FAQ About Music

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Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about the IMVU Music Store.
 

How do I play Music on IMVU? What is a Music Mix?

Music on IMVU plays a little differently than on a normal MP3 player. On IMVU, music can only be played as an organized music stream for an audience of two or more users. We call this a Music Mix. This is a little different from a standard MP3 player where you can jump to different songs whenever you feel like. The first step to listening to music on IMVU is creating a music mix.

Find out how by clicking on the link below:

http://imvu.com/music/tutorial.php

Also, please also make sure to check out the article How to Create a Music Mix.

What is the difference between "Buy IMVU" and "Buy MP3"?

When you click on Buy IMVU, you are using IMVU Credits and the music can only be used to create Music Mixes for IMVU.  Clicking on Buy MP3 allows you to purchase the mp3 file with real money (dollars or other currency). Of course, there are several important restrictions involved in building a playlist, and playing all songs in all nations. Refer to the entry in this FAQ called What does "This track not licensed for use in your Territory" mean? for more information on some geographic restrictions.

You can learn more about building a playlist by clicking here.

Buy MP3 means you are purchasing the right to download a DRM-free track for your personal use on an MP3 player (an iPod or Zune, for example). Tracks purchased in this way can not be shared on IMVU. After making a purchase, you have a week to download the track onto your device so please remember to download your new tunes!

Why does my friend see my favorite artist / favorite song in the Music catalog but I find nothing?

There are a couple of reasons why this occurs:

• IMVU does not present albums with explicit content (as defined by the record companies - IMVU does not rate music albums) to minors. 

• There is a licensing issue. IMVU licenses the rights to music tracks from a broad range of suppliers. In some cases, it has been impossible to secure all the required rights in all nations. Sometimes, a user in one country will see the album, but it could be invisible to a user of another country.

IMVU continues to pursue as much great music as possible for everyone in the world!

I purchased a song using the "Buy MP3" button. How do I download it onto my computer? How can I load it onto my iPod or portable media player?

Once you own an MP3 file, you can download it onto your computer from the music catalog page http://www.imvu.com/music. From there, you will see a link in the upper right corner that says Download MP3.

Why does my friend's playlist sometimes stop for a whole song?

This is likely due to licensing restrictions. While you are not hearing music, click on the Music tab and you will see the message "This track is not licensed for use in your Territory". For some albums, it has been impossible to secure all the required rights for all nations, worldwide. The music service is still functional if you see this message, but record labels or other licensing entities prevent us from playing that specific track to you.

What does "This track not licensed for use in your Territory" mean?

IMVU licenses the rights to music tracks from a broad range of entities. In some cases, it has been impossible to secure all the required rights in all nations, worldwide. The music service is still functional if you see this message, but its label or other licensing entities prevent us from playing that specific track to you.

Why can't I see the order of my songs in the music mix list?

Your view of music mix song titles is limited in chat rooms because of rules made by the music industry. You will be able to confirm the tracks in each list under your Music tab on the IMVU homepage.

I am a musician and would like to submit my song(s) to the IMVU music catalog. What is the process for that?

There are thousands of labels that are carried by Independent Records (IRIS). IRIS acts as a liaison between independent labels and digital music retailers. They service both parties by providing legal, technical, and marketing assistance as well as collective bargaining power for the labels.

If you are not signed with one, doing so will open the door to getting your music published on IMVU. You can check them out at http://www.irisdistribution.com/.

Alternatively, you can utilize TuneCore and reach not only IMVU but ALL major music outlets online. TuneCore allows you to upload a full album with worldwide distribution for as little as $49.99 (price is subject to change). You can read more about TuneCore at https://www.tunecore.com/.

NOTE: There are no IMVU submission fees for submitting your music to the IMVU catalog but there are TuneCore.com fees.

How do I know how my songs are selling on TuneCore?

All sales reporting related to your music tracks is done via TuneCore and NOT via IMVU. You will need to log in to your TuneCore account to review any sales data.

What countries are blacklisted from purchasing or listening music tracks from the Music Store?

A change related to our Music Store had gone into effect last September 26th 2012, and will affect IMVU users from 12 countries listed below. Users accessing IMVU from one of these countries will no longer be able to buy, use, or listen to any music tracks sold in our Music Store.

List of countries affected:

• Algeria

• Brazil

• Columbia

• Egypt

• India

• Indonesia

• Morocco

• Pakistan

• Philippines

• Romania

• Turkey

• Venezuela