Finder (Sync Licensing → Find Opportunities), Brief Matcher, Pitch Email drafting, Gear Valuation, Gear Analysis. #### Usage limits per tier Your team's usage is metered. Each plan has both a monthly allowance (counted in tokens) AND per-feature daily limits: - Backstage Pass ($15/mo): 1M tokens/month, base daily limits - VIP ($35/mo): 3M tokens/month, 3× daily limits - All Access ($150/mo): 10M tokens/month, 10× daily limits When you hit a limit, you'll see a clear message saying which limit was reached and when it resets, with an "Upgrade plan" button on Backstage Pass and VIP ("Get a subscription" during the included 30 days or the encore week; on All Access, the reset time only). Per-feature daily limits reset at midnight in your local timezone. Monthly budgets reset on the 1st. > **Note: Your team is optional** > > The base MusicLaunch app ($99 at our launch price, $150 after launch) is fully usable without your team. A team plan only adds your team and its tools. Everything else (Campaign Dashboard, Calendar, Contacts, Social Hub, Performance, Budget, etc.) works exactly the same with or without one. ### Settings & Preferences Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/settings-overview/ License, profiles, theme, fonts, backups, Gmail, and security. Settings is where you manage your license and profiles, connect Gmail, back up or restore your data, set the app's appearance, and lock the app behind a password. (Social platforms connect in Social Hub → Connect Accounts, not here.) #### Sections in Settings - License — activate, verify, or deactivate the app license (Deactivate frees it for another Mac — a license works on one Mac at a time); the Team Plan block shows your plan or your included 30 days, with "Refresh subscription status" and "Get a subscription" — or "Manage subscription" once you have a plan, for switching plans, updating your card or canceling (there is no separate key) - Profiles — create, rename, import/export, or delete isolated workspaces (you pick each profile's color when you create it) - Security — set an app password (locks the app at startup), a separate Artist Retreat password, and a recovery email for password resets - Appearance — light/dark theme (⌘D) and font size (Default / Large / Extra Large) - Spark Plug — the input Spark Plug records ideas from (System default, or a mic or audio interface you pick) and its channels: Stereo (inputs 1 + 2), Mono: input 1 or Mono: input 2; and Ideas from your phone: the phone inbox, the QR code for the iPhone Shortcuts, and Notice AirDropped recordings - Sections — show or hide sidebar sections (hidden ones stay reachable from the command palette) - Dry Run Mode — simulate post publishing and email sending without actually doing it (for testing) - Demo Mode — switch to sample data for exploring the app or taking screenshots (your real data is untouched; the app restarts) - Posting — turn the double confirmation before posting on or off, open MusicLaunch at login so it waits in the menu bar and scheduled posts go out without you opening it, and choose whether MusicLaunch warns you before you quit with posts scheduled - Your Team — Hide Your Team (no AI at all), and Team Chat History to clear old conversations - Budget Alerts — pick the spend threshold that triggers a warning - Data Backup — your backup folder (Back Up Now, daily backups, Restore from Folder), Time Machine status, backup reminders, Export Backup and Import Backup, and the hourly auto-backups with Restore - Gmail Integration — connect the Gmail account used for pitch emails, and list the other addresses you send from (each profile has its own) - Keyboard Shortcuts — the shortcut reference - Privacy — toggle anonymous usage data - About — the app version #### Backups Your data lives only on this Mac. Settings → Data Backup → Back Up Now copies everything, media included, to an external drive or a cloud folder you choose, and can repeat once a day. Use Time Machine too. MusicLaunch also snapshots the database every hour while it's open (the last 100 are kept) and when you click the Save icon in the header; those snapshots stay on this Mac. To roll back, click Restore next to a snapshot, then Replace, and the app restarts on the restored data. See Backups & Data Recovery for the details. #### Security: app password If you share a computer or want to keep sensitive data (contacts, finances) protected, enable an app password in Security. Once set, MusicLaunch shows a lock screen at every launch. Forgot your password? A reset code can be emailed to the recovery email you set in Security (this needs a connected Gmail account), or you can clear the password with your license key right on the lock screen. > **Warning: Backups don't include your license activation** > > Restoring a backup brings back your data, but not your license. On a new Mac, deactivate on the old Mac first (Settings → License → Deactivate), then enter your key on the new one. Backups are portable, so your data moves with you. ### Backups & Data Recovery Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/backups/ How the hourly snapshots, a backup folder and Time Machine protect MusicLaunch data, and how to restore it. MusicLaunch keeps your data only on this Mac: your database, plus your media folder with photos, videos, Studio recordings, Spark Plug ideas and documents. There is no MusicLaunch cloud copy, and we can't recover your data if your Mac is lost, broken or erased. So keep your own backups. Two habits cover you. #### The short version - Turn on Time Machine. It backs up your whole Mac to an external drive, automatically. - Also keep a copy away from this Mac: Settings → Data Backup → Back Up Now, to an external drive or a cloud folder. - Leave "Back up automatically once a day" on, so you don't have to remember. #### Back up to a folder In Settings → Data Backup, click Choose Folder and pick where your backups go. Pick an external drive, or a folder in iCloud Drive, Google Drive or Dropbox if you're comfortable keeping your data with that service. MusicLaunch starts the first backup right away. It copies every profile's database and every file in its media folder, Spark Plug ideas included, with no size limit. After the first time it copies only new and changed files, so later backups are quick. Inside the folder you chose, MusicLaunch makes a "MusicLaunch Backups" folder with one folder per artist profile. MusicLaunch doesn't remove files from your backup folder, even ones you delete in the app. It replaces only its own database copies and files that changed. Files you delete in MusicLaunch stay in the backup folder until you delete them there. It keeps the latest database, the one before it, and one database copy per month. After your first backup, MusicLaunch backs up once a day while it's open and the folder is available. If the drive isn't connected, it waits and tries again later. You can turn this off in Settings → Data Backup. While Spark Plug is recording, the daily backup waits until you stop, and Back Up Now asks you to stop recording first. > **Tip: Cloud folders** > > iCloud Drive, Google Drive and Dropbox upload the backup in the background, so leave your Mac online for a while after a big first backup. Make sure your cloud storage has room: MusicLaunch can't see your cloud storage plan. If older backup files show as stored only in the cloud, that's fine. > **Warning: What a backup doesn't include** > > Logic or GarageBand project folders you linked stay where they are, so back those up yourself (Time Machine covers them). Social account connections and your Gmail sign-in need connecting again after a restore on another Mac. Your license isn't part of a backup either. And your backup folder isn't protected by your MusicLaunch password, so keep it somewhere you trust. #### Time Machine Time Machine is the backup built into macOS. It copies your whole Mac, MusicLaunch included, to an external drive automatically (every hour by default) while the drive is connected. Set it up in System Settings → General → Time Machine (System Preferences on older macOS). Settings → Data Backup shows when Time Machine last backed up, if MusicLaunch can tell. If it can't, tick "I back up this Mac with Time Machine". A Time Machine drive usually sits next to your Mac, so a fire or a theft can take both. That's why a second copy somewhere else is worth having. #### Backup reminders If MusicLaunch hasn't been backed up away from this Mac for a while, a reminder appears at the top of the window. That's about once a month, or every three months if you use Time Machine. It never blocks your work. Click Back Up Now, Remind Me Later, or Don't Remind Me for a While. You can turn reminders off in Settings → Data Backup. #### Snapshots on this Mac MusicLaunch also snapshots your database every hour while it's open and keeps the last 100. The Save icon in the top-right header takes an extra snapshot whenever you like, and the last 25 are kept. These snapshots stay on this Mac, next to your data. They're for undoing a mistake, not for a lost or broken Mac, and they cover the database only, not your media files. Find them under Settings → Data Backup → Auto-Backups. They live in ~/Library/Application Support/MusicLaunch/profiles/\/backups/. #### Backup files for moving to a new Mac Export Backup (Settings → Data Backup) puts the open profile in one .mlbackup file, and Settings → Profiles → Export All Profiles puts every profile in one file. They're handy for moving to a new Mac. They leave out any single media file over 1 GB and anything beyond about 1.5 GB of media in total, and MusicLaunch tells you which files it skipped. A Spark Plug idea longer than about an hour in stereo is over 1 GB, so it is left out too. To keep every file, ideas included, use Back Up Now instead. #### Restoring 1. **Restore from a backup folder** Settings → Data Backup → Restore from Folder. Choose the profile's backup folder, or the "MusicLaunch Backups" folder above it. If it holds more than one profile, pick the one you want. 2. **Click Replace** The backup replaces everything in the profile that's open now, and MusicLaunch restarts. Your current database is snapshotted first (see Auto-Backups), and none of your current files are deleted, so you can go back. If Spark Plug is recording, MusicLaunch asks you to stop it first. 3. **More than one profile?** A restore replaces the open profile. To bring back several, create or switch to a profile, restore it, and repeat. To undo a recent mistake, use the Auto-Backups list instead: click Restore next to a snapshot, then Replace. To restore a .mlbackup file, use Import Backup. On a new Mac, Migration Assistant can also bring everything over from your Time Machine backup, MusicLaunch data included. After you restore from a backup folder on a new Mac, MusicLaunch keeps backing up into that same folder, so the files already there aren't copied again. > **Note: Scheduled posts after a restore** > > A restore brings back your data as it was when that backup was made, so a post or follow-up email that went out after the backup looks unsent again. After any restore, MusicLaunch pauses the posts and follow-up emails that were due before it instead of sending them. Check the Calendar and Contacts → Sequences → Active Runs, then post or resume what still needs to go out. > **Warning: Restoring a backup doesn't move your license** > > Your license works on one Mac at a time and isn't part of your backup. When you move, deactivate on the old Mac (Settings → License → Deactivate), then enter your key on the new Mac and import your backup there. ### Security & Passwords Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/security-passwords/ App password, Artist Retreat password, and how to get back in if you forget one. MusicLaunch supports two layers of password protection — an app-wide lock (locks the whole app at startup) and a separate Artist Retreat lock (just for your private creative section). Both are optional. #### When to enable the app password - You share a computer with a roommate, partner, or bandmate - You travel with a laptop (pair it with your Mac's login password and FileVault, which protect the files themselves) - Your contacts list, financial info, or unreleased music is sensitive - You want a second line of defense beyond macOS login > **Note: What the app password does** > > It keeps anyone using your Mac out of MusicLaunch's screens. It doesn't encrypt your files, so for real protection also use a Mac login password and turn on FileVault (System Settings → Privacy & Security). #### Setting it up 1. **Settings → Security** Click "Enable" under App Password. 2. **Set a password** At least 4 characters — longer is better. It's stored only on this Mac in scrambled form, so nobody (including us) can read it back. 3. **Set a recovery email** Optional but strongly recommended. A reset code is sent to this address through your connected Gmail account, so connect Gmail (Settings → Gmail Integration) too — recovery needs both. No recovery email? Your license key works as a backup (see below). #### Artist Retreat password (separate) Lyric drafts and creative notes are deeply personal for many artists. In Settings → Security, click "Enable" under Artist Retreat Password to add a separate password just for that section, on top of any app-wide password. So even if a curious bandmate gets past the app password, they still can't see your unfinished lyrics. #### Recovering a forgotten password On the lock screen, click "Forgot Password?". If you set a recovery email and connected Gmail, MusicLaunch emails you a 6-digit code (it expires after 10 minutes) — enter it and choose a new password. No recovery email or Gmail? Use your license key instead: paste the key from your purchase email, and MusicLaunch removes the password and offers to set a new one right away. This works for both the app password and the Artist Retreat password. > **Tip: Your license key is your backup way in** > > Keep the email with the subject "Your MusicLaunch License Key" — that key can always clear a forgotten password. Can't find it? We'll email it to you again at musiclaunchapp.com/license. Clearing a password never touches your data. ### Privacy & Telemetry Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/privacy-telemetry/ What anonymous usage data MusicLaunch collects, and how to opt out. MusicLaunch sends one small anonymous usage report a month to help us improve the app. It asks first: the first time you open MusicLaunch, a screen explains the report with a box that starts checked. Nothing is sent before you press Continue on that screen, and nothing at all if you untick the box. You can change your answer anytime in Settings → Privacy. This article covers only that usage report — for everything else, see the Privacy Policy at musiclaunchapp.com/privacy. #### What we collect - App version and platform (macOS) - A device identifier made by one-way hashing (SHA-256) a few details of your Mac — we receive only the hash, never the details themselves - Which team features you use — counts only, not content - How many Spark Plug ideas you recorded or added this month, and how they came in (Spark Plug, the phone inbox, AirDrop, Import, drag and drop), on how many days, and whether the phone inbox and the AirDrop prompt are on — counts only, never names or recordings - Your team plan's name and how many profiles you have (a number, not their names) - How many tokens your team used this month (for capacity planning) #### What the usage report never includes - Your email address or name - Your contact list, post content, lyrics, or any creative work - OAuth tokens or API credentials - License keys or payment info #### How to opt out Settings → Privacy → toggle 'Anonymous Usage Data' off. Takes effect immediately. No further data is sent. (Reports already sent can't be removed afterwards: they carry no name, email or license key, so we can't tell which ones came from you.) #### Data location Reports are stored in a database operated by MBG Creative Services LLC (the company behind MusicLaunch) and used only for in-house product analytics. We do not sell them or share them with anyone else. ### Dry Run Mode Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/dry-run-mode/ Test posts and emails without actually sending them — for testing and rehearsing. Dry Run Mode is a global toggle that simulates posting and email sending without actually publishing or delivering anything. Useful for testing schedules, rehearsing a campaign rollout, or just exploring features without consequences. #### What gets simulated - Social posts (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc.) — composer "sends", you get a "Dry Run Complete!" confirmation, but no actual API call is made - Email sends (Gmail) — no email is delivered and nothing is marked as sent; the composer tells you "no email was sent" instead of confirming a send, and a pitch you tried to send stays saved with its status unchanged - Email sequences and scheduled posts — nothing goes out while Dry Run is on, but what comes due is held, not skipped: it is sent once you turn Dry Run off (sequence emails within about 5 minutes, scheduled posts within about 2; a post more than 24 hours late is marked failed instead) #### Toggling it on Settings → Dry Run Mode → toggle ON. A persistent banner appears at the top of every page reminding you that Dry Run is active. Toggle OFF when you want to start sending for real. #### Turning it off If sequence emails or scheduled posts came due while Dry Run was on, MusicLaunch tells you how many before it switches off, and asks what to do: Keep Dry Run On, Turn Off & Send (they go out for real), or Pause Emails & Turn Off — the sequences with an email due are paused and wait in Contacts → Sequences → Active Runs until you resume or stop each one. Scheduled posts can't be paused from here: to stop one, keep Dry Run on and reschedule or delete it in the Calendar first. If you started a sequence only as a test, stop it in Active Runs. > **Warning: Don't forget to turn it off!** > > The persistent banner is intentional — it's easy to forget Dry Run is on, then wonder why your release-day posts didn't go out. Always check the top of the screen before release day. ### Troubleshooting & Common Issues Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/troubleshooting/ Quick fixes for the most common problems. If something's not working, scan this article first — most common issues have a 30-second fix. #### App won't open / crashes on launch - Quit the app completely (Cmd+Q in the menu bar — not just close the window). - Re-launch from Applications. - If it still crashes: open Console.app (in /Applications/Utilities/), filter for "MusicLaunch", look at the latest crash report, and email it to hello@musiclaunchapp.com. #### A scheduled post didn't go out - Open the Content Calendar: the post is under "Needs attention" with the reason. Use "Publish now" or "Reschedule", or "Delete" if you no longer want the post ("Dismiss" only takes it off the list). - A TikTok post that reads "Sent to TikTok" did go out: it is a notification in TikTok's Inbox, not in your Drafts folder. Tap the notification to finish and post it. - Scheduled posts only go out while MusicLaunch is running. Closing the window is fine (it stays in the menu bar); quitting it, or a Mac that is asleep or off, pauses them. - A post less than 24 hours late goes out when MusicLaunch next runs. A later one is marked Failed so nothing goes out days late without you knowing. - Turn on Settings → Posting → "Open MusicLaunch at login" so it is always in the menu bar. - "Not connected": reconnect the account in Social Hub → Connect Accounts, then publish the post again. - Instagram needs a photo, TikTok a photo or video, YouTube a video. - X, Threads and Bandcamp posts are reminders: MusicLaunch can't post there by itself. - "Check this one" means MusicLaunch was interrupted while posting. Look at the platform before you publish again, so it doesn't go out twice. #### License activation fails with "Couldn't reach the license server" - Check your internet connection. - Visit https://www.musiclaunchapp.com in your browser — if it loads, our server is up. - Check that nothing is blocking outbound HTTPS to musiclaunchapp.com (firewall, VPN, corporate proxy). - Wait 30 seconds and try again — sometimes our server briefly hiccups. #### MusicLaunch says your license is active on another Mac Your license works on one Mac at a time. On the other Mac, open Settings → License → Deactivate. If you no longer have that Mac or it won't start, or if the "other Mac" is this one because you erased it and set it up again, go to musiclaunchapp.com/license and, under "Old Mac lost, broken or already wiped?", click "Email me a link to free up my license." Open the emailed link and confirm, then enter your key again here. #### My old Mac says my license is no longer active That's expected after you move MusicLaunch to a new Mac or free up your license on our website. Your data is still on the old Mac. To use the old Mac again instead, deactivate on the new Mac first, then enter your key on the old one. #### I can't find my license key Search your email (including spam) for "Your MusicLaunch License Key". Still missing? Go to musiclaunchapp.com/license and we'll email it again to the address you used to buy MusicLaunch. #### Connecting an account opens the browser but never returns to the app Quit MusicLaunch completely (Cmd+Q), re-launch, and try connecting again. A fresh launch re-registers MusicLaunch with macOS so the browser can hand you back to the app. #### Instagram post opened in the browser instead of posting ("Image upload failed") - Instagram only accepts posts with an image, and the image has to be reachable at a web address. So when you post, MusicLaunch uploads a copy of the image to our image hosting (it's deleted automatically within about two days) and gives Instagram that link. The upload uses your license, so it needs an active license. - MusicLaunch converts and resizes common photo formats for you (JPG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC photos from an iPhone). If a HEIC photo can't be converted, export it as a JPG and try again. - Check your internet connection — the upload needs it. - If the upload fails, MusicLaunch copies your caption and opens Instagram so you can post by hand. If you see 'Image hosting needs an active license' or that MusicLaunch couldn't confirm your license, open Settings → License, click "Refresh subscription status", then post again. If it keeps failing, email hello@musiclaunchapp.com. #### Your team says "You've used this month's allowance" You've used your plan's monthly allowance. It starts again on the 1st of next month. The message has an "Upgrade plan" button that opens the page for switching plans (on All Access there is no bigger plan, so it shows the reset date only). To get more capacity sooner, move to a bigger plan: Settings → License → "Manage subscription", pick the new plan, then click "Refresh subscription status". (During the included 30 days or the encore week, the message says you've used this month's allowance included with them; click "Get a subscription" in Settings → License to keep going. Your first subscription, on any plan, starts a fresh monthly allowance right away: what your team used before it began doesn't count against it.) #### Email sending fails with "Gmail not connected" Settings → Gmail Integration → Connect. In a New Submission (pitch) window, you can click "Connect Gmail" next to Send via Gmail instead, without losing what you typed. Once connected, retry sending. If it still fails after connecting, your Gmail account may have hit its daily send limit (~500/day for free Gmail). #### Where do I find my data? Your MusicLaunch data lives at: ~/Library/Application Support/MusicLaunch/profiles/\/ — to navigate there in Finder, hit Cmd+Shift+G, paste the path up to profiles/, and open the folder for your profile. Inside it, data/musiclaunch.db is your database, backups/ holds auto-backups, and media/ holds your imported media. #### Still stuck? Something not working? Help → Report a Problem… in the menu bar (or Report a problem at the bottom of this Help page) opens an email to us with your app version and Mac details filled in. Have an idea? Help → Suggest a Feature… starts an email to us about it. Email hello@musiclaunchapp.com. We read every message. Include: your macOS version (Apple menu → About This Mac), MusicLaunch version (Settings → About), and a screenshot of any error. ### Team Plan Limits Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/tier-limits/ Exact daily and monthly limits for each team feature, on each plan. Your team plan sets your monthly allowance (in tokens) AND per-feature daily caps. This article lists the current limits for each plan. We may adjust them over time. #### Monthly token budgets - Backstage Pass ($15/mo): 1,000,000 tokens/month - VIP ($35/mo): 3,000,000 tokens/month (3× Backstage Pass) - All Access ($150/mo): 10,000,000 tokens/month (10× Backstage Pass) Tokens are used by everything your team does (chat, generation, brief matching, etc.). The count covers the data the assistant reads to answer you (your campaign, contacts, and so on) as well as what you type and what it writes back, so an assistant working with a lot of your data uses more per message. The Monthly allowance meter in Your Team shows how much of your month you have used. #### Per-context chat limits (messages/day) Multiply by your tier multiplier (Artist 1×, Pro 3×, Enterprise 10×): - Performance, Contacts & PR, Producer's Pad: 6/day each - Campaign, Budget, Calendar, Sync Licensing: 8/day each - Live & Booking: 8/day - Social Hub, Artist Retreat, Collaborators, Gear, Media Hub: 10/day each - Merch & Promo: 12/day - General: 15/day #### Standalone generation limits (uses/day) Same multiplier rule: - Campaign Generator, Content Plan, Plan Import, Sync Finder, Gear Valuation, Gear Analysis: 1/day each - Brief Matcher: 2/day - Pitch Email: 4/day #### VIP example On VIP, you get 3,000,000 tokens/month, and per day: 24 Calendar Chats, 30 Social Hub Chats, 45 General Chats, 3 Campaign Generations, 6 Brief Matches, 12 Pitch Emails — etc. Plenty for active use. > **Note: Limits reset on different schedules** > > Daily limits reset at midnight in your local timezone. Monthly token budgets reset on the 1st of each month. Upgrading mid-month switches you to the new tier's limits right away. Your first subscription starts with a fresh monthly allowance: what your team used before it began doesn't count against it. That happens once: subscribing again after canceling doesn't start another one. When you reach a limit, the message says when it resets and has an "Upgrade plan" button on Backstage Pass and VIP ("Get a subscription" during the included 30 days or the encore week; on All Access it shows the reset time only). ## Help guides: Getting Started ### Welcome to MusicLaunch Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/welcome/ What MusicLaunch is, how it works, and how to get the most out of it. MusicLaunch is your all-in-one campaign management platform built specifically for independent musicians. Instead of juggling spreadsheets, scheduling apps, contact lists, budgets, and a dozen browser tabs, everything for managing a music release lives in one app — your data on your machine. #### What MusicLaunch does - Plans music release campaigns from idea to launch (Campaign Dashboard) - Schedules social media posts across platforms (Content Calendar + Social Hub) - Manages press, playlist, and venue contacts (Contacts & Outreach) - Pitches sync licensing for TV, film, and ads (Sync Licensing) - Tracks performance metrics and growth (Performance dashboard) - Manages your budget and ad spend (Budget Tracker) - Catalogs your gear, songs, recordings, and collaborators - Gives you a 15-member team for the business side (Manager, Publicist, Booking Agent and more; your first 30 days are included, counted from the day you activate MusicLaunch; after that, an optional plan) #### How your data is stored All your data — campaigns, contacts, posts, budget, everything — lives in a SQLite database on your Mac, not in a MusicLaunch cloud account, and nothing syncs between computers. The app works offline for most features (the exceptions are social posting, your team, connected platform metrics and new news headlines, all of which need an internet connection). A few things do leave your Mac, and only for the feature that needs them: a post you publish goes to that platform (a photo for Instagram, Facebook or TikTok is first placed at a temporary public link, deleted automatically within about two days, so the platform can fetch it); emails you send go out through your Gmail account; requests to your team, with the data the assistant needs to answer, go through MusicLaunch's server to our AI provider (the server checks your license and counts your usage, and doesn't store your requests); the app checks your license with our license server; the Dashboard's Music Business News card reads public news feeds directly from each news site, so those sites see your Mac's internet address as they would for any visit (nothing of yours is sent, and MusicLaunch doesn't record what you read); and anonymous usage statistics are sent only once you have answered the usage-data question MusicLaunch asks the first time it opens, and not at all if you untick it there or turn it off later in Settings → Privacy. Details are in our Privacy Policy at musiclaunchapp.com/privacy. > **Tip: Back up away from this Mac** > > Your MusicLaunch data lives only on this Mac, and we don't have a copy. Turn on Time Machine, and set up Settings → Data Backup → Back Up Now to an external drive or a cloud folder. The hourly snapshots and the header Save icon stay on this Mac, so they help undo mistakes but won't help if the Mac is lost. #### Your first 10 minutes Before anything else, MusicLaunch asks you to read and accept its Terms of Service (click Agree to go on); you see that screen once, and again only if the Terms change. The first time you open MusicLaunch, a few welcome screens walk you in. One of them, "Tell us about your release", asks for your artist or band name, the release title, whether it's a single, EP or album, the release date and your genre. All of it is optional ("Skip for now" skips it), and whatever you fill in goes into the campaign MusicLaunch starts you with, "My First Campaign": the release title becomes its name. You can change any of it later at the top of the Campaign page. A short tour of the main buttons follows, then you land on the Dashboard with that campaign. To see them again: Help → "Replay Welcome Wizard" or "Take the Interactive Tour". A replay fills in the campaign you have open and saves only what you change. 1. **Skim the sidebar** Each item is a major section. The icons match what you see — Campaign, Calendar, Social Hub, Contacts, etc. 2. **Check your first campaign** Your first campaign is already there. Open Campaign to change its name, artist, genre, release date, release title or type (click any of them), or to add phases and tasks. A campaign holds everything for one release — single, EP, or album. For another release, click the campaign dropdown at the top of the sidebar → New Campaign. 3. **Meet your team** Your team is included for your first 30 days, counted from the day you activated MusicLaunch. Open Your Team (top right) and ask your Release Manager to build your release plan. 4. **Connect your social accounts** Social Hub → Connect Accounts. Connect Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok or Bluesky so you can publish from MusicLaunch (TikTok uploads arrive as a notification in TikTok's Inbox). 5. **Add some contacts** Contacts → Import (from a CSV) or Add Contact. Even 10 industry contacts is a useful starting point. 6. **Explore Help articles** Browse the Help articles to learn how each feature works. ### License & Activation Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/license-activation/ How to activate your license, move it to a new Mac, and find a lost key. MusicLaunch is a paid app — once you purchase, you receive a license key by email and use it to activate the app. The license is stored locally on your Mac and checked against our license server periodically. #### Activating your license 1. **Find your license key** It's in the email we sent right after purchase, with the subject "Your MusicLaunch License Key". The key is a long code like 12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef. Can't find it? Go to musiclaunchapp.com/license, enter the email you bought MusicLaunch with, and we'll email your key to you again. 2. **Open the activation screen** If MusicLaunch isn't activated on this Mac (you've never activated it here, or you deactivated it), it shows the activation screen when it opens. 3. **Paste the key and click Activate** The app validates against our license server (takes 1-2 seconds) and unlocks all features. #### One Mac per license Your license works on one Mac at a time. That's on purpose: everything you create in MusicLaunch — campaigns, contacts, team chat history — is saved on your Mac, not in the cloud. A second Mac would have its own separate copy that never syncs, so you'd end up with two different versions of your work. If you try to activate on a second Mac, MusicLaunch will tell you your license is active on another Mac. #### Moving to a new Mac 1. **Back up your data on the old Mac** Settings → Data Backup → Export Backup, and save the file somewhere the new Mac can reach (a USB drive, AirDrop, or cloud storage). Using more than one profile? Use Settings → Profiles → Export All Profiles instead. Lots of big videos or recordings? Use Back Up Now to an external drive or a cloud folder instead, because the export files leave out very large media. 2. **Deactivate on the old Mac** Settings → License → Deactivate, then confirm. This frees your license. Nothing is deleted — your data stays on the old Mac. 3. **Activate on the new Mac** Download MusicLaunch from musiclaunchapp.com, open it, and enter your license key. 4. **Bring your data over** Settings → Data Backup → Import Backup (or Settings → Profiles → Import All Profiles), and pick the file you exported. Used a backup folder? Use Restore from Folder instead. Your team plan, if you have one, comes with your license automatically. > **Note: Using Apple's Migration Assistant?** > > Deactivate on your old Mac first, then migrate. On the new Mac, just enter your key. > **Tip: Old Mac lost, broken, or already wiped?** > > Go to musiclaunchapp.com/license and, under "Old Mac lost, broken or already wiped?", click "Email me a link to free up my license." We'll email a link to the address you bought MusicLaunch with (it works for 24 hours) — open it and confirm, and your license is ready for your new Mac. Erased this Mac and set it up again? It counts as a new Mac, so free up your license the same way, then enter your key. Your data comes back only from a backup you kept. On the new Mac, use Settings → Data Backup → Restore from Folder, or Import Backup for a .mlbackup file. No backup yet on this Mac? Set one up today in Settings → Data Backup. > **Note: Your old Mac after a move** > > Once your license is active on the new Mac, the old Mac shows the license screen the next time it checks in online (usually within a day). That's expected. Your data is still on the old Mac, and you can switch back anytime by deactivating on the new Mac and entering your key on the old one. #### Team plans (optional) The base MusicLaunch app ($99 launch price, $150 after launch, one-time) is fully functional without your team, and every purchase includes 30 days with your team at the Backstage Pass level, counted from the day you first activate MusicLaunch. While they run, Your Team shows when they end ("Your team is included until …", and a countdown in the last week), and Settings → License shows the days left. If the 30 days pass before you ever try your team, it offers a one-time free 7-day encore. After that, your team (all 15 members, plus campaign generation, content plans, pitch email drafting and more) needs a plan. Your team runs on AI: - Backstage Pass ($15/mo) — up to 2 profiles, the full team, light usage - VIP ($35/mo) — up to 5 profiles, 3× the monthly allowance of Backstage Pass - All Access ($150/mo) — up to 20 profiles, 10× the monthly allowance of Backstage Pass To subscribe, go to Settings → License and click "Get a subscription". Your browser opens a page where you pick Backstage Pass, VIP or All Access and pay. The plan is added to the license you already own, so there is no second key and nothing to paste. Back in MusicLaunch, click "Refresh subscription status" and your plan unlocks. Not at your Mac? Go to musiclaunchapp.com/license, find "Add or manage your team plan" and enter the email you bought MusicLaunch with. We'll email you a link. You already own the app, so don't buy it again on the pricing page to add your team. To switch plans, update your card, see your invoices or cancel, click "Manage subscription" in the same place. It opens a secure page run by Stripe, our payment processor. A switch takes effect right away, and you pay or are credited the difference for the rest of the billing month. If you cancel, your team stays on until the end of the month you've already paid for, and you won't be charged again. #### Refunds We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on the base app. Email hello@musiclaunchapp.com within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. Team plans aren't part of the guarantee, but you can cancel any time yourself: Settings → License → "Manage subscription". Your team stays on until the end of the month you've paid for. If the app is refunded, any team plan on that license ends at the same time. ### Keyboard Shortcuts & Power-User Tips Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/keyboard-shortcuts/ Move faster around MusicLaunch with shortcuts and hidden tricks. Once you're comfortable with the basics, these shortcuts cut a meaningful amount of clicking. The ones with Cmd work anywhere, even while you're typing in a field; the single keys (?, N and G) work whenever you're not typing in a text field. #### Global shortcuts - Cmd+K — open the Command Palette (jump to any section or run an action by typing; each one shows its shortcut) - Cmd+D — toggle between light and dark theme - Shift+Cmd+I (⇧⌘I) — Spark Plug: start recording an idea, or stop and save it. This one works even while you type in a field. It is also in the File menu. - Cmd+. (⌘.) — open or close Your Team - Cmd+/ (⌘/) — open this Keyboard Shortcuts article - ? — open the Keyboard Shortcuts help article in the app - N — start a new item on the current page: a task on Campaign, a post on Calendar, a contact on Contacts, an expense on Budget (Budget switches to its Expenses tab first, and N does nothing there while a form or dialog is open) #### Jump to a section Every section has its own shortcut. They work from anywhere in MusicLaunch, even while you're typing in a field. While a window is open on top, like an editor or a form, close it first: the shortcut won't leave it, so nothing you typed in it is lost. Cmd+1 to Cmd+9 follow the sidebar's original order (dragging the sidebar into a new order doesn't change them). The Command Palette shows each one next to its "Go to", and the View menu lists them too (Settings is in the MusicLaunch menu). - Cmd+1 (⌘1) — Dashboard - Cmd+2 (⌘2) — Campaign - Cmd+3 (⌘3) — Performance - Cmd+4 (⌘4) — Calendar - Cmd+5 (⌘5) — Contacts - Cmd+6 (⌘6) — Social Hub - Cmd+7 (⌘7) — Sync Licensing - Cmd+8 (⌘8) — Budget - Cmd+9 (⌘9) — Gear - Shift+Cmd+E (⇧⌘E) — Merch & Promo - Shift+Cmd+C (⇧⌘C) — Collaborators - Shift+Cmd+P (⇧⌘P) — Producer's Pad - Shift+Cmd+H (⇧⌘H) — Media Hub - Shift+Cmd+T (⇧⌘T) — Artist Retreat - Cmd+, (⌘,) — Settings #### Another way to jump: press G, then a letter When you're not typing in a field and no window is open on top, press G and, within half a second, one of these keys: - G D — Dashboard - G H — Campaign (home) - G C — Calendar - G O — Contacts & Outreach - G A — Performance (analytics) - G B — Budget - G P — Producer's Pad - G L — Sync Licensing - G S — Settings #### Lead Sheet creator - ? — show the on-screen shortcut cheat sheet - Cmd+Z / Shift+Cmd+Z (or Cmd+Y) — undo / redo - Cmd+C — copy the selected measures - Delete or Backspace — remove the selected measures (asks first if any contain chords) - Esc — clear the selection #### Chord Chart editor - Cmd+S — save - Esc — leave the cell you're editing #### Contacts table - Click any cell (email, phone, city, notes…) to edit it in place — no dialog needed - Enter — save the cell; in a multi-line cell like Notes, use Cmd+Enter - Esc — cancel the edit #### Hidden tips - Drag-reorder the sidebar: hover a nav item, grab the handle that appears, and drag it. Keep your favorites at the top. - Click the campaign name in the Campaign page header to rename it in place. Same for the artist name beneath it. - Settings → Appearance → Font Size offers Default, Large and Extra Large for bigger displays or tired eyes. - The Save icon in the top-right header takes a snapshot of your database on this Mac any time; auto-backups also run hourly while the app is open. #### Demo Mode (sample data) Settings → Demo Mode restarts the app with a fully-populated sample workspace — demo campaigns, contacts, calendar, and team chat history. Useful for exploring features before adding your own data, or for showing the app to a collaborator without exposing your real data. Turn it off the same way: the app restarts again with your real data, untouched. While Demo Mode is on, nothing is posted, emailed or synced (follow-up sequences wait, and Sync Now reads no account); your team still works. Social Hub shows sample accounts and Gmail shows a sample address; your own connected accounts stay hidden until Demo Mode is off. ### Music Business News Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/music-news/ The headlines card on the Dashboard: where the news comes from, choosing sources and adding your own feeds. The Music Business News card on the Dashboard shows the latest headlines from music-business sites and blogs for independent artists. Each headline shows the site's name and when it was published; click it to read the full article in your web browser. The card shows headlines only: no pictures, no article text, and nothing from your team. They are the sites' own headlines. The newest one from each site comes first, so a busy news site can't crowd out the others; the rest follow, newest first. It's there whether or not you have a campaign selected. #### Where the news comes from Eight sources are on to start, picked for independent artists: Hypebot, Ari's Take, DIY Musician (CD Baby), Bandzoogle Blog, Music Business Worldwide, Digital Music News, Music Ally and Music 3.0 (Bobby Owsinski). Click Sources on the card to switch any of them off or pick others from 28 sources in four groups: Tips for independent artists, Music business news, Music news (the big magazines like Billboard, Rolling Stone and Variety, off unless you switch them on) and Gear & recording. Changes are saved right away. "Use the recommended sources" goes back to the eight. #### Adding your own feeds 1. **Click Sources on the card** The "Your own feeds" part is at the bottom of the list. 2. **Paste the site's feed address** An RSS or Atom feed address works best (it often ends in /feed/ or .xml). You can also paste just the site's address, like example.com, and MusicLaunch looks for the feed the site offers. 3. **Click Add** MusicLaunch reads the feed first and adds it only if it really is a news feed, under the feed's own name. If the site is already one of the 28 (or you type one of their names, like Hypebot), it's simply switched on. You can add up to 20 feeds of your own; the trash can removes one. > **Note: Addresses that are refused** > > Only web addresses (http:// or https://) are accepted. Addresses on your own network (your router, a printer, this Mac) are refused, even when a website's name leads there. #### When it updates When MusicLaunch opens, the card shows the headlines it already has right away, even offline. About 10 seconds after opening (unless they were read in the last 15 minutes), and then every 3 hours while MusicLaunch is running, it reads the sources again; it also catches up as soon as your Mac is back online or wakes from sleep. The refresh button (the circling arrows) on the card checks now, and turns while the sources are being read. In Sources, each source you have on says when it last worked. If one site is down, the others still load, and its earlier headlines stay until it's back. "1 source didn't load" under the card opens that list. If no source can be reached at all, the card says "Can't reach the internet right now" and tries again every couple of minutes. > **Note: If no source loads** > > Check that your Mac is online. MusicLaunch reads the feeds itself and doesn't use your Mac's proxy settings, so on a network that only lets web traffic out through a proxy, or with security software that inspects web traffic, the news may not load even though your browser works. #### Privacy Your Mac reads these feeds directly from each news site; they don't go through a MusicLaunch server. So, as with any visit to a website, each site sees your Mac's internet address (IP address) when its feed is read, and can tell the visit comes from MusicLaunch. Nothing of yours is sent. MusicLaunch keeps only the headlines, in a small file on this Mac, and doesn't record which ones you read or click. Your choice of sources is saved in MusicLaunch's settings on this Mac. #### Turning the news off To stop the news entirely, untick every source in Sources and remove any feeds of your own. The card then shrinks to one line, "News is off", and MusicLaunch doesn't contact any news site. "Choose sources" on that line turns it back on. > **Tip: Demo Mode** > > The news card works the same in Demo Mode. It shows real headlines, because they aren't your data. ## Help guides: Campaigns & Planning ### Campaign Dashboard Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/campaign-dashboard/ Create and manage your music release campaigns from idea to launch. A campaign in MusicLaunch represents one music release — single, EP, or album. Everything for that release lives inside it: tasks, phases, calendar posts, budget, collaborators, songs, and more. #### Creating a campaign 1. **Click the campaign dropdown at the top of the sidebar** \+ New Campaign asks for a name and creates the campaign right away. It becomes the active campaign — open Campaign in the sidebar to see its dashboard, where you can click the campaign name, the artist name or the genre ("Set genre" when there is none) to edit them. The release date, release title and type (Single, EP or Album) are edited the same way. 2. **Add phases** Click Template in the Campaign toolbar (it also appears in the empty Phase Timeline) to start from Single Release, Album/EP Release (Foundation through Long-Term Growth) or Tour/Shows — each adds its phases with starter tasks — or click + Add phase in the Phase Timeline to name and color your own. 3. **Or have your Release Manager generate one** With your team (included for your first 30 days), "Generate Campaign" has your Release Manager create a new campaign from the release details you enter — five phases with dated tasks. 4. **Start adding tasks** Add Task opens the task dialog. Its Phase picker lists the phases you created (or just "No phase" until you add some). #### Phases and tasks Each campaign is divided into phases (e.g. "Pre-Release", "Release Week", "Sustain", or the five-phase album plan from Foundation to Long-Term Growth). Phases hold tasks: they drive the colored Phase Timeline strip, the groups in List view, and the phase badge on Kanban cards. Click a phase name in List view to rename it, and use the trash icon on its header to delete it — its tasks are kept and move to "No phase". Inside a phase you can drag tasks to reorder them, mark them complete, and set priorities and due dates. To move a task to a different phase, open it and change its Phase field. > **Tip: Renaming a campaign and changing its details** > > Click the campaign name in the page header to edit it inline. Same for the artist name and the genre ("Set genre" when there is none). Your team uses the genre to match your style. The release date, release title and type (Single, EP or Album) sit below the name: click one to change it ("Set release date", "Add release title" or "Add release type" when there is none). The release date unlocks the Countdown button; to remove it, click it and choose Clear date. #### Switching between campaigns The campaign dropdown at the top of the sidebar lets you jump between campaigns. The active campaign filters most of what you see — your calendar, performance, budget, collaborators — to that release. Contacts and gear are shared across all your campaigns. ### Media Hub Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/media-hub/ Centralized library for album art, photos, videos, and other media assets, plus your Spark Plug ideas. Media Hub is a single view of the files attached to what you've saved in MusicLaunch — album artwork, press photos, post media, Studio recordings, gear receipts, sync masters. There's nothing to upload on the All Media tab: files you attach to a post, an Artist Retreat document, a Sync track or a Gear item's receipt, and the clips you save in Studio, appear automatically, filterable by type (image, video, audio, document) and by the section they came from, and searchable by name. Studio clips are listed whichever campaign is selected; one made in another campaign shows that campaign's name. Pictures chosen or taken inside Merch & Promo stay in that tool and don't appear here. #### Files don't have to be in Media Hub first Every place that offers Media Hub also lets you pick a file straight from your Mac ("Choose a photo or video", "From computer", "Choose file" and so on). Those buttons open your Mac's Open window, which reaches every drive and folder your Mac can see: the Mac itself, an external or network drive, and cloud folders in Finder's sidebar such as iCloud Drive, or Google Drive and Dropbox when their Mac apps are installed. Once the file is attached to one of the saved items listed above, it shows up here too. The original stays where it is. #### Music Library The Music Library tab is the one part of Media Hub you add files to directly. It holds the songs for the campaign selected in the sidebar: click "Upload Songs" (or "Upload Your Catalog" while it's empty) and choose audio files in your Mac's Open window — MP3, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, M4A, AAC or OGG, several at once. The "Import Your Music" step when you first set up MusicLaunch adds songs the same way. Dragging files onto the tab does nothing. Sync Licensing's audio boxes (Master Track, Instrumental, Stems) list these songs. Music Library songs aren't listed on the All Media tab. #### Ideas The Ideas tab holds every Spark Plug recording, and every recording you add from your phone or your Mac, newest first by when it was recorded, with its length, sample rate, bit depth, stereo or mono, size and date. Ideas belong to the profile, not to a campaign, and they aren't listed on the All Media tab. "Record an idea" on the tab starts Spark Plug too (see the Spark Plug article). - From your iPhone — a card at the top of Ideas shows how recordings get here from an iPhone, with the code for the free Shortcuts and a button to turn on Phone inbox. When recordings are already waiting in iCloud Drive and Phone inbox is off, it says how many and brings them in with one click. Hide puts it away; "From your iPhone" brings it back. - Import — next to Record an idea: adds recordings from your Mac (Voice Memos, AirDrop, email attachments). You can also drag recordings onto the list, even straight from the Voice Memos app. Each becomes a WAV idea, and a small phone icon marks the ones from your phone (see "Ideas from your phone" in the Spark Plug article). - Play — each idea plays right here. An idea over 300 MB (about 18 minutes in stereo) opens in your Mac's own player instead. - Rename — click the name. The new name shows in MusicLaunch; the WAV file keeps its automatic name, like "Idea - Oct 3, 2.14 PM.wav". - Add a note — a few words about the idea; click the note to change it. - Link to a song — pick a Producer's Pad song from the campaign selected in the sidebar. "Open in Producer's Pad" jumps to it, and the song shows the idea too. - Show in Finder — shows the WAV file. Or drag the handle on the left of an idea straight into Logic, any DAW or a Finder window. - Delete — the trash button asks first, then moves the file to the Trash (put it back from the Trash in Finder). #### How files are stored Files are copied into a managed folder inside your MusicLaunch data directory (~/Library/Application Support/MusicLaunch/profiles/\/media/). Spark Plug ideas are saved in its ideas folder. That media folder is only on this Mac. Back it up with Time Machine and with Settings → Data Backup → Back Up Now, which copies every file, Spark Plug ideas included. The hourly auto-backups cover the database only. #### Linking media to posts When composing a post in Social Hub, click "Pick from Media Hub" instead of browsing for a file — pick from assets already in the app. Saves time on multi-platform campaigns. The picture spots in Merch & Promo have "From Media Hub" too, and Studio (Import video and the music bed: "From Media Hub"; the background: "Media Hub"), Batch Create ("Media Hub") and Gear's Equipment Images ("Pick from Media Hub") have a Media Hub button as well. The picker shows files from the campaign selected in the sidebar, plus your Gear receipts and your Studio clips from every campaign. #### Media Manager Open Your Team while Media Hub is on screen to talk to the Media Manager. It checks what media a release still needs against the Release Checklist, suggests which file suits which post or platform, and writes alt text and captions from a description you type. It works only from file details: names, types, where each file is attached, and the length, shape and recorded size of Studio clips. It never sees or hears inside a file, so it will ask you to describe an image. Image dimensions are not stored, so it cannot confirm an image's pixel size, and files kept only in Artist Retreat (press photos often live there) and gear receipts are not shown to it; a file you have also attached to a post is listed as that post's media. The Release Checklist is ticked off by hand, so the assistant matches checklist items to files by name and cannot confirm an item is really done. Files on the All Media tab have no rename or tags, so it suggests names for you to apply yourself. It doesn't see your Spark Plug ideas. MusicLaunch has no alt-text field: add the alt text it writes on the platform itself when you post. ## Help guides: Social & Posting ### Content Calendar Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/content-calendar/ Plan and schedule social media posts across all your platforms. The Content Calendar is where you plan your social media output around your release. See the month at a glance, batch-create a posting schedule, let your Content Planner draft a week of posts, and track what is a draft, scheduled, published (or sent to TikTok) or failed. #### Creating posts - Click any calendar day, then "New Post on this Day", to add a post for that date - Or click "New Post" in the toolbar to add at any time - Pick the platform(s), write the caption, attach a photo or video (from your Mac, Media Hub or the camera), then choose Post now, Schedule or Save as draft - Click any post to open it in the same composer and change anything: text, media, date and time, content type, hashtags, notes, repeat - Dots are color-coded by platform; hover one to see its status - The Upcoming list under the month: click a row to open it, or use the Send, Edit and Delete buttons on the row (Delete asks first) #### What the statuses mean - Draft — saved, not going out - Scheduled — goes out by itself at its time - Reminder — a scheduled post on a platform MusicLaunch can't post to by itself (X, Threads or Bandcamp); at its time you get a reminder and post it yourself with Copy & Open - Published — already posted - Sent to TikTok — tap its notification in TikTok's Inbox to finish and post it - Failed — it didn't go out; it is listed under "Needs attention" with Publish now, Reschedule, Dismiss (takes it off the list and keeps the post) and Delete (deletes the post; asks first) #### When scheduled posts go out Scheduled posts go out while MusicLaunch is running on your Mac. Closing the window is fine: MusicLaunch stays in the menu bar and keeps posting. If you quit it, or the Mac is asleep or off, posts wait: one that is less than 24 hours late goes out when MusicLaunch next runs, and one that is later than that is marked Failed instead of being posted late. To keep MusicLaunch in the menu bar all the time, turn on Settings → Posting → "Open MusicLaunch at login". Only the profile that is open posts. To move a post, open it and change its date or time. When a scheduled post fails or is missed, MusicLaunch shows a macOS notification (if you allow notifications for MusicLaunch) and lists the post under "Needs attention" at the top of the Calendar, with the reason and buttons to publish it now, reschedule it, dismiss it (the post is kept) or delete the post. A reminder is listed there too, with Copy & open instead of Publish now. Delete removes the post itself, not just the notice, and nothing changes on the platform. #### Campaign tasks on the Calendar Your campaign tasks show on the Calendar as yellow squares on their due dates. Click one to see the task, open its campaign, or delete it. Deleting a task here also removes it from your campaign plan on the Campaign page, so MusicLaunch asks first. #### Batch Post Wizard For high-volume campaigns (album rollout with 30+ posts), "Batch Create" in the toolbar lays out a whole set of posts across platforms and dates: pick a time of day, write each post, attach a photo or video to each ("Attach photo or video" picks a file from your Mac; "Media Hub" reuses one already in the app), then choose "Save as drafts" or "Schedule to post automatically". An Instagram post needs a photo before it can be scheduled, TikTok a photo or video, and YouTube a video. "Generate Week" and "Auto-Draft" have your Content Planner (included for your first 30 days, then with a team plan) draft posts for you. Generate Week plans a week you look through first and keep the posts you want. Auto-Draft asks which platforms and which days (1, 3 or 7, from the day you pick), then saves each draft on its day at 10:00 AM. Both save drafts, so nothing goes out until you schedule or post each one. > **Warning: Connect accounts first** > > Posts to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Bluesky require those accounts to be connected in Social Hub. You can draft or schedule without a connection, but a scheduled post fails at its time if the account still isn't connected. ### Social Hub & Connecting Accounts Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/social-hub/ Connect Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Bluesky, see what each connection can do, use copy-and-open for the rest, and reuse past posts with the Content Recycler. Social Hub is your social media command center inside MusicLaunch. Connect your accounts, see live engagement metrics, compose and publish posts to multiple platforms at once. #### Connecting an account 1. **Open Social Hub** Click "Social Hub" in the left sidebar. 2. **Click "Connect Accounts"** A dialog shows all supported platforms. 3. **Click "Connect" next to a platform** For Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify your default browser opens to that platform's login — approve the requested permissions. Bluesky asks for your handle and an app password instead (create one at bsky.app → Settings → App Passwords). 4. **Browser returns to MusicLaunch automatically** A deep link brings you back to the app and the account shows as Connected. #### Supported platforms - Instagram Business or Creator accounts (direct photo posting + insights) - Facebook Pages (direct posting + page metrics) - TikTok (video and photo uploads arrive as a notification in TikTok's Inbox for you to finish and post) - YouTube (video uploads, which arrive on your channel as Unlisted, + channel stats) - Spotify (optional and limited — shows your own listener account in Social Hub and lets the Playlist Tracker fill in a playlist's name; your artist numbers come from a Spotify for Artists CSV import or Record Metrics. See Connecting Spotify.) - Bluesky (direct posting) - X, Threads, Mastodon, LinkedIn, Tumblr, SoundCloud, Bandcamp (copy & open — the app copies your text and opens the site so you paste and post there) > **Note: Instagram requires a Business or Creator account** > > Instagram's API only works with Business or Creator accounts (not personal). If you have a personal account, switch it to a Creator account in Instagram’s settings — it's free and reversible. #### Live metrics in the cards Once connected, the Social Hub shows live cards for each platform with follower counts, recent post performance, and engagement metrics. The cards refresh on every visit to the page. #### Content Recycler: reuse past posts The Content Recycler tab (next to Post Archive) lists every post you have published, or marked as posted, in the campaign selected in the sidebar. A post is listed right away, with its caption, the date it went out and a Reuse score. The Reuse score is a rough guide from the post's age, type and caption length. It is not how the post did: no likes or views go into it. - A post sent with Copy & Open reads "Copied" and has a "Copied, not confirmed" tag, because MusicLaunch can't see whether you posted it. A TikTok post reads "Sent to TikTok". - An Instagram post shows Instagram's own Reach, Likes, Comments, Saves and Shares, with a "View on Instagram" link, only when it is one of the 10 newest posts on your Instagram account, its caption on Instagram matches what MusicLaunch sent exactly, and the two dates are within a day of each other. These numbers can be up to 48 hours behind, and they are not shown in Demo Mode. - YouTube videos are never listed, and neither are posts made outside MusicLaunch (for example, straight in the Instagram app). - "Recycle This" on any post opens Create Post with that caption, for the same platform. - "Remove" on a post takes it off this list, and no suggestions come from it. The post itself isn't changed or deleted. Removed posts are under "Removed" at the end of your posts, each with "Put back" (the message after Remove also has Undo). Recycler Suggestions come only from posts at least 2 weeks old. A suggestion is an Evergreen Repost, a Repurpose (the post on another platform you have posted to) or a Format Adapt (an idea to rework the post in a new format yourself). "Use This" opens Create Post with the original caption, for the suggested platform, ready for you to adapt, and counts toward Suggestions Used. "Dismiss" asks first, then takes the suggestion off the list for good; your post is not changed. "Check for Suggestions" reads your published posts again and adds any new suggestions. It doesn't use your team. For ideas sooner, ask your Social Strategist → "Recycle Content" (this counts toward your monthly allowance). #### Disconnecting Click "Connect Accounts" → next to any connected platform, click "Disconnect". This removes the stored token from your local machine. The platform will also show MusicLaunch as a connected app in its own settings — revoke access there too if you want a clean break. ### Composing & Publishing Posts Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/compose-post/ Write posts once, publish to multiple platforms, schedule for later, or send immediately. The composer lets you write one post and publish it to multiple platforms at once; opening an existing post on the Calendar uses the same composer to edit it. Different platforms get different rules (Instagram needs an image, X has a character limit, etc.) — the composer handles all of it. #### How to compose 1. **Open the composer** From Social Hub, click "Create Post" (top right). Or click "New Post" on the Content Calendar. 2. **Write your caption** Type once. Use #hashtags and @mentions naturally — they work on every platform that supports them. 3. **Add media (optional, but Instagram needs a photo and TikTok a photo or video)** Click "Choose a photo or video" (or drop a file into the media area) to add a file from your Mac — the Open window reaches any drive your Mac can see, including iCloud Drive, or Google Drive if its Mac app is installed. Once something is attached, the button reads "Add more files". Or click "Pick from Media Hub" to reuse something already in the app. "Take a Photo" and "Take a Video" use your camera; any camera your Mac offers works, including an iPhone through Continuity Camera. Take a Video opens Studio inside the post: record with sound (or click "Import video" to bring in a clip you already have), edit if you like, then click "Use This" and the clip is added to your post. Video already on your iPhone? AirDrop it to this Mac, then choose it. Images are auto-resized and optimized for Instagram and Facebook. Only one attachment is used per platform per post — the first video for YouTube and TikTok, the first photo everywhere else. 4. **Pick the platforms** Check the boxes for which platforms to post to. Connected platforms (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Bluesky, and TikTok, whose uploads arrive in TikTok's Inbox) are listed once connected in Social Hub → Connect Accounts. Copy & Open platforms (X, Threads, Mastodon, LinkedIn, Tumblr, SoundCloud, Bandcamp) are always offered — no account needed. With TikTok checked, a line under the platforms says where the post goes, and the preview shows the photo or video TikTok gets on a 9:16 phone screen. A file that isn't 9:16 shows with black bars, the way TikTok shows it. 5. **Post Now or Schedule** "Post Now" sends the post right away (TikTok uploads arrive as a notification in TikTok's Inbox, YouTube videos arrive as Unlisted, and Copy & Open platforms open in your browser for you to paste). "Schedule" lets you pick a date and time; the post then goes out by itself while MusicLaunch is running on your Mac (the menu bar counts). If MusicLaunch is quit or the Mac is asleep or off, it goes out when MusicLaunch next runs, unless that is more than 24 hours late — then it is marked Failed. "Save as draft" keeps it on the Calendar without sending anything. #### Platform-specific behavior - A video: MusicLaunch uploads it to YouTube, and to TikTok's Inbox, and nowhere else. Facebook, Bluesky and Threads post your text without it (or a photo, if you attached one too); Instagram, X and the other Copy & Open platforms open for you to post it yourself. With a video attached, a note under the media area lists this before you post, and afterwards the video is selected in Finder so you can drag it into those posts. On the Calendar, a post that went out as text only doesn't list the video. - Instagram: photo posts only — an image is required, and videos or Reels aren't published directly. The image is placed at a temporary public link (deleted automatically within about two days) so Instagram can fetch it. Instagram takes photos from 4:5 (tall) to 1.91:1 (wide), so a photo outside that, such as a 9:16 Story graphic, gets plain white bars at the sides (or above and below) to fit; nothing is cropped. - Facebook: text-only or text + image, posted to your selected Page (an image uses the same temporary link) - TikTok: videos and photos arrive as a notification in TikTok's Inbox, not in your Drafts folder. Tap the notification to finish and post it. A photo post keeps your caption; a video's caption doesn't carry over, so paste it in TikTok. On the Calendar the post then reads "Sent to TikTok", not Published. - YouTube: uploads your video with the title and description you enter. The video arrives on your channel as Unlisted — open YouTube Studio to make it Public (and add tags or a thumbnail) when you're ready. - Bluesky: text + optional image, posts to your handle - Copy & Open platforms (X, Threads, Mastodon, LinkedIn, Tumblr, SoundCloud, Bandcamp): always offered in Create Post and on the Content Calendar, no account needed. When you post (or click Publish now on the Calendar), the app copies your text to the clipboard and opens that platform's website — paste and post there. Scheduling X, Threads or Bandcamp sets a reminder, not an automatic post: at that time MusicLaunch notifies you, and you open the post and use Copy & Open. Mastodon, LinkedIn, Tumblr and SoundCloud can't be scheduled or saved as drafts; use Post now for those. - Scheduling: an Instagram post can't be scheduled without a photo, a TikTok post without a photo or video, or a YouTube post without a video — save it as a draft until the file is attached. > **Tip: Dry run mode** > > Settings → Dry Run Mode lets you simulate posts without actually publishing. Useful for testing schedules and platform behavior before going live. #### When something fails If a post fails on one platform but succeeds on others (e.g., Instagram's image upload errors but Facebook posts fine), the composer shows per-platform results — green checkmark for posted, red X for failed, with the specific error from that platform. "Text posted" means the text went out without your video. A scheduled post that fails later, while you are not looking, shows a macOS notification and appears under "Needs attention" on the Content Calendar. ### Studio (In-App Recording) Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/studio/ Record short videos with your camera and mic, or import a clip from your Mac or Media Hub, then trim, filter, caption, and post them. The Studio tab in Social Hub lets you record short video clips directly in the app, or edit a video you already have — perfect for quick TikTok-style clips, Reels, and talking-head social posts. No need for a separate recording app for everyday content creation. Studio is also in Create Post: "Take a Video" opens it inside the post you are writing. #### What you can record or import - Video with sound — selfie clips for social, behind-the-scenes content, talking-head videos, in your choice of aspect ratio (vertical for TikTok/Reels, square, or landscape) with an optional time limit - Video you already have — click "Import video" (top right, before you press Record), then "From computer" to choose a video file from your Mac, or "From Media Hub" to use one already in MusicLaunch. Either way it opens in the same editor. - Not audio-only or screen recording — Studio is a camera tool. For a quick audio-only idea, use Spark Plug (the button at the top of every screen); for screen recording, use a dedicated app. #### Importing a video from your Mac The video doesn't have to be in Media Hub first. "From computer" opens your Mac's Open window, which reaches every drive and folder your Mac can see: the Mac itself, an external or network drive, and cloud folders in Finder's sidebar such as iCloud Drive, or Google Drive and Dropbox when their Mac apps are installed. MP4 (H.264) and WebM files work best; if a clip can't be opened, Studio says so. Video on your iPhone? AirDrop it to this Mac, then choose it with "From computer". Dragging a file onto Studio does nothing, so use the button. Your original file isn't changed; the edited clip is saved into MusicLaunch when you click "Use This". #### Required permissions macOS will prompt you to grant Camera and Microphone permissions the first time you record. If you accidentally deny: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera (or Microphone) → enable MusicLaunch. Studio says so where the picture would be, with an Open Camera Settings or Open Microphone Settings button and Try again. It also says when the camera is in use by another app (close that app, then click Try again). Record is offered once the camera picture is on. #### Workflow 1. **Open Studio in Social Hub** Social Hub → Studio tab. Or, in Create Post, click "Take a Video" to open Studio inside the post; "Import video" is there too. 2. **Pick a camera and framing** Choose the camera, the aspect ratio, and an optional time limit. Any camera your Mac offers works, including an iPhone through Continuity Camera. If your iPhone drops out or a camera is unplugged, Studio switches back to it when it returns; while it says No camera detected, click Look for cameras again. Voice cleanup (next to Ratio and Limit) is off unless you turn it on, so music is recorded as it sounds, in mono, with no echo cancellation, noise reduction or automatic level. Turn it on for talking to camera; the preview blinks while the mic re-opens. Studio records sound from the microphone picked under Microphone, next to Voice cleanup: your Mac's sound input (System Settings → Sound → Input) unless you pick another, such as your iPhone's microphone when the iPhone is the camera, or an audio interface. The bar next to it moves with the sound, so you can see the microphone hears you before you press Record. Studio remembers your pick; if that microphone isn't connected, Studio uses the Mac's sound input. 3. **Record (or import)** Click Record — a short countdown runs (Cancel, or Escape, stops it), then recording starts. Click Stop when done (or let the time limit stop it). To edit a clip you already have instead, click "Import video" → "From computer" or "From Media Hub". 4. **Edit** Add a filter, fix the color, overlay text, swap the background (turn on Background, pick Auto or Green screen, then put a picture or video behind you with "From computer" or "Media Hub"), and lay a music bed under it (an audio file, "From computer" or "From Media Hub"). The bed starts at the trim start and plays with the clip when you press play; Music volume and Original audio set the mix. 5. **Trim** Trim cuts the beginning and end. Play / Pause (under the picture), a click on the picture or the Space bar plays the part you keep, from the trim start, and stops at the trim end. For heavier editing, export and use a dedicated tool. 6. **Delete a take** Not happy with it? Click Delete (under the picture) and confirm: the take is gone, and you're back at the camera to record a new one. Until you click "Use This" a take isn't saved anywhere, so a deleted one can't be brought back. For a video you imported, the button says Remove: it only takes the video out of Studio, and your original file stays where it is. 7. **Use This** Click "Use This" — the clip is rendered with your edits as an MP4 (it plays in QuickTime and on every platform), saved into your media folder (so it shows up in Media Hub), and handed straight to the post composer. The message that says so has Show in Finder, for the file itself. From Take a Video in Create Post, the clip is added to the post you are writing and Studio closes. Each clip is saved under the campaign selected in the sidebar; with none selected, Studio says so first. While it renders, the button shows the time left; it renders in real time and keeps going if you hide the window. Closing the window or leaving Studio meanwhile cancels it, and nothing is saved. If your edits can't be rendered, Studio says so and stays open: Try again, or Use without edits for the clip as you recorded it. In the composer, a note says where the video goes: MusicLaunch uploads it to YouTube, and to TikTok's Inbox; the other platforms get the text, and the video is selected in Finder so you can drag it into those posts yourself. > **Tip: iPhone missing from the camera list?** > > Lock the iPhone and set it near your Mac, back cameras facing you, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and the same Apple Account on both. If you tapped Disconnect on the iPhone, macOS took it off the camera list in every app on your Mac: plug the iPhone into your Mac with its charging cable to add it back. Once it shows up you can unplug it, and it keeps working without the cable. If Studio doesn't switch to it within a few seconds, click Look for cameras again. To stop for a while without removing it, tap Pause on the iPhone instead. Take a Photo works the same way. > **Tip: Picture looks zoomed in?** > > Your camera sends Studio a wide picture, and Portrait (9:16) and Square (1:1) keep its middle, so they show less than Landscape (16:9). Step back a little, or pick Landscape for the whole picture. With an iPhone as the camera, Portrait looks closer than the iPhone's own vertical video: the iPhone sends the Mac a sideways picture, and standing it upright makes the picture closer, not wider. For a vertical video with the phone's full view, record it in the iPhone's Camera app, AirDrop it to the Mac and open it with Import video → From computer: filters, text and a music bed still work. If it still looks tight, Center Stage may be on: while Studio's camera is on, click the green camera icon in the menu bar (on macOS Ventura: Control Center → Video Effects) and turn off Center Stage. > **Note: Storage location** > > Recordings are saved to ~/Library/Application Support/MusicLaunch/profiles/\/media/, the same folder as everything else in your Media Hub. They're only on this Mac until you back them up. Settings → Data Backup → Back Up Now copies them all; Export Backup leaves out files over 1 GB. Hourly auto-backups cover the database only. In Demo Mode, clips are kept only until MusicLaunch restarts and never go into your media folder. ### Influencer Outreach Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/influencer-outreach/ Learn how creator outreach works, browse outreach services, and track every pitch. Modern music marketing leans heavily on influencer placement — TikTok creators, Instagram tastemakers, YouTube reactors. The Influencer Outreach tab inside Social Hub is a guide plus a tracker: learn how creator outreach works, browse a directory of outreach services, and log every pitch. #### Three tabs - Getting Started — how influencer and playlist outreach works, what legitimate services do, and the red flags to avoid - Resources — a directory of playlist and creator services (SubmitHub, Groover, Playlist Push, and more), refreshed automatically, plus a "My Outreach Accounts" list for the services you've signed up to. MusicLaunch isn't affiliated with these services and a listing isn't an endorsement — check current prices and terms on each service's own site. - Outreach Tracker — every pitch you've logged, with stats on placements, spend, and acceptance rate #### Status tracking Each outreach record has a status: Drafted → Pitched → Accepted or Declined → Placed → Paid. Log the creator's name, platform, follower range, method (SubmitHub, Groover, Playlist Push, direct DM, email), the song pitched, the cost, the date you pitched, a link, and notes. #### Pitching by email The tracker doesn't send anything itself. To pitch a creator by email, add them in Contacts and email them from there — or use a Sequence (Contacts → Sequences) for multi-touch outreach, since most creators don't reply to the first email — then log the pitch here. #### Compensation tracking For paid placements, log the cost and the date you pitched. The tracker totals your spend and shows your acceptance rate. ### Connecting Instagram & Facebook Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/oauth-setup-meta/ Step-by-step OAuth setup for Meta platforms, and common errors. Instagram and Facebook both require Meta OAuth. They have different requirements — Instagram needs a Business or Creator account; Facebook needs you to admin a Page (not just have a personal profile). #### Instagram requirements - An Instagram Business or Creator account (not a personal account). To switch: in the Instagram app open your profile → menu → Settings and activity → Account type and tools → Switch to professional account. - Meta's "Activity off Meta technologies" setting must allow future activity, or Instagram refuses the connection. Step-by-step guide: musiclaunchapp.com/help/connect-instagram - No Facebook Page is needed — Instagram connects on its own. - Internet connection while you connect #### Connecting Instagram 1. **Social Hub → Connect Accounts → Instagram → Connect** MusicLaunch shows a short checklist, then your browser opens Instagram's sign-in page. 2. **Sign in with the Instagram Business account** If you have multiple Instagram accounts in your browser session, Instagram lets you pick which to authorize. 3. **Approve the requested permissions** You'll see a list of what MusicLaunch wants to do — Read profile, publish posts, view insights. Click "Allow". 4. **Browser returns to MusicLaunch automatically** A deep link brings you back to the app. The Connected Accounts panel now shows your IG handle. #### Facebook requirements - A Facebook account that admins at least one Page (your artist Page, not your personal profile) - The Page must be one you admin directly (connected to your personal Facebook account) - Internet connection #### Common errors - "Facebook connected, but no Page was found" — when Facebook asks which Pages MusicLaunch may use, make sure your artist Page is ticked (disconnect and connect again to see that screen). If your Page belongs to a Meta Business Portfolio, Facebook doesn't list it automatically: paste your Page's address into the box that appears in Connect Accounts and click Add Page. You only do this once: MusicLaunch remembers the Page. No Page yet? Create one at facebook.com/pages/create. - Instagram says your future activity off Meta technologies is turned off — turn it back on in Meta's Accounts Center; the steps are at musiclaunchapp.com/help/connect-instagram. - Browser opens but never returns to the app — close the app completely (Cmd+Q) and try again. - Any other error — note the exact wording and email hello@musiclaunchapp.com. > **Note: What each permission is for** > > Facebook: public_profile is Facebook's standard sign-in detail (MusicLaunch uses your name to show which account is connected; it does not ask for your email address); pages_show_list (find the Pages you manage); pages_manage_posts (publish the posts you create to your Page); pages_read_engagement (show your Page's follower count and recent posts). Instagram: instagram_business_basic (your profile and follower count); instagram_business_content_publish (publish the photo posts you create); instagram_business_manage_insights (per-post analytics). MusicLaunch doesn't read your messages or comments, and it never deletes posts. ### Connecting Gmail & YouTube Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/oauth-setup-google/ Google OAuth setup for email + YouTube channel posting. Gmail (for sending pitch emails) and YouTube (for video uploads + metrics) both use Google sign-in, but they connect from different places and are approved separately. #### Connecting 1. **Gmail: Settings → Gmail Integration → Connect. YouTube: Social Hub → Connect Accounts → YouTube → Connect** Your browser opens to Google's sign-in page. 2. **Sign in with the Google account you want to connect** For YouTube, this should be the Google account that owns your channel. 3. **Check Google's permission screen** It should name MusicLaunch and list only the permissions described below. If you ever see a warning that the app isn't verified, stop and email hello@musiclaunchapp.com instead of continuing. 4. **Approve the requested permissions** Gmail: send email on your behalf, plus your name and email address so the app can show which account is connected. YouTube: view your channel and upload videos. We don't read your inbox, change your settings, or delete anything. 5. **Browser returns to MusicLaunch automatically** Account shows as Connected. #### Sending from another address Every window that sends through Gmail has a From line: the Email window (Contacts, Local Scene, Collaborators), New and Edit Submission, the Sync Licensing pitch email, and the Email button on a full-size photo (Gear, Media Hub and other pictures). With no other addresses it shows your main Gmail address. If you also send from another address (for example, one at your band's own domain), click "+ Add another address" next to From, type it and click Save address: it is added to the From menu there and from then on. You can also add and remove addresses in Settings → Gmail Integration (up to 10). Gmail only sends from an address you've already added in Gmail's own settings (Settings → Accounts and Import, or Accounts on a work account → "Send mail as"); for any other address it quietly sends from your main one. Google's help page "Send emails from a different address or alias" shows how to add one; the form next to From links to it. MusicLaunch can't check Gmail's list for you (that would need a much wider Google permission than "send email"), so add the address in Gmail first. Each profile keeps its own list of addresses, the same way each profile connects its own Gmail account. A follow-up sequence sends every email from the same address as its pitch: the From you picked for the pitch, or, for a pitch that already went out, the address it went out from (including a pitch you send yourself while the sequence is waiting to email it). Each address also has a "Name people see": the name inboxes show next to it. You set it in Settings → Gmail Integration, and a name you type there is used exactly as you typed it. With no name typed, your main address shows the artist name of the campaign the email is for (a pitch or a sequence linked to a campaign, or a window open on one), or else your profile's name, or no name at all while the profile is still called "Default". Any other address shows no name until you type one, because it often belongs to a manager or a label. Removing an address keeps its name, so a sequence still sending from it keeps it too, and it comes back if you add the address again. In Settings you also pick the Default address every new email and sequence starts From; you can still choose another for one email. For an extra address, Gmail may show the name saved for it in Gmail → Settings → Accounts → "Send mail as" instead, so if a test email shows the wrong name, set it there too. #### Why YouTube needs upload + readonly youtube.upload lets MusicLaunch upload videos to your channel (they arrive as Unlisted; you make them Public in YouTube Studio). youtube.readonly lets us fetch your channel stats (subscriber count, video count, recent video performance) for the Performance dashboard. Both are necessary for the full feature set — but you can disconnect anytime. ### Connecting TikTok Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/oauth-setup-tiktok/ TikTok OAuth setup, video upload behavior, and known limitations. TikTok's OAuth is straightforward, but the posting behavior has a quirk you need to know about. #### Connecting Social Hub → Connect Accounts → TikTok → Connect. Browser opens to TikTok's OAuth page. Sign in with your TikTok account, approve permissions, browser returns to MusicLaunch. #### Important: uploads arrive as a notification in TikTok's Inbox When you post to TikTok from the composer, the video arrives as a notification in your TikTok Inbox — not directly on your feed, and not in your Drafts folder. You then open the TikTok mobile app, tap the notification in Inbox, add any final touches (sounds, effects, captions), and post it there. A video's caption doesn't carry over, so paste it in TikTok. Create Post says this under the platforms whenever TikTok is checked. In MusicLaunch, a TikTok post that went out reads "Sent to TikTok", not Published: it is waiting for you in the TikTok app. If TikTok was still processing it when MusicLaunch stopped checking, the result says so; if it isn't in your TikTok Inbox a few minutes later, check that TikTok on your phone is signed in to the account shown in Connect Accounts, then post it again. If TikTok refuses an upload, the post is marked Failed with TikTok's reason. MusicLaunch connects through TikTok's upload option rather than direct publishing, which needs a separate TikTok approval that MusicLaunch doesn't have. The upside: you review every post in the TikTok app's editor before it goes live. #### Photo posts Photo posts work the same way. The image is placed at a temporary public link (deleted automatically within about two days) so TikTok can fetch it, and arrives in your TikTok Inbox as a photo post, with your caption, for you to finish and publish in the TikTok app. TikTok shows posts full screen at 9:16 (tall). With TikTok checked, Create Post shows the photo or video TikTok gets on a 9:16 phone screen; a file of another shape shows with black bars, the way TikTok shows it. A video over 200 MB is too big to preview there; TikTok still gets the whole file. For full screen, record with Take a Video at 9:16, or use a 9:16 photo such as 1080×1920. > **Note: You choose the visibility in TikTok** > > Because you finish every upload in TikTok, the audience (public, friends, or only you) is whatever you pick in the TikTok app's editor when you publish it — MusicLaunch doesn't set it. ### Connecting Spotify Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/oauth-setup-spotify/ What a Spotify connection does, why it may be refused, and where your Spotify numbers really come from. A Spotify connection reads your own listener account, not your artist page. The Spotify access available to MusicLaunch doesn't include artist numbers — no monthly listeners, streams or artist followers — so the connection only adds a small card to the Social Hub and lets the Playlist Tracker fill in a playlist's name and owner when you paste a Spotify link. You don't need it for Performance. #### Connecting Social Hub → Connect Accounts → Spotify → Connect. Your browser opens Spotify's sign-in page; sign in with your own Spotify account and approve. Spotify's permission screen asks for your account details and your playlists (including private and collaborative ones) — nothing about your listening history. MusicLaunch only shows your account name and follower count, and looks up the name and owner of playlists you add to the Playlist Tracker. (If you connected Spotify with an earlier version, that connection was granted more — top tracks, recently played, playback state, who you follow and your email — none of which MusicLaunch used; disconnect and connect again to drop it.) You can disconnect at any time. #### ⚠️ Why Spotify may refuse to connect (the catch) Spotify keeps apps like MusicLaunch in 'Development Mode' with a small, fixed list of allowed users, and since early 2026 it no longer lets us add to that list. Most customers will see an 'app in development mode' error when they try to connect — that's Spotify's rule, not a bug. You don't need the connection for Performance: Spotify followers, listeners and streams come from a Spotify for Artists CSV import or Social Hub → Record Metrics. #### Where your Spotify numbers come from - Import your Spotify for Artists CSV — Performance → Import CSV. Streams, listeners, saves, followers and playlist counts land in the Performance dashboard and the Cross-Platform tab. - Use Record Metrics — Social Hub → Record Metrics → enter your Spotify numbers by hand whenever you like. Works for everyone, connected or not. > **Note: Other platforms aren't affected** > > This is a Spotify-specific limitation. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Bluesky have no equivalent cap — connect them freely. ## Help guides: Contacts & Outreach ### Contacts & Outreach Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/contacts/ Build a music industry rolodex — press, playlists, venues, bookers, and more. The Contacts section is your music industry rolodex. Track press contacts, playlist curators, venue bookers, label A&R, and anyone else relevant to your career. Categorize, tag, search, and email them all from one place. #### Adding contacts - "+ Add Contact" — manual entry for one contact at a time - Import — bulk import from a CSV or Excel spreadsheet: click Import and choose the file in your Mac's Open window (any drive), drag the file onto the Contacts page, or use File → Import Contacts... in the menu bar. The wizard maps columns to MusicLaunch fields. New people are added straight away; rows that match a contact you already have are shown so you can decide. Merge (Fill Gaps) fills that contact's blank fields and adds the file's tags without replacing anything. Use File's Details replaces the saved details with your file's wherever they differ: it lists every change (old value → new value) and asks before saving, and a blank in your file never erases anything. Notes are never replaced: your file's notes are added under the saved notes. A saved Category is only replaced when your file names one of MusicLaunch's own categories (Press, Playlist, Venue, Blogger, Radio, College Radio, Podcast or Influencer), and a saved Tier only when your file has a Tier column with 1, 2 or 3. Skip leaves the saved contact as it is. - Find Duplicates — after import, scan for and merge duplicate entries A website or submission link can be typed as www.example.com: MusicLaunch adds https:// when you save it. The same goes for websites in Local Scene and Collaborators. To clear one of a contact's fields, empty it and save. Export saves your contacts as a CSV, an Excel file or a Google Sheet. With no contacts ticked it saves all of them. With some ticked, it asks "Export only selected entries?": Yes saves just the ticked ones, No saves all of them. Drag the edge of a column heading to make that column wider or narrower; double-click the edge to reset it, or choose Reset column widths in the Columns menu. #### Deleting contacts Tick the contacts you want to delete (the box at the top of the list selects them all), then click Delete Selected. MusicLaunch asks twice before deleting. Your saved email sequences and email templates are not deleted. #### Categories and tags Each contact has a Category (Press, Playlist, Venue, Blogger, Radio, College Radio, Podcast, Influencer or Other) and optional Tags (free-form keywords like "indie blogs", "booker" or "Pacific NW venues"). Use both to filter your contact list when you need a specific subset for an outreach campaign. #### Sending emails Click the Email button next to View at the start of a contact's row, or click their email address (the blue link in the Email column), to open the in-app composer. The To field is pre-filled. Write your subject and body, click Send, and the email goes through your connected Gmail account. "Attach files" adds files from your Mac's Open window, from any drive, and "From Media Hub" adds files already saved in MusicLaunch, from any campaign (25 MB in total). This quick email is not logged as a pitch. To log a pitch and send it, use the Send icon on the row (New Submission): see Pitch Email & Sequences. "Templates" in the Contacts toolbar opens your email templates and the starter templates that come with MusicLaunch, to read or copy. > **Note: Connect Gmail first** > > Email sending requires connecting Gmail in Settings → Gmail Integration. Without it, the composer shows a "Gmail not connected" message instead of the send form. In a New Submission (pitch) window you can also click "Connect Gmail" next to Send via Gmail: the window stays open and nothing you typed is lost. #### For bulk outreach: use Sequences For multi-step pitch follow-ups (e.g., "send pitch → 5 days later send follow-up → 14 days later send check-in"), use Sequences (Contacts → Sequences). ### Pitch Email & Sequences Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/email-sequences/ Send pitch emails via Gmail, start from a template or a draft from your team, and set up automated multi-step follow-up cadences. Pitching takes follow-up. Most journalists, curators, and bookers don't reply to the first email — but DO reply to the second or third. Sequences automate that follow-up cadence so you never forget to circle back. #### Quick one-off email Click the Email button next to View on a contact's row, or their email address, to open the composer, or click "Send Email" in the Contacts toolbar to compose to anyone. A quick email is not logged as a pitch. The Send icon on a contact row opens New Submission instead — it logs the pitch (type, status, follow-up date) and can send it through Gmail in the same step. To see the pitches you've saved for a contact, click the clock icon on their row (Pitch History): Edit changes a pitch's wording, status or follow-up date, and Delete removes it after asking first. Follow-up Reminders rows have the same Edit button. #### Sending a pitch through Gmail In New Submission, write the subject and message yourself, start from an email template (the Templates button next to Subject), or put in a draft from your team (see "Let your Publicist draft it" below). "Send via Gmail" is always there. Until it can send, a line beside it says why: Gmail isn't connected, the contact has no email address, or the subject or message is still empty. Gmail not connected? Click "Connect Gmail" right there: the window stays open and nothing you typed is lost. No email address? Save the pitch now and send it later from Pitch History. A pitch sent this way is marked Sent and listed in the contact's Pitch History. The From line shows the address it goes out from: your main Gmail address, or pick another one you send from, or add one with "+ Add another address" (see Connecting Gmail & YouTube). Opening a pitch that already went out picks the address it went out from; one a follow-up sequence is still waiting to email picks the sequence's address. #### Email templates Templates in the Contacts toolbar (or in a pitch) opens Email Templates. My templates are the ones you save. Starter templates are 11 ready-made emails that come with MusicLaunch: new single, new album or EP, playlist curator, blog or press feature, college or community radio, venue booking, support slot request, show announcement, follow-up after no reply, thank you after coverage, and sync or licensing intro. They can't be changed. Read one for ideas, use it in a pitch as it is, or click "Copy to My Templates" to make your own version. {{contactName}}, {{outlet}} and {{artistName}} are filled in for you. Every other word in double braces, like {{trackTitle}}, is a blank only you can fill in: replace it, or delete the line, in the pitch. Send via Gmail stays off until none are left, so a blank is never emailed. #### Let your Publicist draft it Ask your Publicist (or your Booking Agent on the Local Scene tab) to write a pitch. Each email it drafts has buttons under it: "Use in this pitch" (only while a New Submission window is open; it puts the subject and message into that pitch, and nothing is sent), "Save as email template" and "Copy". Your team never sends anything. What it doesn't know, it leaves as a blank in double braces, like {{expectedTurnout}}, for you to fill in. Pasted into a quick Email window instead (the Email button on a contact's row, or a click on an email address), it works the same way: Send stays off while a blank in double braces is left, and "Fill in … for me" puts in the contact's name, outlet and your artist name. #### Sequences (multi-step follow-ups) A sequence is your pitch plus a series of follow-up emails sent on a schedule. Step 1 is always the pitch itself; the steps after it are the follow-ups. Contacts → Sequences opens the Sequence Manager, where you build your own or start from one of 3 preset templates: - Standard Pitch Follow-up: Day 0 (your pitch) → Day 5 (gentle follow-up) → Day 14 (final check-in) - Aggressive PR Push: Day 0 → Day 3 → Day 7 → Day 21 (4 touches, more persistent — for bigger announcements) - Gentle Playlist Pitch: Day 0 → Day 7 (single follow-up — playlist curators get a lot of pitches, less is more) The days are counted from the pitch: Day 14 means 14 days after the pitch went out, not 14 days after the previous follow-up. If an email goes out late — MusicLaunch was closed, or you paused the run — the ones after it move back by the same amount, so the gaps between emails stay the same. #### Building a sequence 1. **Open the Sequence Manager** Contacts → "Sequences" in the toolbar. The My Sequences tab lists what you've built. 2. **Start from a preset or from scratch** Pick one of the 3 presets to load its follow-ups, or click New Sequence to write your own. Step 1 (Initial Email) has nothing to fill in — it is the pitch you start the sequence from. Each follow-up is a day to send it on (counted from the pitch, and later than the follow-up before it) plus a subject and a body. 3. **Write each follow-up** Every follow-up needs a subject and a body — a sequence can't be saved with a blank one. Use the placeholders {name}, {outlet}, {artist} and {subject} in either; they are filled in for each contact when the email is sent (see "What the placeholders become" below). A sequence also can't be saved while a blank in double braces is left in a follow-up, like {{privateLink}} in the Aggressive PR Push preset: replace it with your own words first. 4. **Save it** Saving stores the template only — nothing is sent until you start it for a specific contact (next step). 5. **Start it from a submission** Contacts → the Send icon on a contact (New Submission), or edit an existing submission (the clock icon on the contact → Pitch History → Edit) → pick the sequence under "Start email sequence". A note under the picker says exactly what will be sent to this contact. Then either click Create Submission (Save Changes when editing) and let the sequence email the pitch, or click Send via Gmail to send the pitch right away and leave only the follow-ups to the sequence. The run appears in Sequences → Active Runs. #### What step 1 sends Step 1 is the pitch — the subject and body of the submission you started the sequence from. What happens to it depends on the pitch: - Not sent yet, with a subject and a body: the sequence emails it within about 5 minutes of saving (placeholders in it are filled in too) and marks the pitch Sent. The first follow-up counts from that moment. - Already sent with Send via Gmail, or marked Sent, Accepted, Rejected or No Response by you: it is not emailed again. The days are counted from the date the pitch was sent (from the moment you start the sequence if there is no sent date). If the pitch went out longer ago than the first follow-up's day, that follow-up goes out within about 5 minutes and the rest keep their spacing after it. - Not sent, and missing its subject or its body: no first email is sent, and only the follow-ups go out. A pitch is never sent twice by a sequence, and MusicLaunch never sends a sequence email with an empty subject or body. Nor does it send one with a blank left in it: a {{...}}, or an obvious blank in square brackets like "\[streaming link\]" or "\[your name\]" (a sequence saved from an older preset can still have one in a follow-up). The pitch waits until you fill the blank in. A follow-up with a square-bracket blank pauses the run instead, and Sequences → Active Runs says why: a saved sequence can't be edited, so stop that run and use a sequence without the blank. Every email of a sequence goes out from the same address as its pitch: the From picked when you start it, or, if the pitch already went out, the address it went out from (Active Runs and Edit Submission show it). If you send the pitch yourself while the sequence is still waiting to email it, the follow-ups go out from the address you sent it from. A sequence started before MusicLaunch kept that address sends from your main Gmail address. Sequence emails are sent by a background runner that checks every 5 minutes and only works while MusicLaunch is running (closing the window is fine, it stays in the menu bar; quitting stops it) — an email that came due while MusicLaunch was not running goes out within about 5 minutes of opening it again. #### What the placeholders become - {name} — the contact's name ("there" if the contact has no name) - {outlet} — the contact's outlet. A contact with no outlet gets a general phrase that fits their category: "your playlist", "your venue", "your station", "your podcast", "your blog", "your channel", or "your outlet" - {artist} — your artist name: the artist of the campaign the pitch is linked to, if it has one; otherwise the name of your profile. If the profile is still called "Default", the artist of your most recently updated campaign is used, then the name on your connected Gmail account - {subject} — the subject of your pitch ("my pitch" if the pitch has no subject) > **Tip: Check your artist name first** > > Follow-ups are signed with {artist}. If your profile is still called "Default" and you have no campaign yet, rename the profile to your artist name (Settings → Profiles) before starting a sequence, so the sign-off reads the way you want. #### Managing active sequences In the Sequence Manager, the Active Runs tab lists every run with the step it is on, and the next send date for the ones still running — pause, resume, or stop any of them (a stopped run shows as Cancelled and can't be started again). The My Sequences tab lists the sequences you've saved; one can be deleted there, but not edited — to change a sequence, build a new one. > **Warning: Replies don't stop a sequence automatically** > > MusicLaunch only sends through Gmail — it never reads your inbox, so it can't tell when someone replies. When a contact writes back, open Sequences → Active Runs and pause or stop that run yourself so they don't get another follow-up. ### Local Scene Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/local-scene/ Map venues, bookers, fellow artists, and music spots in your city. Local Scene is a separate view inside Contacts focused on geographic relationships — the people and places that make up your local music scene. Useful for tour planning, co-bill suggestions, and remembering "who books what venue". #### Setting your scene city At the top of the Local Scene view, set your home city. It's filled in as the city for each entity you add. #### Entity types you can add - Artists — fellow musicians in your scene (peers and potential co-bills) - Venues — clubs, bars, theaters, DIY spaces - Promoters — the people who actually decide who plays where - Media — local journalists, blogs, college radio (more localized than the main Contacts list) - Other — studios, record stores, instrument shops, music schools, etc. #### Connections Track relationships between entities — Co-Bill, Same Genre, Same City, Booked At, Covered By, Collaborated — so "who books what" and "who played with whom" are one click away. #### Co-bill suggestions Co-Bill Suggestions lists each artist in your scene next to the venues they're connected to, and flags a Genre Match or City Match between the artist and the venue — a starting point for working out who to share a bill with, and where. Add connections between artists and venues to get suggestions. No subscription needed. #### Booking Agent Open Your Team while the Local Scene tab is on screen to talk to the Booking Agent (the Contacts and SMS Campaigns tabs use the Publicist), or press ⌘K and choose "Ask the Booking Agent". The Calendar page has a Booking Agent button too, under the page title. It drafts pitches to venues and promoters, suggests co-bill partners from your Local Scene directory, plans the run-up to a show counting back from the date, suggests setlist orders, and helps route a short run of dates. It works from the Local Scene directory, venue contacts, logged booking requests, gigs on the Calendar, and song titles, keys and BPM from Producer's Pad. It drafts and advises only: it never books a show, contacts a venue or sends anything, and you send every message yourself. It does not see setlists or other documents in Artist Retreat (paste a setlist into the chat to have it ordered), and it has no venue capacities, fees or mileage data, so it asks, or leaves a blank in double braces (like {{expectedTurnout}}) for you to fill in, when a detail is missing. An email it drafts has "Use in this pitch", "Save as email template" and "Copy" buttons under it (see Pitch Email & Sequences). #### Local Scene vs. main Contacts Venues you add in Local Scene are copied into your main Contacts list automatically, as venue contacts, and stay in step when you edit the venue here. Promoters, artists, media and other entries are not copied. Any scene entry with an email address has an Email button that opens a message you send from your connected Gmail; that message is not logged as a pitch. To track a pitch with a status and a follow-up date, add the person in Contacts if they are not there yet and use the Send icon on the contact (New Submission). ### SMS Campaigns Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/sms-campaigns/ Write SMS blasts, pick recipients from Contacts, and hand the message to your texting tool. SMS is one of the highest-engagement channels in music marketing — people open texts far more reliably than marketing emails. The SMS Campaigns tab inside Contacts lets you write the message, pick the recipients, and get everything into the texting service you actually send from. #### How SMS sending works MusicLaunch doesn't send SMS itself (that would require carrier integration). Instead, each campaign holds a message template and a recipient list drawn from your Contacts. "Copy Message" puts the text on your clipboard to paste into your SMS tool, and "Export CSV" saves a CSV (with each recipient's name filled into the message) for bulk upload to a service like Community, SimpleTexting, or Twilio — these have their own pricing. #### Use cases - Album-drop notifications to your superfan VIP list - Show-day reminders to attendees who opted in - Pre-save campaign reminders - Exclusive content drops (early single previews, demos) #### Template variables Templates can include {name}, {artist}, {link}, {title}, {venue}, and {date} as placeholders. Only {name} is filled in automatically (in the CSV export, using each recipient's contact name); fill in the rest before you copy the message. Messages over 160 characters are flagged because carriers split them into multiple texts. > **Warning: Always require explicit opt-in** > > In the US, marketing texts generally need the recipient's prior consent under the TCPA, and violations can cost $500–$1,500 per message. Only message people who explicitly opted in (e.g., texted a keyword to your number, or filled out a form with SMS consent). This is general information, not legal advice. ## Help guides: Performance & Analytics ### Performance Dashboard Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/performance/ Track streaming, social growth, and engagement across platforms. The Performance section shows how your music and marketing efforts are doing — follower growth across your platforms, side-by-side platform comparisons, a fan funnel you log yourself, your playlist pitches, and the distributor reports and royalty statements you import. Data comes from connected platforms (live API metrics), CSV imports and manual entries (for platforms without APIs). #### What you see by default - Targets — goals you set yourself, which can follow a number MusicLaunch already has (see "Targets" below); the section starts empty - Growth Over Time — a followers line for each connected platform over the last 30 days, with a "Sync Now" button - Platform Summary — the latest follower count for each platform, with its growth where there is enough history (a dash when a platform has no follower count saved yet; Facebook "Page Likes" you type in Record Metrics count as Facebook followers, since they are the same number; YouTube subscribers you type there are not shown here, so type them into a YouTube target instead) - Spotify Streaming — monthly listeners, total streams, save rate and playlist count, once you have imported a Spotify for Artists CSV or entered them with Record Metrics (the card stays hidden until then) - Tabs for Cross-Platform, Fan Funnel, Playlist Tracker, Distribution and Royalties #### Targets A target is a number you are aiming for — 5,000 Instagram followers by release day, 10 blog features, 200 people at the release show. Click "Add Target", say what you are tracking and enter the target. Then either pick a number under "Track a number MusicLaunch already has", so "Where you are now" fills in by itself, or type where you are now. Add a deadline if you have one. Each target shows as a card with a progress bar, the percentage reached, and how many days are left (or that the date has passed). > **Note: Keeping progress up to date** > > A target can follow a number MusicLaunch already has: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Bluesky followers, Spotify monthly listeners or followers from your Spotify for Artists import or Record Metrics, or a number you recorded by hand in Record Metrics (Apple Music listeners, or Threads, SoundCloud or Bandcamp followers). The list only offers numbers that have a reading. The card then says "Follows your …" and always shows the latest reading. YouTube targets are typed: enter the number from YouTube Studio. A number you type stays as you typed it; when it changes, click the pencil on the card and update "Where you are now". A target named for one of these numbers ("Instagram Followers", "IG followers", "Spotify listeners") with nothing typed in "Where you are now" follows it by itself. One where you typed a number keeps it, and shows a "Link to your Instagram followers" button under its card: one click and it follows the number instead. The trash icon deletes a target (it asks first). Targets belong to the campaign you are in. #### Live API metrics For platforms you've connected in Social Hub (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky), MusicLaunch pulls the current totals in the background — 15 seconds after launch, every 30 minutes while the app is open, and whenever you click "Sync Now". Each reading is saved as a snapshot, which is what the growth chart and Cross-Platform Comparison are built from. Spotify is the exception: the Spotify connection signs in your listener account, not your artist page, so MusicLaunch does not pull artist numbers from Spotify. Spotify followers, listeners and streams come only from a Spotify for Artists CSV import or "Record Metrics". YouTube is handled differently too: to follow YouTube's API policies, MusicLaunch keeps the statistics it pulls from YouTube for no more than 30 days, so YouTube lines never reach back further than that. For the same reason, exports from Performance and Social Hub leave YouTube's numbers out. #### Cross-Platform Comparison The Cross-Platform tab puts your platforms side by side for one measure at a time — Followers, Views / Plays or Likes. Views and Likes are lifetime totals as each platform reports them (Instagram views cover the last 30 days; TikTok views count public videos only). Not every platform provides every measure, and the tab says so on the card instead of showing a blank: - Instagram — followers, account views (last 30 days), likes on your posts - Facebook — Page followers; likes on your posts aren't tracked yet, and Page views need an extra Facebook permission MusicLaunch doesn't hold - TikTok — followers, views on your public videos, likes on your videos - YouTube — subscribers and channel views; channel likes aren't tracked yet - Spotify — followers from your Spotify for Artists CSV or Record Metrics; Spotify has no views or likes in its API - Bluesky — followers and likes on your posts; Bluesky has no view counts #### Manual metrics entry For platforms without an API (or where you don't want to connect), Social Hub → "Record Metrics" lets you type in numbers. The Performance dashboard shows a follower count you type in Platform Summary, Spotify numbers in the Spotify Streaming card, and a target can follow the numbers listed under "Targets" above. The Growth Over Time chart only draws followers for the platforms connected in Social Hub, so numbers typed for Apple Music, Threads, SoundCloud or Bandcamp don't appear on it. #### Fan Funnel (a manual log) The Fan Funnel tab is a logbook you fill in yourself, per campaign. Click "Add Touchpoint" and record where it happened (TikTok, Email, Live Show…), what happened, which stage it belongs to, a count and a date. Connected accounts never fill the funnel in automatically — if it's empty, nothing has been logged for the selected campaign yet. - Awareness — views, reach, impressions - Engagement — likes, comments, shares, streams - Conversion — follows, saves, pre-saves, email sign-ups - Superfan — merch, tickets, Bandcamp buyers, repeat supporters Each stage card shows its total, its top sources and the share that moved on to the next stage (capped at 100%, since the counts are typed in by hand). "Set Goal" on a funnel bar adds a progress ring. Entries can be deleted but not edited — delete and re-add one to fix a typo. #### Importing royalty statements On the Royalties tab, click "Import Statement" and choose your PRO. Then click "Select Files". You can pick several statement files at once, or drag them onto the window. CSV, TSV, Excel and .zip files all work. A zip can stay zipped: every statement inside it is read. PDF statements can't be read, so get the CSV version from your PRO's member portal instead. If you pick one file with one statement in it, its preview opens straight away. - Every statement goes into one list. Each one is marked Ready (with its entries, total and period), Check (with the reason) or Not imported (with the reason, for example a PDF or a file that isn't a statement). "Add more files" adds to the same list. - "Import All" imports every statement marked Ready, one after another, and shows how far it has got. - A statement marked Check is never imported by Import All. It is marked Check when its columns weren't recognised (you match the title and amount columns by hand), when no lines with a song title and an amount were found, when it looks like it comes from a different PRO than the one you chose (you choose which PRO to file it under), or when its contents are exactly the same as another statement in the list under a different file name (import it only if it really is a different statement). - At the end, a summary says how many statements and entries were imported, what was skipped and why, and which statements still need checking. Those stay in the list: "Check them one by one" opens each one so you can import it. If one couldn't be imported, "Try again" tries it again. - Importing a statement again replaces the earlier copy, so nothing is counted twice, and the summary says how many were replaced. The same statement picked twice in one import, for example a zip and the CSV inside it, is imported once. #### Royalties by song and country The Royalties tab shows the performing-rights statements you import (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and others). "Songs by Royalties" lists every song. Click one to see where its money came from: - Who paid — each streaming service (its tiers are listed under it), each foreign collecting society with its country, and other music users - How it was played — on-demand or non-interactive streaming, radio, TV, mechanical and so on - When it was played — the quarter (or half-year) each payment covers - Where it was played — a world map and a list of countries. A domestic (US) statement covers the United States as a whole, and statements never report cities or states. The "By Country" card shows the same map for all your songs. The Imported Statements list marks a statement imported with an earlier version of MusicLaunch "import again for plays & periods". For a domestic (US) statement that is what it lacks: the earlier import kept neither its play counts nor its performance periods. An earlier international statement already shows its performance periods, and international statements never list plays. Import the same file again to fill in what the statement has. The earlier copy is replaced, so nothing is counted twice. To import a distributor report, click "Import Report" on the Distribution tab, pick your distributor, then click "Choose Report File" and pick the report in your Mac's Open window (CSV, TSV, TXT, Excel, or the .zip as downloaded). On the other tabs the same button reads "Import CSV" (choose your Spotify for Artists or other CSV with "Choose CSV File"), and on Royalties it reads "Import Statement". On the Distribution tab, "Top Tracks by Revenue" lists every track. Click one to see its revenue by store, by month and, when the report has a country column, by country on a map. CD Baby's royalty reports have no country column, so their tracks have no map. > **Tip: Daily snapshots build the growth chart** > > The followers-over-time chart is built from daily snapshots. The first time you connect a platform, the chart only shows from that date forward — there's no way to backfill historical data from before MusicLaunch was tracking. ### Playlist Tracker Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/playlist-tracker/ A manual log of your playlist pitches — statuses you set yourself, synced to Contacts and the Calendar. Performance → Playlist Tracker is a submission log for playlist pitches. You add each playlist you pitched, note which song(s) you sent, and update the status yourself as you hear back. It keeps every pitch, curator and follow-up in one place — it does not watch playlists for you. #### Logging a pitch 1. **Click "Add Playlist"** Paste any playlist link — Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Deezer, SoundCloud or another site. The link is stored as-is and opens in your browser from the card. 2. **Add the details** Your song(s), an optional song link, the playlist name, the date you submitted, and a follow-up date. For a Spotify playlist link, the name and owner are filled in for you when Spotify is connected; otherwise type the name (you can rename the card later). 3. **Add the curator (optional)** A curator name creates a Contact in the Playlist category (or reuses a Playlist contact with the same name) and a linked Submission under that contact. The curator email is saved on a new Contact. #### Statuses Expand a card to set its status: Submitted → Pending → Added, Removed or Passed. Statuses are set by you — the app never changes them on its own. To see where your songs have actually landed, check Spotify for Artists → Music → Playlists (or the equivalent on other services), then update the card. #### What syncs where - Contacts — the curator Contact and its Submission are created when you log the pitch. Changing the card's status or follow-up date updates that Submission (Added → Accepted, Removed → Rejected, Passed → No response). The sync is one-way: editing the Submission in Contacts does not change the tracker. - Calendar — the submission date, a status change (Added / Removed / Passed) and the follow-up date each show on the Calendar with their own filter chip. The follow-up shows whether or not you entered a curator. - Removing a card leaves the curator Contact and its Submission in Contacts. > **Note: Why nothing updates automatically** > > Spotify's API rules for apps like MusicLaunch do not allow reading the contents of playlists you don't own, and editorial/algorithmic playlists are off limits entirely. So the tracker cannot detect when a curator adds your song — it is a log you keep, not a monitor. ## Help guides: Sync, Budget & Merch ### Sync Licensing Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/sync-licensing/ Pitch your tracks for use in TV, film, ads, and games. A sync licensing toolkit. Build your sync catalog with metadata (mood, genre, BPM, key, lyric themes), pitch music supervisors and licensing houses, track every submission through a pipeline, and log earnings. #### Workflow 1. **Build your catalog** Add tracks with detailed metadata. The richer the metadata, the better matches the Brief Matcher can find. 2. **Find opportunities** "Find Opportunities" has your Sync Agent suggest sync opportunities that fit your catalog, and the Resources tab lists libraries, marketplaces, pitching platforms, and directories. 3. **See who you already know** When the results come back, MusicLaunch also checks your own Contacts and this campaign's Collaborators for anyone at a company the results suggest or at a company on the Resources list (same work email or website domain, or the same company name; personal addresses like Gmail don't count), and for anyone you tagged "sync" or "music supervisor". They're listed under "People you know in sync" at the top of the results, and an opportunity shows "You know someone here" with their names. Click a name to open that person. The Resources tab shows the same note on matching listings. This check runs on your Mac: nothing about your contacts is sent to your team. If nobody matches, nothing extra is shown. "Last Results" shows your latest results again without using your allowance (until you quit MusicLaunch). 4. **Use Brief Matcher to find tracks** On the Catalog tab, click Match Brief and paste a brief: your Sync Agent scores your tracks against it (needs a team plan or your included 30 days). "Create Submission" on a match opens New Sync Submission with that track already picked. 5. **Submit and track in the Pipeline** Each submission moves through stages: Draft → Pitched → Under Review → Shortlisted → Negotiation → Placed (or Passed). Set a follow-up date and the Follow-Ups tab shows what's overdue. 6. **Log earnings** Business → Earnings is where you log placement fees and royalties as they come in. Link an earning to the placement it came from: only submissions marked Placed are listed, and picking one fills in its fee if the amount is empty. The Revenue figure at the top of Sync Licensing is the Earnings total, so a placement counts once its money is logged there. Business → Cue Sheets generates cue sheets for placements. ### Budget Tracker Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/budget/ Plan a budget per category, log expenses and income, and keep a log of your ad campaigns' results. Set per-category budgets (Marketing & Promotion, Production & Recording, Distribution, Live Shows, etc.) for each campaign, log actual expenses against them, and see where you're under or over. #### Categories and planned amounts Each campaign has a set of budget categories. Set a planned amount per category at the start of a campaign (e.g., $500 for Marketing, $1,200 for Production): click "Set budget" on the category's card, type the amount and press Enter. To change it later, click the amount. The One-time pill on the card can make it a Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly or Yearly budget instead, for example $50 a month for Marketing. Until a category has a budget, its card says "No budget set". Total Budget adds up the category budgets. As you log expenses, each card shows planned vs. spent vs. remaining. To rename a category, click the pencil next to its name. #### Ad Planner For paid ads (Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Google Ads), the Ad Planner tab is a log you fill in yourself: add each ad campaign, then use Log Metrics to enter spend, impressions, clicks, and conversions from the ad platform's own dashboard. MusicLaunch works out click-through rate and cost per click so you can compare platforms. It does not connect to your ad accounts, place ads, or import ad results. #### Revenue and the ROI Calculator On the Revenue tab you log money coming in by hand: streaming, Bandcamp, gigs, merch, sync, Patreon, teaching and more. Budget doesn't connect to Stripe, PayPal or Patreon. The ROI Calculator (the button at the top of the Budget page) brings in what you have spent in each category from your logged expenses (only the current period for Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly and Yearly categories). You type the followers, streams and engagements each category brought, and it works out the cost per follower, stream and engagement. The numbers you type aren't saved. Ad Planner spend isn't included unless you also log it as an expense. Its "Money in vs. money out" line shows this campaign's all-time totals from the Revenue tab: money in, money out, the net and the return. The ROI Calculator doesn't use your team. #### Exports Export budget data as CSV or Excel. "Export to Google Sheets" copies the table to your clipboard and opens a new Google Sheet in your browser — press ⌘V to paste. No Google connection is needed. ### Merch & Promo Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/merch-promo/ Smart links, QR codes, flyers, banners, merch mockups, stickers and buttons — promo assets for your releases and shows. Merch & Promo is a set of design and link tools for promoting a release. Everything exports as files you can host, print, or post, and none of it needs a team plan or a connected social account. #### The five tabs - Smart Links — design a one-page fan page for one release: cover art, a button for each place to listen or buy (streaming, website, merch, tickets), an optional email sign-up box and, for a pre-save, a countdown to release day. A new link starts with your campaign's release title, artist and release date; you paste in the button links yourself. A button stays off the page until it has a web address (until they all have one, the link's card says how many are linked, like "1 of 4 buttons linked"). The email box stays off until you paste the address of a form service such as Formspree, which you set up yourself. - QR Codes — generate styled QR codes for any link, with an optional logo, and download them as PNG or SVG - Flyers & Playbills — the Flyer Generator (see its own article) - Merch Mockups — put your artwork on shirt, poster, and other product templates, export a PNG, and jump to print-on-demand services (separate companies, not part of MusicLaunch) - Stickers & More: design stickers and pin-back buttons from genre kits or classic shapes, with your own fonts, curved text, outlines, textures and a die-cut border, and export print-ready PNGs at real sizes (300 PPI) (see Stickers & Buttons) #### Sharing a Smart Link MusicLaunch designs the page and saves it in the campaign. It doesn't put the page online, and it doesn't count visits or clicks. To share it, click Export HTML to save the page as one .html file, upload that file to your own website or a free web host (such as Netlify or GitHub Pages), then share that page's address in your bio, posts and emails, or in a QR code from the QR Codes tab. If it's the only page on that host, rename the file index.html so it opens at the site's main address. Copy HTML copies the same page as code. PNG saves a picture of the page for posting; its buttons can't be clicked. After an export, a note tells you if a button or the email box was left off. #### Quick Pre-Save Quick Pre-Save makes a Smart Link set up for a release that isn't out yet: pre-save button wording, your release date and a countdown that turns into "Out Now!" at midnight on release day, wherever each fan is. It doesn't do the pre-save itself. Paste in the pre-save links from your distributor's tool (for example CD Baby's free Show.co pre-save), or from Spotify Countdown Pages if your album or EP qualifies. The Apple Music pre-add button only works once your distributor has set up an Apple Music pre-order. On release day, swap in your normal streaming links and export the page again. With a release date set, "Create Pre-Save Draft Posts" adds up to four draft Instagram posts in Social Hub: 14, 7 and 3 days before release, and on release day. Nothing is posted: finish and schedule each draft in Social Hub. Clicking it again only adds drafts that aren't there yet. #### Pictures: Choose file, From Media Hub or Take photo Every picture spot in Merch & Promo (the QR Codes logo, flyer artwork, Upload Your Own, mockup and sticker artwork, and the Smart Link cover) has three buttons. Choose file opens a picture on your Mac, in the Open window that reaches any drive your Mac can see, including iCloud Drive, or Google Drive if its Mac app is installed (dragging a picture onto these spots does nothing). From Media Hub lists the PNG, JPG and WebP photos attached to the campaign selected in the sidebar, plus your Gear receipts. Take photo works with any camera your Mac offers, including an iPhone through Continuity Camera. Pictures you choose or take here stay in that design: they aren't attached to a saved item, so they don't show up in Media Hub afterwards. #### Flyer Generator Generate show flyers and promotional graphics directly in the app from 12 classic templates and 23 genre styles (Country, Rock, Folk, Hip Hop, Pop, EDM / DJ, Solo Acoustic, Jazz) — type in your show or release details, add artwork (Choose file, From Media Hub or Take photo), and export as PDF or PNG. The same designs also make a Bandcamp header and a YouTube channel banner with your name on it. #### Merch sales and stores Merch & Promo doesn't connect to Shopify, Printful or Printify, and it doesn't track merch sales, orders or stock. To keep count of what your merch earns, log it by hand on Budget's Revenue tab: click "Add Revenue" and pick Merch as the source. Your Merch Manager (included for your first 30 days, then with a team plan) can see the Merch entries for the campaign selected in the sidebar. ### Building a Press Kit (EPK) Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/press-kit/ Assemble a press kit from the bio, press release, photos, and links you already keep in MusicLaunch. An Electronic Press Kit (EPK) is the short package you send to press, playlist curators, bookers, and music supervisors: a bio, a press release for the current release, a press photo or two, streaming and social links, and contact details. There is no single "make my press kit" button in MusicLaunch — the kit is built from pieces that live in the sections below, and Campaign → Release Checklist tracks the two required press items, "One-sheet / EPK PDF" and "Press release written" (its header links straight to Artist Retreat). #### Write the copy in Artist Retreat 1. **Create a Biography document** Artist Retreat → New Document, type Biography. Keep a short version for playlist pitches and a longer one for features — every save is kept in version history, so you can trim without losing the long cut. 2. **Create a Press Release document** Same place, type Press Release: headline, dateline, three or four paragraphs, and a boilerplate. Photos go in as Photo documents alongside them. 3. **Export as PDF or Word** Open the document and click PDF ("Save as PDF") for your one-sheet, or use the "Export as Word (.docx)" button on the document card if a contact wants an editable file. To send it, click the Email button on a contact's row and use "Attach files", which opens your Mac's Open window, so the saved file can be on any drive ("From Media Hub", next to it, adds a file already saved in MusicLaunch). A pitch logged with New Submission can't carry an attachment. #### Photos and links - Press photos — add them as Photo documents in Artist Retreat: drag them from Finder onto the Media Files box or click it to choose them from your Mac (or attach them to a post or another saved item); Media Hub then shows those images in one place - Streaming links — build a Smart Link in Merch & Promo, click Export HTML and upload the .html file to your own website or a free web host, then paste that page's address into the bio and press release - Contact details — end every page with a press or booking email and your website or your Smart Link page's address #### Have your Brand Manager check the kit (optional) Open your Brand Manager (Your Team, in Artist Retreat) and choose the "Press Kit Check" quick action. It reads the documents you keep in Artist Retreat — bios, press releases, website copy, and which photos are on file — and tells you what is complete, what needs updating, and what is still missing. Your Release Manager's "Press Release" quick action drafts a release from your campaign details, and your Merch Manager's "Promo Materials" action helps plan one-sheets and other promo pieces. These need a team plan or your included 30 days; everything above works without one. ### Flyer & Promo Graphic Generator Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/flyer-generator/ Create show flyers, posters, social graphics and name banners from classic templates and genre styles. Inside Merch & Promo → Flyers & Playbills, the Flyer Generator builds promotional graphics from 12 classic templates and 23 genre styles: posters and handbills to print, club-night and festival lineups, album release announcements, social-media graphics (Digital Promo) in seven sizes, name banners for Bandcamp and YouTube, and a blank canvas — all customizable with your text and artwork. The genre styles (Country, Rock, Folk, Hip Hop, Pop, EDM / DJ, Solo Acoustic, Jazz) look printed or hand-made, with built-in fonts, paper and ink textures and photo effects, and every one works with no photo at all. #### Workflow 1. **Pick a template** The chips at the top filter the list: All, one genre (Country, Rock, Folk, Hip Hop, Pop, EDM / DJ, Solo Acoustic, Jazz) or Classic. Under "Genre styles: more character" each genre has its own row of styles (see the list below); "Preview with" shows the cards with the sample words or with your own. Under "Classic: simple & clean" are Full Bleed Poster, Club Night Split, Acoustic Portrait, Festival Lineup, Album Release, Hero Image Poster, Punk Typography, Diagonal Split, Instagram Post, Instagram Story, Social Banner, or Blank Canvas — or bring in your own finished flyer (PNG, JPG or WebP) with Choose file, From Media Hub or Take photo on the Upload Your Own tile. 2. **Pick a size** A genre style comes in every size: Poster (11×17 in), Handbill (8.5×11 in), Square 1:1 (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky and X posts), Portrait 4:5 (Instagram and Facebook feed), Vertical 9:16 (Instagram Stories & Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Stories — the words stay out of the top and bottom bars and away from the buttons on the right), Wide 16:9, YouTube thumbnail (1280×720), Facebook event cover (1920×1005) and X & Bluesky header (1500×500). Instagram Post, Instagram Story and Social Banner come in the seven social sizes. Both also make the two name banners (below). The classic gig posters are one size, 12×18 in. Switching size keeps everything you typed. 3. **Fill in your details** Type the artist, event title, date, time, venue, address, tickets, tagline and description (the genre styles add "Presented by" and "Support acts / lineup", one act per line, with an optional set time after a | ). Fields a style doesn't use are dimmed with "Not shown in this style". Add your artwork or a photo (Choose file, From Media Hub, or Take photo with any Mac camera, including an iPhone); in the genre styles you can also add a band logo (a PNG or WebP with a see-through background works best) and tick "Use logo instead of name". The live preview shows exactly what will be exported and updates as you type. Your text and picture stay when you switch templates, styles or Merch & Promo tabs; Reset asks before it clears anything. 4. **Make it yours** A genre style opens with its Look card: Palette (each swatch shows its paper, ink and accent; Custom sets your own Background, Text, Accent and Accent 2), Headline font and Details font (each font in the list is shown in its own style, the style's own picks first), Headline size S / M / L, Case (Style default or As typed), Texture (Off / Light / Heavy), up to three effects of the style's own, and Overlay strength on photo styles. The Picture card sets the photo treatment (duotone, one ink, halftone dots and more), the focus point and the zoom. "Reset look" puts the style's own colours, fonts and effects back and keeps your words. The classic templates' Look card sets the accent color and the headline font (the font of your artist / band name): a wide font is made smaller so the whole name fits, and handwritten fonts keep your name as you typed it. Your PNG and PDF use exactly the fonts you see. 5. **Tickets QR code** Paste a ticket link that starts with https:// and tick "Add QR code for tickets": the genre styles print a scannable QR code for it. It is on by default for Poster and Handbill and off for the social sizes, where people can tap a link instead. Scan it with your phone before you print. 6. **Export** "Export PNG" (Standard for social, Print quality ≈300 DPI for posters: 3× the size, about 295 DPI on an 11×17 in poster and 270 DPI on a 12×18 in one; a Print quality file says 300 PPI, so print shops don't read it as 72) or "Export PDF" (one page at the exact size of your design). The file name has your artist name, the style and the size. 7. **Order prints** The links under "Order Prints" open printing services (Printful, Canva Print, GotPrint…) in your browser for physical flyers and posters. They're separate companies, not part of MusicLaunch: check their prices and terms before you order. #### The genre styles - Country: Woodtype Show Card, Honky-Tonk Dancehall, Arched Marquee - Rock: Screenprint Stack, Photocopy Paste-up, Blackout Bill - Folk: Broadside, Linocut Block - Hip Hop: Jam Flyer, Mixtape Cover, Editorial Bold - Pop: Gradient Glow, Sticker Collage, Big Type Minimal - EDM / DJ: Rave Grid, Neon Sign, Chrome Future - Solo Acoustic: Journal Page, Listening Room, Chalkboard Café - Jazz: Modernist Record, Deco Club, Supper Club Card #### Name banners: Bandcamp header and YouTube channel banner Under "Name banners" in the Size box, every genre style and the three Digital Promo templates also make a banner with your name on it instead of a show: the artist / band name (or your band logo, in the genre styles), the tagline (a short line such as your city or your sound) and your picture; the show details are left off. Bandcamp header: 975 × 180 px, a PNG to upload as the custom header when you design your Bandcamp page. YouTube channel banner: 2560 × 1440 px, saved as a JPG so it stays under YouTube's 6 MB limit. TVs show the whole banner, computers a strip across the middle and phones only the centre, so the words stay inside the centre box; the preview draws that box (dashed) and shades what only TVs show. The guide is never in your file. Both export at exactly the size the site asks for, so there is no Print quality choice. > **Note: For more advanced design needs** > > The Flyer Generator covers everyday show and release graphics. For one-off custom designs, use a tool like Canva and then bring the result in with the Upload Your Own tile (or attach it straight to a post). Or hire a designer for the album art and use this for the social cutdowns. Your uploaded flyer stays put while you export (a PNG and then a PDF, say); Remove picture takes it out and starts fresh, without touching the file itself. ### Stickers & Buttons Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/sticker-designer/ Design stickers and pin-back buttons from genre kits or classic shapes, and export print-ready PNGs at real sizes. Merch & Promo → Stickers & More designs stickers and pin-back buttons for your merch table, guitar cases and mail-outs. You pick a kit, put in your words and picture, and export a PNG at the real print size (300 PPI) to send to a sticker printer or a button maker. One drawing makes the preview and the file, so what you see is what prints. #### Pick a kit At the top, "Make a" switches between Sticker and Pin-back button. The chips filter the kits: All, one genre (Country, Rock, Folk, Hip Hop, Pop, EDM / DJ, Solo Acoustic, Jazz) or Classic. Each genre has two sticker kits and a button kit (24 in all), such as Rope Seal, Slap Tag, Rubber Stamp, Neon Ring, Guitar Pick or Record Label; Classic has the six simple shapes (Circle, Rounded square, Star burst, Hexagon, Shield, Diamond) with the classic color presets, and a plain button in each size. Your words and picture stay when you switch kit, shape or tab, and Reset asks before it clears anything. #### Make it yours - Text: Top Text, Main Text (large) and Bottom Text each have their own font picker (every font shown in its own style), color, letter case (ABC / Abc / abc), size, spacing and an effect: Outline, Hard shadow, Block, Soft shadow or Glow, with its color and strength. - Curved text: on round shapes, set a line to Arc to bend it around the circle (the top line along the top, the bottom line along the bottom). Joined-up script fonts stay straight, so their letters keep joining. - Picture: optional; a PNG logo keeps its see-through background. Put it behind the text or in front, size it, move it (or drag it on the preview) and rotate it. - Colors & finish: the kit's own color sets, the classic presets, your own Background, Text and accent colors, a Solid, Gradient, Transparent, Kraft paper or Holographic background, and a texture (Grain, Distressed worn ink, Halftone dots, Paper or Chalk). - Shape & size: switch shape without losing your words (Circle, Oval, Slap, Bumper, Label, Ribbon, Guitar pick, Ticket, Cut around text and more), pick a real size (for example 3 in, 4 × 2.75 in or 11.5 × 3 in), and set the die-cut border: the white (or any color) edge a die-cut sticker is cut around. #### Sizes, PPI and bleed Every export is a PNG at 300 PPI at the size you picked (a 3 in circle is 900 × 900 px), transparent outside the cut, and the file says 300 PPI so Preview and print shops read its size correctly. The caption under the preview gives the inches, the pixels and the PPI. "Show cut line" draws where the printer cuts (preview only). Tick "Add 1/16 in bleed" only if your printer asks for it; most die-cut sticker printers cut along the transparent edge and want the transparent PNG as it is. #### Pin-back buttons Buttons come in 1.25 in, 2.25 in and 3 in. The printed circle is bigger than the face, because the paper wraps round the back of the button: "Your button maker's cut size" starts at a typical cut for each face (for example 2.625 in for a 2.25 in button). Button makers differ, so check your maker's template and type its cut size if it is different. The preview shows the guides: the cut line (dashed), the face edge (solid) and the safe line (dotted); keep your words inside the safe line. The export leaves the guides out unless you tick "Include guides in the export". #### Ordering The links under "Order Stickers" open sticker printers and print-on-demand shops in your browser. They're separate companies, not part of MusicLaunch: check their prices and terms before you order. Upload the PNG as it is (it already has the right size and the transparent edge), pick the same size there, and order a proof or a small run first to check the colors. For buttons, send the PNG to your button maker or print it yourself and cut it with a circle cutter at the cut size. ### Building Your Sync Catalog Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/sync-catalog/ How to add tracks with metadata that maximizes sync placement chances. Music supervisors and licensing reps search by metadata. The richer your catalog's metadata, the more often your tracks surface in their searches. Spend the time getting it right — every brief is a potential placement. #### Core fields for every track Only the title is required to save a track; the rest is what makes it findable. - Title — plus the audio files: master, instrumental, and stems if you have them - BPM (tempo) — supervisors filter heavily by tempo (e.g., "100-120 BPM upbeat for ad") - Key — useful for cue cuts and reharmonization - Duration — the exact length - ISRC code (if released commercially) — unique recording identifier - ISWC code — the composition identifier from your PRO (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC) #### Mood and genre tags (the most important fields) These are what supervisors search by most. Be specific: - Moods — happy, sad, energetic, chill, dark, hopeful, romantic, aggressive, ethereal, nostalgic, tense, uplifting. Pick 3-5. - Genres — primary + secondary (e.g., "Indie Pop, Electronic") - Lyrics themes — love, loss, freedom, nostalgia, defiance, joy, etc. - Tags — your own search words, comma-separated (e.g., "road trip, female vocal, trailer"). They show on the track and are matched by the Catalog search; the Metadata Checklist looks for at least 3. - Sync description — a few sentences for supervisors: energy, instrumentation, vocal type, era, sounds-like references, best use cases #### Sounds-like references Put 2-3 reference artists in the Sync Description ("Sounds like \[Artist A\], \[Artist B\]"). Music supervisors search by reference all the time — it's one of the highest-value things you can write. #### Audio file + alternate versions Attach the master WAV, then tick which versions you have — instrumental, clean, stems — and attach the instrumental and stems files too. Each audio box (Master Track, Instrumental, Stems) lists the songs in this campaign's Music Library (Media Hub → Music Library). For a file that isn't there, click "Browse files on disk..." at the bottom of the list. It opens your Mac's Open window, which reaches any drive, including iCloud Drive, or Google Drive if its Mac app is installed; with no songs in the library, clicking the box opens that window straight away. Stems can be a .zip. Supervisors love when you provide all versions upfront — it saves them asking later (and often skipping you). Deep Analysis (optional): with a Master Track attached, the purple "Deep Analysis (Cyanite.ai)" button listens to the track and suggests its mood, genre, instruments and energy. It uses Cyanite.ai through your own free Cyanite account; the button walks you through adding its key, and the "Change Cyanite key" link next to it takes a new one (for example after you generate a new access token in Cyanite). It uploads a copy of the track to Cyanite's servers (a WAV or AIFF is sent as an MP3), and when the analysis is done, MusicLaunch deletes it from your Cyanite library. Cyanite's own privacy policy covers how they handle uploads. #### Play and Send from the catalog Each track card with audio has Play: it plays the master (or the instrumental, if there's no master) right in MusicLaunch, one track at a time; click again to stop. AIFF files play too. Send opens MusicLaunch's email window with that file already attached: start typing in To and pick someone from your Contacts, or type any address. Gmail takes up to 25 MB of attachments per email, so for a big WAV or AIFF master, remove it in the email and attach an MP3 (or send a link) instead. > **Tip: Clearance flags** > > Note each track's clearance status in its Notes or Sync Description — "fully cleared / one-stop" (you control 100% of master + publishing) is gold. Tracks with samples or co-writers who aren't pre-cleared go to the back of the line in supervisor searches. ### Sync Pipeline & Submissions Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/sync-pipeline/ Track submissions through every stage from pitch to placement. Sync placements take time — months from initial pitch to a "yes" (and the actual placement may be even later). The Pipeline keeps every submission organized so nothing slips through the cracks. #### Submission stages - Draft — you're preparing the pitch - Pitched — sent to the supervisor or library - Under Review — they confirmed they're listening ("thanks for sending, we'll keep it on file") - Shortlisted — they're actively considering it for a project - Negotiation — terms and fee are being worked out - Placed — confirmed sync. Put the agreed fee on the submission. When the money arrives, log it in Business → Earnings and link it to this placement. The Revenue figure at the top of Sync Licensing is the Earnings total, so marking a card Placed adds nothing to it until you log an earning. - Passed — a no (file for future reference; revisit when you have new work) #### Follow-up reminders Set a follow-up date per submission. The Follow-Ups tab groups them into overdue, due this week, and upcoming so you know which supervisors to nudge. Copy Email copies a check-in email signed with your artist name; if no name is known, the sign-off is left blank for you to fill in. A Draft submission with a follow-up date is listed too, but it shows "Not sent yet" instead of Copy Email: there is nothing to follow up until it is sent. Your Sync Agent drafts the note (Pitch Email); use Sequences in Contacts for multi-step follow-up. #### Working from a brief When a supervisor sends a brief ("Looking for upbeat indie rock for an ad, $5K budget, 60-second placement"), paste it into the Brief Matcher (Catalog tab → Match Brief). It scores your catalog against the brief, and "Create Submission" on a match opens New Sync Submission with that track already picked. Put the deadline in the submission's follow-up date so you don't miss the cutoff. #### Earnings dashboard Business → Earnings is where placement fees and royalties are logged and totaled, with a breakdown by type. The Revenue figure at the top of Sync Licensing is this Total Earnings. When you add or edit an earning, you can link it to a placement: only submissions marked Placed are listed, and picking one fills in its fee if the amount is empty. A submission's Fee is the agreed amount, and it isn't counted until you log the money here. Use it to focus future pitching effort on the highest-ROI relationships. ### Brief Matcher Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/sync-brief-matcher/ Have your Sync Agent match your tracks to incoming sync briefs in seconds. Music supervisors regularly send briefs describing what they need — mood, genre, tempo, length, vocal type. Manually scanning your catalog to find matches is slow and error-prone. In the Brief Matcher, your Sync Agent reads the brief and scores every track in your catalog by fit. #### How it works 1. **Paste the brief** On the Catalog tab, click Match Brief (it appears once your catalog has a track). Copy the supervisor's brief and paste the text into the Brief Matcher — the whole email body or just the key bullet points. (If the brief came as a PDF, copy the text out of it first.) 2. **Your Sync Agent reads the brief** It sums up what the brief is asking for — mood, genre, tempo, energy, vocal style — in a short Brief Analysis shown above your results. 3. **Scores your catalog** Every track gets a fit score from 0-100, based on the metadata in your catalog: genres, moods, lyric themes, BPM, key, which versions you have (instrumental, clean, stems), and your Sync Description. It does not listen to the audio or read full lyrics. 4. **Returns ranked matches** Your best matches, ranked, with a per-track explanation of why each fits ("matches the requested 110 BPM uplifting indie pop with female vocals"). 5. **Submit directly** Click "Create Submission" on any match: New Sync Submission opens with that track already picked. Add who it goes to and save. "Generate Pitch" opens the Pitch Email Generator for that track instead. #### Needs your team (a team plan or your included 30 days) Brief Matcher counts against your allowance: 2 brief matches per day on Backstage Pass (and during your included 30 days), 6 on VIP, and 20 on All Access (see Team Plan Limits). > **Tip: Matcher quality depends on metadata quality** > > Tracks with rich metadata (moods, genres, lyric themes, and a Sync Description that covers instrumentation and sounds-like references) score much better than tracks with just title + BPM. If you're using Brief Matcher heavily, it's worth backfilling metadata on your back catalog. ## Help guides: Production & Recording ### Producer's Pad Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/producers-pad/ Track each song's production status, track by track, from writing to final master. Producer's Pad is your production tracker. Add each song you're working on, set its production status, and break the work into tasks for each track — drums, bass, vocals, guitars, keys — so you can see at a glance what is recorded, what is being edited, and what is still waiting. #### Songs and production status - Writing — the idea, lyrics, and arrangement are still taking shape - Pre-Production — demo, arrangement decisions, session planning - Tracking — recording in progress - Editing — comping and cleanup before the mix - Mixing — sent to mix engineer - Mastering — sent for mastering - Done — final master delivered #### Tasks for each track Open a song and click Add Task to add one. Each task has a track (Drums, Bass, Lead VOX, BG VOX, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Keys, Synth, Strings, or one you name yourself), a phase (recording, comping, editing, pitch correction, mixing, mastering, review and more), a status (Not Started, In Progress, Done or Blocked), an optional assignee, and its own notes. In Edit Song, each task also has a priority (Low, Normal, High or Urgent), a due date and details. Tracks are listed in studio order: Drums, Bass, Lead VOX, BG VOX, guitars, Keys, Synth, Strings, then tracks you named, then General. #### Editing a song The pencil on a song opens Edit Song, which shows everything about the song on one screen: title, key, BPM, production status, folder, Album candidate, every track on it (even ones a filter hides on the list) and its production notes. Change anything, add a track with "Add track", or remove one (it asks first, and the track goes only when you save). One "Save changes" writes it all, and Cancel asks before throwing changes away. A value brought in by an import that the menus don't list, like a Kemper track, is kept as it is. #### Staying organized Each song can carry its key, BPM, production notes (about the whole song; each track has its own notes) and an Album candidate flag. Sort songs into folders, group the list by folder or status, and filter by track, phase, status, assignee or key to find what still needs doing. #### Spark Plug ideas on a song Link a Spark Plug idea to a song in Media Hub → Ideas. The song's card then shows "1 idea" or "3 ideas", and opening the song lists them under Ideas, each with its length and "Open in Media Hub" to play it there. ### Gear Tracker Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/gear/ Inventory your instruments, mics, plugins, and hardware. Track receipts, warranties, and values. Catalog every piece of music gear you own — guitars, basses, mics, interfaces, monitors, software plugins, hardware, you name it. Track serial numbers, purchase dates, condition, receipts and photos, warranty expiration, insurance value, and an optional estimate from your Gear Tech of what each item would sell for used. In Add Gear Item (or Edit Gear Item), drop a receipt (a picture or a PDF) on the Receipt Image box, or click the box to choose it in your Mac's Open window, which reaches any drive your Mac can see, including iCloud Drive, or Google Drive if its Mac app is installed. Equipment Images takes several photos at once: drop them on the box or click "Choose photos". Both have "Take a Photo" for any camera your Mac offers, and Equipment Images also has "Pick from Media Hub" to reuse a picture already in MusicLaunch. #### Why bother? - Insurance claims — if your studio is robbed or damaged, the inventory gives you serial numbers, receipts and photos to support a claim - Taxes — gear used for your music business may be deductible; the inventory gives you or your tax preparer the details in one place - Selling — when it's time to sell or trade something, all the details are at your fingertips - Insurance — set an insurance value per item; the app nudges you when values look stale, and Export CSV gives you a list for your insurer #### Gear Tech valuation (optional) With your team (the included 30 days or a team plan), "Estimate Values" asks your Gear Tech for a typical used price for each item from its brand, model, category, condition and age. It covers items with no estimate yet, or one more than a year old. Your Gear Tech works from its general knowledge, not live listings or market data, so treat these as educated guesses that can lag the market. Each estimate shows with its date, and Export CSV labels them "Estimated Value". "Analyze Gear" reviews your whole inventory: up to five items missing details worth recording (a value, insurance, a warranty date, a serial number or a receipt), up to five overlaps and up to five items to consider selling, plus a short summary. These are estimates to help with insurance and selling decisions, not formal appraisals. Each click uses one of that day's Gear Valuation or Gear Analysis uses (see Team Plan Limits). If the answer can't be read, you'll see an error, and that try doesn't count. ### Collaborators Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/collaborators/ Manage your creative team — producers, engineers, designers, videographers, and more. Track everyone who contributes to your music. Producers, engineers, mix engineers, mastering engineers, photographers, videographers, designers, session musicians — all in one place with their roles, contact details, PRO and IPI numbers, tags, notes, and split sheets. #### Splits and agreements For songs with multiple writers/producers, a split sheet records three separate pies for each song, and each one adds up to 100% on its own: Songwriting (who wrote the song), Publishing (the publisher's share of the song; if you publish yourselves it's yours, and it usually matches Songwriting) and Master (who owns the recording). Each sheet shows three bars with one color per person, the same in all three (hover a slice for the number), and tracks its status (Draft, Agreed, Signed, Disputed) — no more "we'll figure it out later" leading to disputes years down the road. A sheet with a filled-in pie that isn't at 100% is marked "Doesn't add up". Rounding counts as 100%: three writers at 33.33% each add up to 99.99%, and that pie shows "100% (rounded)". In the editor, each person is one row with a Songwriting %, Publishing % and Master % box. "Split evenly" fills a column to exactly 100% across the people on the sheet, "Copy Songwriting to Publishing" copies the writer split across, and "You" puts yourself on the sheet under your campaign's artist name. A share left empty means not set yet; 0 means 0. A sheet marked Agreed or Signed whose numbers don't add up gets a warning, but it still saves. Deleting someone from the Directory keeps their name and shares on the sheets they are on, and MusicLaunch tells you which sheets first. Split sheets are included in the Excel export. #### Linking to campaigns Collaborators belong to a campaign, so when you're looking back at "who worked on this album", the answer is one click away. ### Artist Retreat Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/artists-corner/ Creative space for lyrics, setlists, bios, and press copy, plus the songwriting tools. Artist Retreat is your creative workspace. It holds documents — Lyrics Only, Lyrics & Chords, Setlist, Lead Sheet, Biography, Press Release, Website Copy, Notes and Other, plus Photo, Video and Document files — each with version history, and it's home to the Songwriting Tools. #### Adding photos, videos and files In a Photo, Video or Document, drag files from Finder onto the Media Files box, or click the box to choose them in your Mac's Open window (several at once, from any drive your Mac can see, including iCloud Drive, or Google Drive if its Mac app is installed). A Photo also has "Take a Photo", which works with any camera your Mac offers. A Video has no camera button: Studio in Social Hub records video, and its Show in Finder (after Use This) shows the clip on your Mac. The text documents have a Reference Images box for photos of handwritten lyrics or notes: drop them on it, click "Choose images", or take one with "Take a Photo". #### Built-in songwriting tools - Chord Chart — look up any chord and see and hear it: Play Chord strums the guitar shape on a steel-string acoustic guitar or plays the chord on a grand piano - Chord Finder — tap notes on the on-screen piano or fretboard (or play a MIDI keyboard) and identify the chord, with its other names under "Also could be..." - Keys & Transposition — Theory Reference (Circle of 5ths, Intervals, Nashville Numbers, Alt Tunings), Scales & Keys, Transpose, Capo Chart, Modulation - Song Building — Chord Progressions by genre and Song Structure planning - Lyricist's Toolkit — Rhymes, Thesaurus & Definitions, Mood Explorer, Writing Sparks - BPM & Metronome — the BPM Calculator and the Metronome on one page, sharing one tempo; the Metronome accents the beats and has Swing 8ths and Swing 16ths, with a Swing amount from 50% (straight) to 75% (66% is a triplet shuffle) - Lead Sheet — a lead-sheet editor with auto-accompaniment playback, MIDI import/export, and printing #### Optional password lock Some artists treat their lyric drafts and creative notes as deeply personal. Settings → Security lets you set a separate password just for the Artist Retreat section, on top of any app-wide password. Keeps prying eyes (or curious bandmates on a shared machine) out. ### Songwriting Tools Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/songwriting-tools/ Chord tools, keys and scales with the theory reference, chord progressions, rhymes and a thesaurus, BPM & Metronome, and the Lead Sheet editor. Inside Artist Retreat are several tools built for the actual craft of songwriting: click "Songwriting Tools" at the top of the Artist Retreat page to open them. They're local, fast, and don't need an internet connection. The Spark Plug button is at the top of the Songwriting Tools window too, so you can record an idea without leaving it. #### Chord Chart The Chord Chart is a chord dictionary. Search for a chord, or browse by root note and chord type, then click one to see it as a guitar shape and on a piano keyboard. Play Chord lets you hear it: the guitar shape is strummed on a steel-string acoustic guitar, and the piano plays it on a grand piano. Clicking a chord name in other tools (such as Scales & Keys, Transpose, Circle of 5ths, Nashville Numbers or Chord Progressions) opens a small card with the same diagrams and a Play button. The guitar sound loads the first time you open a chord tool; a click before it is ready plays a simpler built-in guitar sound. #### Chord Finder Have notes but don't know what chord they form? Tap them on the on-screen piano or guitar fretboard (or play them on a MIDI keyboard) and the Chord Finder identifies matching chord names. Useful for learning songs by ear or transcribing. Play Chord plays what you entered: the fretboard shape strummed on a steel-string acoustic guitar, or the notes on a grand piano. "Also could be..." under the chord lists its other names: the same notes named from another root (C6 is also Am7, Csus2 is also Gsus4, a diminished 7th has four names), and chords that only leave out a note players often skip, marked "no 5th", "no 9th" and so on (C-E-Bb is C7 with no 5th). The piano can't tell which note is lowest, so it names chords in root position, the more common name first (C-E-G-A shows Am7, with C6 under "Also could be..."); with the guitar or a MIDI keyboard the lowest note is the bass, so the names are written over it: Am7/C for C-E-G-A with C lowest, and C/F# when the bass is not in the chord. Names mean the same notes as in the Chord Chart, where C11 has a 3rd. The Chord Chart's C13 also has an 11th (F), but players usually leave it out, so C-E-G-Bb-D-A shows as plain C13, with nothing marked as left out. > **Tip: MIDI input requires a connected device** > > On macOS, plug in any USB or Bluetooth MIDI keyboard before launching MusicLaunch. The Chord Finder will detect it automatically. No drivers needed for most class-compliant devices. #### Keys & Transposition Keys & Transposition opens on Theory Reference: Circle of 5ths, Intervals, Nashville Numbers, and Alt Tunings — the reference cards you'd otherwise keep pinned above your desk. Next to it, Scales & Keys is a quick reference for major, minor (natural/harmonic/melodic), the modes (Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian), pentatonic, and blues scales — pick a key and see the notes on a piano keyboard and guitar neck, plus the diatonic chords. Transpose moves a chord sequence to a new key, Capo Chart shows where to capo for a shape you already know, and Modulation suggests routes between keys. #### Song Building: Chord Progressions & Song Structure Browse common chord progressions in any key, filtered by genre (pop, rock, blues, jazz, folk/country, R&B, hip-hop, EDM, and more), with the chord names and scale degrees for each. Song Structure lays out the sections (intro, verse, chorus, bridge…) of the song you're building. #### Lyricist's Toolkit → Rhymes Type any word and get back a list of rhymes, organized by quality: - Perfect rhymes — exact phonetic match (cat/hat, time/rhyme) - Near rhymes (slant) — strong but imperfect (love/glove vs. love/move) - Syllable filter — narrow the results to a syllable count to match your meter Powered by the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (about 126,000 English words). Click any result to look up its rhymes in turn. #### Thesaurus & Definitions, Mood Explorer, Writing Sparks Thesaurus & Definitions covers about 2,000 words commonly used in songwriting, with synonyms, antonyms, definitions, and emotional mood tags — click any synonym to look it up in turn. Mood Explorer browses words by feeling, and Writing Sparks offers prompts for when you're stuck. #### BPM & Metronome The BPM Calculator and the Metronome are on one page and share one tempo: type or tap it on the BPM Calculator and the Metronome follows; change it on the Metronome and the delay times follow. The Metronome plays 30 to 300 BPM; a tempo outside that (the BPM Calculator takes 1 to 999) plays at the nearest end, and the Metronome says so. While you type a new tempo on the BPM Calculator, the Metronome keeps its tempo until the number is 30 or more, or until you press Return or click away: an empty box doesn't change the click, and leaving it empty puts the tempo back. ##### BPM Calculator The BPM Calculator looks like a delay pedal. Set your tempo (type it, or tap the TAP footswitch 3 or more times) and the time signature, then click a note value on the NOTE knob and pick Straight, Dotted or Triplet on the FEEL switch. The big number is the delay or reverb time in milliseconds; Copy ms puts it on the clipboard. The chart beside the pedal lists all 21 note values: click one to dial it in. The Hz figure is the LFO rate: pulses per second, the number to set on a tremolo, chorus or auto-pan Rate knob so it pulses once per note. In time signatures like 6/8, the BPM counts eighth notes (the screen says "Beat = eighth"). ##### Metronome Set the tempo (30 to 300 BPM, or use Tap Tempo), the beats per measure and a subdivision: Quarter, Eighth, Triplet, Sixteenth, Swing 8ths or Swing 16ths. The first beat of the bar is accented, the other beats are softer, and the clicks in between are softer still. With Swing 8ths every "and" comes later; with Swing 16ths every "e" and "a" comes later, while the beat and the "and" stay put. A Swing amount slider then sets how much: 50% is straight, 66% is a triplet shuffle and 75% is the hardest swing (quick picks: Light 58%, Triplet 66%, Hard 75%). Each swing mode remembers its own amount while the Metronome is open; nothing is saved between visits. You can change the tempo, beats or subdivision while it plays, and the downbeat stays in place. #### Lead Sheet editor Write a chord-based lead sheet measure by measure, play it back with auto-accompaniment (the chords plus bass and drums in several styles), export it as a MIDI file for your DAW, import a MIDI file to auto-detect its chords, and print it. A new lead sheet starts blank: click "+ Add Section" and build the song from sections (Intro, Verse, Chorus and so on). To enter a chord, type it in "Type a chord", or click a root note and then a chord type: Minor picks the plain minor chord (A then Minor gives Am) and the list below it has Am7, Am6 and the rest; Suspended and Altered ask you to pick one from the list before Set Chord. Play starts at the bar you've selected and Play from Beginning starts at bar 1. The Click (metronome) plays over the drums too, and you can turn it on or off while the song plays. The Key menu only labels the song; the Transpose buttons (♭ Down and ♯ Up) move every chord and the Key a half-step. Once chords are in, if the Key is blank or doesn't fit them, a pop-up suggests a key: "Use" sets it, "Ignore" leaves the Key alone and doesn't ask again for the same chords. The Tuning menu shows each tuning's strings, for example Open G (D G D G B D). With the auto-bass or drums on, Export MIDI asks first: Export All, or tick just the tracks you want (Chords, Bass, Drums); each part opens as its own track in Logic Pro or your DAW. With the drums on, a sheet that has bars but no chords yet can export just the drums. "Import MIDI" opens your Mac's Open window, so the .mid file can be on any drive; it brings in the file's chords, tempo and time signature, and the sheet keeps its own name, Guitar/Piano setting, tuning and capo (MusicLaunch asks first if the sheet has chords, and ⌘Z undoes it). The chords play on the sound in the Sound menu: a Guitar sheet starts on Steel Guitar and a Piano sheet on Grand Piano. A Sound you pick stays picked when you switch between Guitar and Piano, but it isn't saved with the sheet. The lead sheet saves as you work. If it's still called "Untitled Lead Sheet" when you leave it (another tool, closing Songwriting Tools, New, or opening another sheet), MusicLaunch asks for a name first: Save Name, Keep as Untitled (not asked again for that sheet), or Cancel to stay. Cue sheets for sync placements live in Sync Licensing → Business → Cue Sheets. ### Spark Plug (Record an Idea) Web page: https://www.musiclaunchapp.com/help/spark-plug/ Record a quick audio idea from any screen with one click, or send ideas from your phone. They are saved as WAV files in Media Hub → Ideas. Spark Plug records a quick audio idea whenever the mood strikes: a melody, a riff, a lyric, a groove you're humming. The Spark Plug button, a red-and-orange record button with a spark, is at the far right of the top bar on every screen (just left of Your Team while that's open), and at the top of the Songwriting Tools window. Under the top bar's button a small line says "Record ideas here" ("Click to stop & save" while it records), and the Songwriting Tools window shows the same words just left of its button. After a one-time explainer the very first time (see below), one click starts recording right away, with nothing to fill in. Click it again and the idea is saved. The very first time you press Spark Plug, a short "Meet Spark Plug" explainer comes up before anything records. It says where your ideas are saved (Media Hub → Ideas), that ⇧⌘I starts and stops it, which input it records from (with Change input to pick another), and that Spark Plug records and saves on this Mac only. Click Got it and recording starts. Close it instead and nothing is recorded. Either way it never appears again on this Mac, in any profile. #### Starting and stopping - The Spark Plug button at the top of the window (it turns solid red while it records) - ⇧⌘I (Shift+Cmd+I) from any screen, even while you type - File → "Spark Plug: Record / Stop Idea", or the MusicLaunch icon in the menu bar - The Command Palette (⌘K): "Spark Plug: Record an idea" While it records, a small recorder at the bottom left shows the time, the input level, Stop & Save, and a trash button that throws the take away (it asks first). Keep working: you can move to any section, or close the window (MusicLaunch stays in the menu bar), and Spark Plug keeps recording. If no sound arrives for 3 seconds, the recorder says "No signal from" and your input's name. In a stereo take where only one input has sound, it tells you which one and suggests the matching Mono setting. #### Where ideas are saved Each idea is saved the moment you stop, with an automatic name like "Idea — Oct 3, 2:14 PM". You can rename it and add a note afterwards. It is a 24-bit WAV file at your input's own sample rate (usually 44.1 or 48 kHz), so it drops straight into Logic or any DAW. Ideas live in Media Hub → Ideas; "Open" on the "Idea saved" message takes you there. Ideas belong to the profile, not to a campaign. In Media Hub → Ideas you can link an idea to a Producer's Pad song. Back Up Now (Settings → Data Backup) copies your ideas with the rest of your media. #### Choosing the input Settings → Spark Plug sets what to record from: the System default, or any microphone or audio interface your Mac sees. Spark Plug remembers your choice. If that input isn't connected next time, it records from the system default and tells you. Channels can be Stereo (inputs 1 + 2), Mono: input 1 or Mono: input 2. Using one mic in input 1 of a two-input interface? Pick Mono: input 1. Spark Plug records the input as it is, with no echo cancellation, noise reduction or automatic level, and doesn't play it through your speakers. Unless you pick an input, Spark Plug uses the System default, and AirPods, an iPhone or a video-call app's virtual mic can become your Mac's default without you noticing. So the first time you record, and whenever the input changes, a note above the recorder says "Recording from" and the input's name, with Change to pick another. Spark Plug records inputs 1 and 2 of an audio interface or S/PDIF box. An interface with a Source setting, such as Line or S/PDIF, is listed with the source it's set to after its name, for example "— External Line Connector" (usually the analog jacks) or "— External SPDIF Interface" (the digital input). Logic and every other app share that Source, so only change it if your cable is plugged into the other input: the wrong one silences them all. If you're not sure, leave it as it is. To change it, quit Logic and other audio apps first (or the change may not stick), change Source on the interface's Input tab in Audio MIDI Setup, and then quit and reopen MusicLaunch. The first time, your Mac asks whether MusicLaunch may use the microphone. If microphone access is off, Spark Plug says so and offers "Open System Settings" (Privacy & Security → Microphone). #### Nothing gets lost A take in progress is saved if you quit MusicLaunch, switch profiles, turn Demo Mode on or off, or install an update. If the input is unplugged, your Mac gets very low on space (under 200 MB free) or the file reaches 2 GB (about 1 hour 55 minutes in stereo at 48 kHz), Spark Plug stops and saves what it has. After a crash or a power cut, the take is saved the next time MusicLaunch opens, as "Recovered idea" with the time it started. Spark Plug won't start with less than 500 MB free. To restore a backup, stop recording first. #### Ideas from your phone Ideas don't wait until you're at your Mac. With two free iPhone Shortcuts, an idea you sing into your phone is waiting in Media Hub → Ideas the next time MusicLaunch is open. Here is the path: the Record a Spark Shortcut saves the recording in your own iCloud Drive (Shortcuts → MusicLaunch Sparks), iCloud Drive copies it to your Mac, and MusicLaunch brings it into Ideas once Phone inbox is on. It travels through your own iCloud Drive; nothing goes through MusicLaunch's servers. The "Get ideas from your iPhone" card at the top of Media Hub → Ideas shows the same three steps. ##### Set it up once (about 2 minutes) 1. **Turn on the phone inbox (on your Mac)** In MusicLaunch, go to Media Hub → Ideas and click Turn on Phone inbox on the "Get ideas from your iPhone" card. (The same switch is in Settings → Spark Plug → Ideas from your phone.) If your Mac asks whether MusicLaunch may use iCloud Drive, click Allow. 2. **Add the Shortcuts (on your iPhone)** Scan the QR code on that card (or under Get the iPhone Shortcuts in Settings) with your iPhone camera, or open musiclaunchapp.com/sparks on your phone. Tap each button, then Add Shortcut: one for Record a Spark and one for Send to MusicLaunch. 3. **Make Record a Spark one tap away (optional)** Put it on your Home Screen (in the Shortcuts app, touch and hold it, then Share → Add to Home Screen) or on the Action Button (Settings → Action Button → Shortcut). ##### Catch an idea on the go - Record a Spark — records an idea with one tap. Run it from your Home Screen, the Action Button or Control Center, or say "Hey Siri, record a spark". It starts recording right away; tap Done when you're finished, and a notification says it's saved. - Send to MusicLaunch — in the Share menu of Voice Memos and Files. It sends a recording you already have: tap Share, scroll to the very bottom of the list, and tap Send to MusicLaunch. Don't see Send to MusicLaunch? iPhone puts Shortcuts at the very bottom of the Share list, below Copy and Save to Files. You can also tap Save to Files and choose iCloud Drive → Shortcuts → MusicLaunch Sparks: that's the same folder. ##### What happens on your Mac While MusicLaunch is open, every recording saved to your MusicLaunch Sparks folder is added to Media Hub → Ideas, in the profile that is open, and its copy goes to the Trash once it is added. When MusicLaunch is closed, your recordings wait in iCloud Drive and come in the next time you open it. The inbox is paused in Demo Mode. A message says when ideas come in, such as "2 ideas came in from your phone"; click Show to see them. Each one becomes the same 24-bit WAV as a Spark Plug take, so it plays, takes a note, links to a Producer's Pad song and drags into your DAW like any idea. It keeps your memo's name (or gets an automatic one like "Idea — Oct 7, 4:12 PM") and is dated when you recorded it, not when it arrived. A small phone icon marks ideas from your phone. Settings shows the folder and when MusicLaunch last checked it, or "Waiting for the folder: run Record a Spark on your iPhone once" until your first recording makes it. A recording that can't be added stays in the folder, and Settings says why. ##### If an idea doesn't show up - Look at the top of Media Hub → Ideas. If recordings are waiting in iCloud Drive while Phone inbox is off, it says how many: click Bring them in. - Is MusicLaunch open? It brings phone ideas in only while it's running. - Is Phone inbox on (Settings → Spark Plug → Ideas from your phone)? It pauses while Demo Mode is on. - Is iCloud Drive on, on your iPhone and your Mac, with the same Apple ID? A recording can take a minute or so to reach your Mac, and longer when your iPhone is in Low Power Mode. - In Finder, look in iCloud Drive → Shortcuts → MusicLaunch Sparks. If the recording is there, MusicLaunch picks it up within a minute while it's open. If it isn't, it hasn't reached your Mac yet. ##### AirDrop Turn on Notice AirDropped recordings in the same place. When a recording arrives in Downloads while MusicLaunch is open, MusicLaunch asks whether to add it to Ideas: click Add, or Not now. The file stays in Downloads either way. ##### Import and drag and drop In Media Hub → Ideas, click Import, next to Record an idea, to add recordings from your Mac: Voice Memos, AirDrop, email attachments. Or drag them onto the list: from Finder, from Mail, or straight from the Voice Memos app on your Mac. The new ideas are highlighted, and a message names any file that couldn't be added and why. MusicLaunch adds .m4a, .mp3, .wav, .aif, .aiff, .caf, .aac and .flac files up to 2 GB. ##### Android The Shortcuts are for iPhone, but the phone inbox works with any synced folder. Install Google Drive or Dropbox on your Mac, make a folder for your phone recordings, then in Settings → Spark Plug click Choose folder… and pick it. Save recordings from your phone into that folder. Each new recording is moved into the folder's "Added to MusicLaunch" folder once it is added. Recordings that were already in the folder when you chose it are left alone; use Import for those. #### Demo Mode In Demo Mode, Media Hub → Ideas shows three sample ideas. You can still record, but those recordings are kept only until MusicLaunch restarts. Nothing goes into your real ideas.