We consider a proposed film as having been premiered if the final, complete film has been made available to the public. Examples could include posting the full film on your website or social media, in-person or virtual screenings of your film, or selling the film alongside an album.

We do not consider audio-only releases or live performances of music as a premiere of the film. For example, if you’re setting a pre-recorded and publicly released piece of music to film, we would consider your film a premiere. Or, if you are making a film version of a performance piece, we would consider your film a premiere.

If you’re unsure of whether your film has been premiered, please email us with a description of your situation and we’ll let you know if it fits our guidelines.

We are interested in films where the sound is of equal or greater importance to the visual elements of the film. There are many names for the kinds of films we present, including music films, sound films, performance videos, or experimental films.

We do not present video documentation of live events. For performance films, the filmed perspective must be significantly different from a live performance and will typically not include visuals of the audience. We do not present documentaries about music or films that simply include a film score.

The best way to understand the kinds of films that we present, is to review our past works or to watch this YouTube playlist, which includes trailers from all the films we have presented.

We broadly (and messily) describe the music we present as experimental. This includes music that is improvised, uses unconventional instruments or objects, is constructed with field recordings, electronic music, and realizations of unconventional scores. We also present contemporary classical music from the recent past, if the video element reveals new and interesting insights about the music. The best way to understand the styles of music that we present, is to review our past works or to watch this YouTube playlist, which includes trailers from all the films we have presented.

We accept and will seriously consider projects anywhere on the production timeline, including the conceptual phase. However, based on the monetary support we can offer projects and the date we require projects to be completed (May 1, 2027), we believe this application is best suited for finished or nearly finished projects. This application is ideal for finished films looking for a presenting opportunity, or for projects in need of minor funding, limited production support, or a deadline to be completed. In the interest of equitably compensating artists, we do not encourage artists to create new projects specifically for this application.

If you are working on a project that may not be finished by May 1, 2027, please submit your proposal with a note about when it could be completed.

If your project can’t be completed by September 1, 2027, please submit it to our General Inquiry portal, which we review on a rolling basis.

We require 1 year of presenting exclusivity from the date of your film’s premiere on Music for Your Inbox. In particular, that means your film can not be posted online for free public viewing for 1 year following its MFYI premiere.

We often create exceptions to the 1-year exclusivity for special opportunities such as festival screenings or live performances alongside the film. We do not consider audio-only releases or live performances of music as presentations of the film. For example, you may release the audio on an album or perform it in a concert. Artists may submit the film as a work sample for applications at any time, including within the 1 year exclusivity.

If you have questions or concerns about this requirement, please email us at hello@musicforyourinbox.com

The ideal work sample is a finished or nearly finished version of the film you’re proposing.

If your work is unfinished or hasn’t begun, you may submit in-progress excerpts or samples of similar work you have already finished. If you submit similar work you’ve already finished, please tell us how it is similar to your proposed film — is it indicative of how the music will sound or what your visuals might look like? Does it demonstrate your skills or ability to finish the project? Examples of in-progress excerpts could include: separate works that you ask us to imagine together, a short excerpt of what will be a larger work, or a demo, test or sketch of your idea.

Don’t think of this as a portfolio of your work — we are hoping to get a clear sense of how your proposed project will look and sound.

We programmed 21% of the proposals submitted to our 2025 Open Call (for works presented in 2026). In conversation with the artists, some of these proposals were accepted with long development periods or significant adjustments to the proposed project.

Our organization’s goal is to give more to the artistic community than we take. With our Open Call, that means that artists have a significant chance of being selected if their project fits within our limited resources and curatorial goals. Artists whose proposals are not selected are still considered for future collaborations or programming.