NOTE: Your Velvet Rope User Name will work with StarPolish Life and vice versa. StarPolish Artists and those wishing to participate in StarPolish's new wiki-based content will need to create a separate username/password

Posting Guidelines:

If you're new to the site, we recommend that you lurk for a while before posting. Read the recent posts to get a sense of how members behave and the tone of discussion. Start posting when you feel comfortable with the group. If you're new to the music industry, may we suggest that you spend some time in the StarPolish Advice section for a primer on the business of the music industry: http://www.starpolish.com/advice

Subject lines should be clear and descriptive of what the post is about.

Do not type in all CAPS. This is considered shouting in Cyberspace, is hard on the eyes and posts in all CAPS may be deleted.

Self promotional posts do not belong in the Velvet Rope Forum. Try the Hype This Forum for such posts.

Avoid Off Topic Postings: Often people post remarks that have nothing to do with the subject of the forum. These will be moved or deleted at our discretion. This is a music industry forum, not your diary. That means we don't need you to post and tell us what you ate for dinner, did on your birthday, your favorite color, etc. Please confine political debates about Bush, Israel or your favorite Republican/Democrat/Libertarian agendas to the Anything Goes forum. The Velvet Rope is not a fan site, so please conduct yourself appropriately.

Post about the topic at hand, not about the people posting.

Keep your comments and questions relevant to the focus of the thread. Remember that you're also taking up other people's time when they read your posts. Most of them do not have the time to wade through irrelevant and senseless messages. Don't post simply to complain about someone else's spelling and grammar.

If you don't have anything to add to the discussion except "I agrees" or "hear, hears" or just smileys, refrain from doing so. It's annoying to read through a lot of these especially if one is trying to find information.

Users are prohibited from impersonating other users.

Vicious/Malicious Postings: Postings that do nothing but criticize or attack another poster without any contribution to the forum will be deleted. Anyone consistently attacking another member or members will be banned from the forums. Posts should not harass, embarrass or threaten other users. Name calling posts will be deleted.

Use the Private Message Feature When Appropriate: Users should respect the rights of other ropers to have differing opinions. If you should find yourself in a continuous disagreement with one person, make your responses to each other via private messages rather than continuing to post messages on the Board.

If you have something personal to say to someone posting in the thread, send that user a private message.

Do not use the private message feature to SPAM registered users with promotional materials.

Do not post Soundscan data here. All such posts and inquiries will be deleted. Use the Velvet Rope Search Engine before posting a common question as there is a good chance it has already been asked and answered.

Obscene/Pornographic/Violent postings: Unless these contribute something useful to the discussions, they will be deleted.

Do not post here asking for contact information and phone numbers unless you have tried the traditional routes yourself with no success.

Please follow the direction for creating html shortcut links. At the top of every reply box is a link to UBBCode in your posts, which allows you to NOT post 1,386-character-long URLs that stretch some browser frames so wide that readers have to scroll sideways as well as verticially.

Here's a template of sorts:

the smoking gun

Except use brackets ([, ]) in place of the < and >

when you do, you'll wind up with [url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com]The Smoking Gun[/url]

Please do not reply to email auto-generated by velvetrope@starpolish.com:

When you elect to get [b]e-mail of a reply to your post, that e-mail is auto-generated by velvetrope@starpolish.com. That e-mail address (velvetrope@starpolish.com) did not reply to your post. The user name that did reply to your post is in the body of the e-mail. If you have something to say to the person who replied to your post, go back to the message in the forum, find the reply (using the link in your email) and send them a private message. Please, stop sending your comments in response to what someone else posted in reply to your message back to velvetrope@starpolish.com. I don't read them, I don't forward them, I just delete them as fast as I can.

Some Helpful Links:

A website with good daily music news:

http://sxsw.com/music/daily_chord/

Look up phone numbers here:

http://www.switchboard.com

My favorite search engine:

http://www.google.com

http://www.musicregistry.com

They publish very useful guides for people looking for current A&R information, a listing of legal and business affairs and entertainment attorney, music publishers, and music supervisors. And yes, these publications do cost money

Download the PA or SR Copyright forms here:

http://www.loc.gov/copyright/forms/

Again, don't forget to visit the StarPolish Advice section for a primer on the business of the music industry:

http://www.starpolish.com/advice

I Agree