10. I REGISTERED MY DETAILS TO BE LISTED ON THIS WEBSITE. WHY HAS MY NAME DISAPPLEARED?

For one of the following reasons: (1) you have not completed the joining formalities; (2) you have not paid your subscription; (3) you have not been approved as a member. [Back to FAQs]

11. CAN I DOWNLOAD A LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS TO THE MESSAGING SERVICE?

No. Full and Associate Members can view the contact details of those who have placed profiles on this site (log-in required), but we do not supply lists of members to anyone. [Back to FAQs]

12. HOW DO I ACCESS THE MESSAGING SERVICE'S ARCHIVES ON THE WEB?

The list's messages are stored automatically on our DepList Group's site. The site and its contents are restricted to Full Members and may be viewed only by subscribers. [Back to FAQs]

13. HOW DO I MAKE A COMPLAINT?

If you have any worries about the service, or if you suspect that a Member of DepList has been admitted to the List without the necessary skills or experience, we would be grateful if you would let us know by filling in our feedback form. All information will be treated in confidence as far as possible, although we will have to inform the Member that a complaint has been lodged against them if it becomes necessary to take further action (see item 14). Directors of music are encouraged to give us feedback, but they are also urged to tackle any problems directly with the Member concerned and not simply complain to us behind the Member's back. [Back to FAQs]

14. DO YOU EVER REMOVE PEOPLE FROM DEPLIST?

When we consider that a member's continued membership would be detrimental to the reputation of the list, for whatever reason, we terminate their subscription and remove their entry from this website. Two complaints from separate sources on separate occasions will automatically result in a Member's removal from DepList if we consider that the complaints are valid. Our vetting procedure is designed to avoid this happening too often (see also item 16 below). It is not something we enjoy doing! [Back to FAQs]

15. HOW DO I RENEW MY SUBSCRIPTION?

Payment of the annual subscription is made via PayPal. Each member receives instructions for initial payment. Subscriptions are automatically renewed until a member chooses to terminate the subscription. Payments are non-refundable, except in the case of members who are asked to leave DepList. [Paying via PayPal]

16. HOW QUICKLY WILL MY APPLICATION BE PROCESSED?

This entirely depends on how much we can infer from your CV, your application form and your sponsor's reference. Those who are highly experienced, well established and well regarded in the business will obviously be admitted more quickly than those for whom extra research is needed on our part. Singers who are sponsored by well-established directors of music rather than by a fellow singer are more likely to be admitted very quickly. In less clearcut cases, the admission process takes longer as we must carry out certain checks to ensure that new subscribers are suitably qualified for Membership. If we are in any doubt we may either not admit the applicant or ask them to reapply when they have gained more experience.

Why all the fuss? The reason for such rigorous vetting is to minimize the risk of people joining DepList who either have insufficient skills or experience or do not fit the expected profile in some other way. Unless complaints are made about them, we will remain unaware that there is a problem. And if unsuitable members in their turn sponsor equally unsuitable newcomers to the List, DepList's commitment to quality - the very essence of DepList - would rapidly become compromised and its reputation ruined. Such a situation would be very difficult to salvage. It is embarrassing and time-consuming for us to have to defend someone's presence on DepList when that Member's performance or attitude fell short of the expected standard. Nor do we want to have to caution sponsors and terminate memberships, which can involve lengthy correspondence and considerable anguish, on all sides. We are singers, not arbitrators or lawyers, and we hate dealing with complaints! The ideal is to prevent them from happening in the first place. [Back to FAQs]

17. HOW DO I LIST OR UPDATE MY DETAILS ON THIS WEBSITE?

Provided you are a paid-up Member of DepList you can have your details listed on this site by logging on to the Members' Area and completing your profile information. If you have not yet registered your details with this site you will need to fill in a Registration Form. Please allow a day or two for approval. [Back to FAQs]

18. WHY DO YOU CHARGE FOR DEPLIST?

Many networking sites have sponsorship deals and advertising revenue. Those unregulated sites are programmed to get as many people to join as possible, and they do not impose admission criteria. Their sole concern is to generate traffic with registrations that are fully automated. At DepList we process every application individually. By carefully assessing CVs, application forms, written references and verbal reports, sometimes supplemented by further correspondence when second opinions are required, we aim to ensure that high standards are maintained. We turn down many applicants. This element of quality-control is what makes DepList something more than just a database. You are paying us to do the work of filtering members and making sure that they are suitably qualified. The membership is in a constant state of flux as people move out of town, go abroad, change careers, or simply let their subscriptions lapse, and each year brings a new wave of applications from new graduates. Our correspondence runs into many hundreds of emails every year. Your subscription fees also go towards paying for domain names, server space, specialist membership software (expensive!), development costs and regular updating of our totally ad-free website. [Back to FAQs]

19. IS DEPLIST LIMITED TO THE LONDON AREA?

No. Although most activity on DepList currently concerns job opportunities in London, there is no reason why those who live and work in other areas of the UK should not make use of DepList. Non-Londoners are encouraged to join DepList and to help extend its network and reach.. [Back to FAQs]