Frequently Asked Questions

BreakTheCrates.com
1. How does the site work?
2. Who is eligible to sign up?
3. What does it cost to subscribe?
4. I DJ on the Radio, do I still need to pay?
5. Do I need any special programs/software?
6. Who is on the Break The Crates staff?
7. How do I cancel my subscription?
8. What sets Brake The Crates apart from other Digital Music Pools?

New Music/ Digital Content
1. Where do you get your music?
2. Can I listen to a song without downloading it?
3. Do I have to fill out the survey to download?
4. What are "special edits?"
5. How do I get my music on BreakTheCrates.com?
6. How do I get paid for my remixes/beats?
7. I notice that songs are often reposted. Why is that?

Trouble Shooting
1. What do I do if I can't find what I'm looking for?
2. What if something isn't working correctly on the site?
3. Internet Explorer is stealing my downloads, what should I do?
4. How do I enable cookies?

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BreakTheCrates.com

1. How does the site work?
Break The Crates is a digital record pool designed to service DJ’s with new music and digital content. This includes special edits, remixes, acapellas, clean versions, intros/ outros, beat breaks, beat loops, scratch samples, and more. We offer high quality mp3s (256kpbs avg), tagged, bpm'ed, and Serato-ready. In order to download a song, users must complete a brief survey. We provide this feedback to record labels and artists who own the rights to the music.  To maintain credibility, only qualified DJ’s and producers are granted access to the site.

2. Who is eligible for acceptance?
Break The Crates is designed for credible radio/ club DJ's and established producers.  Break The Crates is NOT designed for individuals who are simply fans of music. "Bedroom DJ's need not apply." After your application process, a member of the Break The Crates staff will contact you to verify credibility. 

3. What does it cost to subscribe?
Subscriptions are priced follows:
1-Month Membership: $45.00 standard rate
    21.76 gbp, 31.17 eur, 5,159.80 jpy, 42.92 cad, 483.10 mxn, 3,207.08 jmd
3-Month Membership: $120.00 save $15.00
    58.37 gbp, 81.87 eur, 13,407.99 jpy, 115.63 cad, 1,306.95 mxn, 8,552.23 jmd
6-Month Membership: $225.00 save $45.00
    109.44 gbp, 153.52 eur, 25,126.25 jpy, 216.82 cad, 2,450.64 mxn, 16,035.42 jmd
1-Year Membership: $400.00 save $140.00
    194.55 gbp, 272.93 eur, 44,672.43 jpy, 385.47 cad, 4,356.70 mxn, 28,507.42 jmd
Please note that membership will automatically renew after each billing period ends.

4. I DJ on the Radio, do I still need to pay?
All verified Mixers/P.D.s/M.D.s @ Commercial, FCC-approved, radio stations are eligible to receive a free membership.

5. Do I need any special programs/software?
All you need is a current web browser (Safari, Firefox, Explorer, Navigator) to interact with Break The Crates online.  Once a file is downloaded, you must have an mp3 player (iTunes, Winamp, Quicktime, etc) to play songs.  If you use Serato to DJ, you will notice all of our music has built-in overviews.  Some downloads have multiple files compressed into one folder.  You will need a method of extracting these files- we suggest WinZip (winzip.com) or WinRar (rarlab.com).

6. Who is on the Break The Crates staff?
Our staff includes DJs and Producers seasoned in the Urban music business. Every member of our staff is dedicated to bringing you the best content- new music, special edits, remixes, effects, production samples, etc.- to give you the cutting edge as a professional DJ/ Producer.

7. How do I cancel my subscription?
In order to cancel your subscription, you must log in to PayPal and terminate the Break The Crates transaction in your account.  Upon cancellation, you will still be committed until the end of your billing cycle.  Please make sure to process the cancellation 10-days before the end of your billing cycle to avoid being billed for the next cycle as well.

8.  What sets Break The Crates apart from other Digital Music Pools?
We have an in house production team.  Break The Crates supplies the users with additional Special Edits for Hip Hop, Reggae, R&B, and Pop tracks.  For more info on special edits see "What Are Special Edits?" We also have direct connections with producers and artists in Jamaica. This allows us to supply the user with Reggae tracks often months before they would normally reach the United States.  Break The Crates is updated on a daily basis.

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New Music/ Digital Content

1. Where do you get your music?
Representatives from record labels send new music to our staff. In exchange, we provided them with valuable research and development feedback. The representatives view our subscribers as being major influencers on the audiences who purchase their product.  Your opinions are highly regarded.

2. Can I listen to a song without downloading it?
Yes, all of our content is available to preview (streaming format) prior to downloading.

3. Do I have to fill out the survey to download?
Yes. Record labels and artists provide us with music in exchange for detailed feedback. If we see that you are not taking the survey process seriously and answering questions blindly you may face suspension from the site. Your input is important so please take your time and consider your answers.

4. What are "special edits?"
“Special edits” are edits to songs NOT typically serviced to the public. Some examples of our special edits include: DJ INTROS (instrumental introduction to help DJs mix), BTC CLEAN edits (clean edits of songs that might not pass for clean in certain formats), CHORUS FIRST (a song that is edited with the chorus at the beginning of the composition rather than its placement after a verse), DJ OUTRO (instrumental at the end of the song to help DJs mix).

5. How do I get my music on BreakTheCrates.com?
Please send an e-mail to musicagent@breakthecrates.com describing the content you wish to include on our site. DO NOT INCLUDE AN ATTACHED FILE. After the description is reviewed, you will receive an e-mail with a form and requirements for submitting music.

6. How do I get paid for my remixes/beats?

Remixes - after your content is approved, your remix will be placed in the The Remix section of our site for sale to download. Every time your file is downloaded, you will receive an e-mail alerting you of the transaction. You will be paid 1/2 of the list price. You may set your own list price NOT TO EXCEED $5.99 per song.

Beats - after your content is approved, your beat will be placed in the Beat Match database available for sale per download. You may set your own list price UP TO $1,000.00 per song. You will be paid 80% of the list price. Once your file is downloaded, you will receive an e-mail confirming that your track has been sold. It will no longer be available for sale on our database. PLEASE NOTE - BTC is not responsible for any legal dealings regarding these files- sample clearing, rights management, royalties, etc are not our responsibility. This is clearly stated in the Beat Match contract you will have to sign before file is available for sale.

7. I notice that songs are often reposted. Why is that?
 

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Trouble Shooting

1. What do I do if I can't find what I'm looking for?
If you can't find specific content or a song that you are looking for, please email support@breakthecrates.com and we will do our best to find what you need. We take our feedback from subscribers very seriously and strive to offer exactly what you are looking for.

2. What if something isn't working correctly on the site?
Please notify us at support@breakthecrates.com as soon as you notice that something isn't working properly on our site.  We will address the issue immediately.

3. Internet Explorer is stealing my downloads, what should I do?
The pop-up blocker on Internet Explorer sometimes "steals" the first download per login session.  We are currently working to fix this bug. 

To disable the File Download Block (Internet Explorer):
1. Click on Tools (in the menu)
2. Select Internet Options
3. Click on the Security tab
4. Click on the Custom Level button
5. Scroll down to Downloads: Automatic prompting for file downloads
6. Click on Enable
7. Click OK
8. Click OK

If the problem persists, please try another browser.  BreakTheCrates.com works best with Firefox for Windows and Safari for Macintosh.

4. How do I enable cookies?
To enable cookies, follow the instructions below for the browser version you are using.

Mozilla Firefox (1.0 final release and earlier)
* Go to the "Tools" menu.
* Select "Options".
* Select the "Privacy" icon in the left panel.
* Check the box corresponding to "Allow sites to set cookies".
* Click "OK" to save changes.

Netscape 7.1/Mozilla 5.0
* Select "Preferences" from the Edit menu.
* Click on the arrow next to "Privacy & Security" in the scrolling window to expand.
* Under "Privacy & Security", select "Cookies."
* Select "Enable all cookies".
* Click "OK".

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+
* Select "Internet Options" from the Tools menu.
* Click on the "Privacy" tab.
* Click the "Default" button (or manually slide the bar down to "Medium") under "Settings".
* Click "OK".

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x
* Select "Internet Options" from the Tools menu.
* Click on the "Security" tab.
* Click the "Custom Level" button. * Scroll down to the "Cookies" section.
* To enable: o Set "Allow cookies that are stored on your computer" to "Enable".
* Set "Allow per-session cookies" to "Enable".
* Click "OK".

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x
* Select "Internet Options" from the View menu.
* Click on the "Advanced" tab.
* Scroll down to find "Cookies" within the "Security" section.
* To enable: o Select "Always accept cookies".
* Click "OK".

Netscape Communicator 4.x
* Select "Preferences" from the Edit menu.
* Find the "Cookies" section in the "Advanced" category.
* To enable: o Select "Accept all cookies" (or "Enable all cookies").
* Click "OK".