Editorial Policy
How We Curate
Every clip in DeepCutsArchive has been reviewed against a consistent set of criteria before being accepted. This page explains what we look for, what we reject, and who makes those decisions.
Editor
Jamie McDonnell
Founder & Editor
Jamie has spent over a decade collecting rare and behind-the-scenes music footage, and personally reviews every submission to the archive. He is not affiliated with any record label, management company, or music industry organisation.
What We Include
Rare or hard to find
The clip must show something that isn't easily discoverable through a standard YouTube search — footage that surfaces only in specialist groups, obscure channels, or private collections.
Behind the scenes or off-stage
Priority is given to footage captured away from the official stage — studio sessions, rehearsals, backstage moments, interviews, soundchecks, and candid footage that reveals the reality behind the music.
Historically or culturally significant
The clip must document a meaningful moment — an artist before they were famous, a legendary session or collaboration, a recording that shaped an era, or a performance that was never meant to be seen publicly.
Not official or commercially released
We do not archive officially released music videos, concert films sold commercially, or promotional content produced for marketing purposes. The archive is for footage that exists outside the official catalogue.
Correctly attributed
Every clip must be accurately linked to the artist, decade, and content type. Submissions with incorrect or missing metadata are returned for correction before being accepted.
What We Exclude
- —Official music videos released by record labels or artists for commercial distribution
- —Lip-sync performances on mainstream television where no live singing or playing occurred
- —Compilation or reaction videos that use third-party footage without adding documentary value
- —Generic fan-shot footage of large arena concerts where the artist is not clearly identifiable
- —Reposts of content already in the archive under a different URL
- —AI-generated or digitally fabricated footage presented as authentic historical material
- —Content submitted in bad faith — spam, irrelevant submissions, or deliberate misattribution
Review Process
All submissions are reviewed manually before publication. The editor checks the clip against the criteria above, verifies the artist attribution, assigns the correct decade and tags, and either publishes, returns for correction, or rejects the submission with a reason. We aim to review all submissions within 48 hours. Clips that are accepted may have their metadata corrected or supplemented before publication.