What is Dedicate VIP?
Dedicate VIP is a platform that allows artists to form deeper relationships with their fans and earn an income from their already fantastic work. Through Dedicate VIP, fans are enabled to ‘Book a Dedication’ and receive a personalised video recording of a song in exchange for a performance fee set by the artist. Artists get to do what they do best and that's play their own music, while fans get an unparalleled experience of a much-loved musician.
What does a good Dedication look like?
A good Dedication is a 3-4-minute synthesis of personalised content and passionately recorded music. To pull-off the ultimate Dedication, we suggest you follow the below structure:
- Introduce yourself to the fan and put your own spin on the instructions they provided e.g. Hi Jack, this is Tom from The Electric and Gas Company. I hear it’s your birthday coming up and that you haven’t been to one of my shows for 3 years! To make up for lost time, here’s a recording of x just for you
- Play your song in full
- Make some final remarks to the fan e.g. happy birthday Jack, be sure to not step on your mother’s toes again this year. Have a good one.
How long should a Dedication be?
We suggest that you record the bulk of the song your fan has requested. This means that the musical element of your Dedication will likely be >3 minutes long, and once you include an introduction and conclusion to the fan, the overall duration will be taken to >4 minutes
What are some pointers to film a good Dedication?
Everything needed to record a brilliant Dedication should be waiting for you at home. To help you bring it all together, we’ve noted down some best practice suggestions:
Framing. Place your camera/phone slightly higher than your face, pointing at you. Use the selfie camera, so you can at all times see whether framing is right. If you’ve got a tripod, now’s the time to whip it out. Mount your phone, angle it towards you and hit record. Don’t worry if it takes a few takes.
Setting. It probably goes without saying that ‘bedroom sessions’ are better when they’re not actually in your bedroom among messy sheets and piles of clothes. Try shooting somewhere that’s visually interesting - it could be your kitchen, a shed with musical gear in it, your back yard. We’ll leave that to you.
Lighting. Find an area of your house with enough light reaching your face. Please don't sit with your back to a window; if you have to use one, sit opposite the window so your face is lit by the light outside. Whenever possible, shoot during the day. Unlike at live gigs, natural light always tracks better on camera.
Quality. Always shoot horizontally and in High Definition. Make sure you have enough storage space on your phone. You’d be amazed how many people forget that. Go into your phone settings, click camera, record video, 1080p at 30fps (or whatever this goes up to).
*On an iPhone it's Settings>Camera>Record Video>1080p at 30fps. Some newer Android models, especially Samsung and Google phones will go up to 60fps (UHD). It’s up to you to decide if you want this level of resolution, as it will make files significantly larger.
Do I have to accept every Dedication that gets booked?
Absolutely not. We expect that you would be eager to perform every single one of them, but there might be a particular time in your life when you’re too busy or otherwise disinclined to record a Dedication. Every time a Dedication is booked, the artist has the option to either accept or decline it.
Where do I send my completed Dedication?
Once you’ve recorded your Dedication, please send it to bookings@serenadesound.com for processing and distribution to the fan. We don’t mind if you use Dropbox, Google Drive, or something else entirely, we just need to be able to download the file.
What should my Dedication file size and format be?
Dedication’s should be <100MB and formatted as MP4s.
What happens if I don’t deliver a Dedication on time?
We expect artists to deliver on time, but we know that life isn’t always so simple. If you’re not going to be able to get the video to Dedication when expected, please let
bookings@serenadesound.com know so we can manage your fan’s expectations.
When do I get paid for my Dedication?
Dedicate VIP releases funds to artists on the Friday afternoon after you submit your recording and it is approved for distribution to the fan.
What can fans ask me to do in a Dedication?
Dedicate VIP engages superfans who are willing to pay significant fees to get a video recording of their favourite artist’s original music. This means that some of them will try to push as far as they can, usually out of devotion rather than malice.
We’ll provide guidelines of what is and isn’t an acceptable ask, but you are also more than welcome to push back on requests that you aren’t comfortable with. We’ll act as the intermediary here, so just email us with any concerns before accepting a gig.
How do I ensure my video doesn’t end up on some weird backwater of the Internet?
Short answer: you can’t. However, given that fans are paying for a personalised video that may include you shouting them out or other specific things, it’s likely it won’t travel as well as a generic video. We also brief fans explicitly on how we hope for them to enjoy their Dedications.
However, if you find your video ends up somewhere seriously weird and you’re not comfortable with it, contact us and we’ll get right on it.
Do I have to worry about mechanical licenses or royalties if I didn’t write the song?
Dedicate VIP is covered by a blanket APRA license for online media, which should look after mechanicals for you and ensure the writer/s of the song you are performing receive their dues. If you’re unsure about a particular song, let us know and we can double check with our legal team.
Our arrangement does not extend to free-to-air broadcast, Pay TV or radio (digital or otherwise). If you are approached by a fan or someone else about your Dedication being used on one of these platforms, be aware that they will need to obtain additional licenses through APRA/ACMOS.
Basic rule of thumb is that Dedication is for fans. They’re welcome to share this on their socials, but ideally not on the jumbotron.
Do I need to talk to my label about my recording contract?
This will vary depending on your particular situation and whether you’re signed to a major or an indie (or self-released.) As Dedications are not designed for mass distribution and recorded for individuals, rather than labels, they shouldn’t be at odds with your existing contract.
Can I split this fee with my bandmates even if they aren’t playing?
This is entirely up to you. If you’re the lead singer of a band with four members and you’re the only one that can/has the profile to record Dedications, you are welcome to divide your profits with the band however you see fit. That being said, you may also decide to keep this for yourself, every situation is unique. We recommend having an upfront and honest chat with your manager/bandmates about this.
I’m not getting enough requests. What can I do?
The best way to sell Dedications is to educate your existing fanbases that Dedicate VIP is a service you’re now offering. Using the social media assets provided to you during the sign-up process, we suggest you periodically remind your fanbase that you’re happy to recreate their favourite songs in brilliant, personalised videos just for them.
Dedicate VIP has rejected my video. Why?
While we live for lo-fi, authentic Dedications, we try and ensure a base level standard of quality for your fans. Your video may be rejected if it’s inaudible or has poor quality vision, or if it is clearly of something other than what a fan has paid for.
9 times out of 10, this will be flagged by the fans themselves for us to review. We’ll step in to work this out, but may also reject videos if someone is clearly taking the piss. If you think your video has been incorrectly rejected, you can definitely chat to us about it.