Production Guide Menu

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY MUSIC SOURCE
The Warner Bros. Discovery Music Source library is available for use in Warner Bros. Discovery productions at no charge. It is recommended and preferred that WBDMS content is used in all Warner Bros. Discovery productions. Please register for access to the Warner Bros. Discovery Music Source (WBDMS) site at: https://wbdmusicsource.com/register
As soon as we see your registration go through, we will adjust your download access based on the show and region. If you have additional team members that need to be working together in WBDMS, please have them register using the same show/company info and we can add you all to a shared playlist group.

Our in-house music supervisors can provide brand expertise along with customized playlists based on your specific needs. They can also access music resources not yet online, assist with challenging budgets, and offer composer suggestions for custom music that will help distinguish your show.

● For general Global Music Services (GMS) inquiries, including gratis custom music composition contact: Jamie Shoemaker (Director, Music Operations, jamie.shoemaker@wbd.com)
● For music supervision and assistance with Warner Bros. Discovery Music Source (WBDMS) content contact: Ben Foy (Music Publishing Specialist, Ben.Foy@wbd.com)

LEGACY SCRIPPS BRANDS AND MAGNOLIA
Warner Bros. Discovery Music Source
Projects for all platforms (D+/MAX/linear/digital/etc.) originating from a U.S. Legacy SCRIPPS linear brand (Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking) cannot use the entire WBDMS library. Projects for these brands can only use the DiscoveryClear, Voyant, Droid Mafia, Pitchwire and Riddle Music catalogs. These WBDMS catalogs are meant to supplement the external library music resources discussed below.

External Music Libraries for Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking
Projects for all platforms (D+/linear/digital/etc.) originating from a U.S. Legacy SCRIPPS linear brand (Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking) also require a direct license for performing rights in the U.S. (i.e., no royalties will be distributed in the U.S. for music). When approaching external vendors to license music you should inform them you need a direct license as part of your agreement. They should be familiar with this request but feel free to include jamie.shoemaker@wbd.com if there are additional questions.
Music rates, which should be included in your Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking show budget, are $600 per half-hour episode and $1200 per one-hour episode (these rates include the direct license). Please see the “Warner Bros Discovery Preferred Music Vendors US -External” document for a current list of approved music vendors who have agreed to predetermined rates for these projects.

COMMISSIONED MUSIC
Please contact Jamie Shoemaker (Director, Music Operations, jamie.shoemaker@wbd.com) when commissioning any music so the music team is aware of the project and can ensure final delivery of all Warner Bros. Discovery owned music assets.

Requirements for Commissioned Music:
● Warner Bros. Discovery must own all copyrights and 100% of the publishing rights on all music composed under a commissioning agreement.
● The music should be composed as a “work-for-hire” and producers should use the Warner Bros. Discovery Composer Agreement template “WBD Composer Agreement Template” located on the Producer’s Portal. This Agreement requires full legal names and performing rights society affiliations for all composers contributing music under the agreement (Note: “PACT” Agreements will not be accepted for foreign composers.).
● If a composer is hired to create music for a commissioned program owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the music cue sheet must reflect that Warner Bros. Discovery is the copyright owner and publisher of the music. In these cases, please use the following publisher names in the “Publisher” column of the music cue sheet:
o Discovery Trademark Holding Company: for a composer affiliated with ASCAP
o Discovery Networks Music Publishing: for a composer affiliated with BMI
o Discovery World Television: for a composer affiliated with SESAC
o DNE Music Publishing Ltd: for a composer affiliated with PRS
o Discovery Music Publishing Denmark: for a composer affiliated with KODA
o Discovery Music Publishing Nordic: for a composer affiliated with STIM
o Discovery Music Publishing Norway: for a composer affiliated with TONO
o Discovery Communications LLC: for a composer affiliated with BUMA
o Discovery Communications LLC: for a composer affiliated with SACEM

Commissioned Music Delivery:
Please complete the Music Registration Form template (“MusicRegistrationForm” on the Producer’s Portal) and upload to Producer’s Portal and send to jamie.shoemaker@wbd.com

● Include the following information:
o Name and Season Number of Series
o Composer(s), Percentages, PRO affiliation, CAE or IPI# for each Full Mix
o NOTE: We only register the Full Mix; we do not register the Submixes, so please note that the composers attached to the Full Mix will be the composers of record for all mixes.

● Please upload complete audio files per specs below to a designated show music folder on Warner Bros. Discovery Global Music Services’ Google drive account. If you have not received a designated upload link, please contact jamie.shoemaker@wbd.com

Music Deliverable Specifications:
● Audio Format:
o 48K, 24-bit WAV or AIFF audio files
● Audio Components:
o Full and Submixes (unless separate stems apply).
o Music Only (unattached to V.O., Dialogue, Sound FX)
● Naming Conventions:
o Initials of the Show:
▪ Example: Killing Fields = KF, Say Yes to the Dress = SYTTD
o Two-Digit Season Identifier:
▪ Example: Killing Fields Season 2 = KF02, Say Yes to the Dress Season 12 = SYTTD12
o Track Name, Include Spaces but No Hyphens:
▪ Example: Killing Fields Season 2, Track Name ‘Blow Hard’ = KF02_Blow Hard
▪ Example: Say Yes to the Dress Season 12, Track Name “Dress Up Time” = SYTTD12_Dress Up Time
o Mix Identifier
▪ Identify each separate mix including Full Mix (using “Full”)
▪ Use Uppercase/Lowercase, No Spaces, to identify submixes.
▪ Beyond that, use best practices for identifying submixes; we offer the following as suggestions:
▪ Drms, Bss, Gtr, Ld, NoMel, NoOrch, OrchOnly, NoDrmsNoBss, Amb (for ambient verisons), etc.

● File Name Examples:
o KF02_Blow Hard_Full
o KF02_Blow Hard_NoDrms
o KF02_Blow Hard_NoFddle
o KF02_Charmed I’m Sure_Full
o KF02_Charmed I’m Sure_NoMel
o SYTTD12_Dress Up Time_Full
o SYTTD12_Dress Up Time_NoGlock

SUBMITTING MUSIC CUE SHEETS
Producers are required to submit music cue sheets as part of their Program Deliverables. Once a cue sheet is approved by Warner Bros. Discovery, it will be considered “delivered” and flagged to be filed with the performing rights societies automatically upon the first airing of the program. Warner Bros. Discovery files all music cue sheets with the U.S. and international performance societies regularly.

Soundmouse:
● For programs originated by Warner Bros. Discovery Networks, music cue sheets must be submitted electronically via the Soundmouse application.
● Music Cue Sheets should be submitted at the same time the Program Master is sent to WBD for QC. Note: Please ONLY upload ‘Approved’ cue sheets to the Producer’s Portal website.
● To create a Soundmouse account: Register Here
● Once you are registered, cue sheet headers for the WBDiscovery programs you are working on will be available to you in your Soundmouse workspace.
● For assistance with Music Cue Sheets/Soundmouse contact: Mark Bunch (Music Cue Sheet Specialist, Mark.Bunch@wbd.com) If you have questions regarding your program deliverables, contact your Warner Bros. Discovery Production Management team.

*** For Acquisitions and license deals, please refer to your WBD Program Materials exhibit for music cue sheet filing instructions.

Digital Projects
Please note that Digital projects are not currently reported via Soundmouse. Digital projects should be reported via the “Snap Ins, Digital and Short Form Template” document on the Producer’s Portal and uploaded to the Producer’s Portal when complete.

LATAM and Asia
Productions for LATAM and Asia do not currently use Soundmouse.
For LATAM and Asian territories use the “LATAM_APAC Cue Sheet Template” document on the Producer’s Portal and send all cue sheets to music_cue@discovery.com

Soundmouse Helpdesk
Soundmouse operates a helpdesk to offer free online training and technical assistance to its users. Please contact them directly for all technical, system, or cue sheet header questions. If you need to report a technical issue, please send an email to Soundmouse and detail the following: the error message, browser version, time, date and process being conducted. Email: helpdesk@soundmouse.com

More info and tutorials on cue sheets can be found here: https://www.discoverymusicsource.com/cuesheets/

MUSIC LOG FOR ADDITIONAL PROGRAM CONTENT & ALTERNATE MUSIC CONTENT
For Additional Program Content Segments (“snap-ins”) and Alternate Music Content (as specified in your Production Agreement), list these cues separately on the Additional Program Content log and upload directly to the Producer’s Portal. You should NOT include snap-in cues on your Soundmouse cue sheets.