Sync Licensing First Steps: Get Your Music Ready Before You Pitch

Sync licensing, getting your music placed in film, TV, games, ads and online video, is one of the few parts of the business where a single song can pay more in one deal than a year of streams. It’s also where a lot of musicians stall, because they start by pitching before their music is ready to be licensed.

Music supervisors and editors work on tight deadlines. When they find a song they like, the question is rarely “is it good?” It’s “can I clear this today?” Here’s how to make the answer yes.

Know what a sync license actually covers

A sync license gives a production the right to pair your music with picture. Because every recording has two copyrights, two permissions are needed:

• The sync license for the composition (from the songwriters and publishers).
• The master use license for the recording (from whoever owns the master).

Each is negotiated and paid separately. If either side can’t be cleared, the song doesn’t get used, no matter how perfect it is.

Become a one-stop if you can

“One-stop” means a single person or company can approve both the composition and the master. For a supervisor, that’s the easiest possible yes: one email, one signature, done.

If you wrote and recorded the song yourself and own the master, you may already be a one-stop. If you have co-writers, a producer with a stake in the master, or a label involved, you’re not, until everyone agrees in writing who can approve licenses and how the money splits.

Do this before you pitch: get a short written agreement with every co-writer and master owner that names who can say yes and how fees are divided. It feels formal, but it’s what turns “great song, can’t clear it” into a placement.

Clear anything that isn’t yours

Samples, interpolations, borrowed melodies and uncleared loops are deal killers. If a song contains anything you didn’t create or properly license for commercial use, either clear it or keep that song out of your sync catalog.

Read the license terms on any sample packs or loop libraries you used. Some allow commercial release but not sync use, or have conditions you’ll need to meet.

Have the right files ready

When a supervisor asks for a track, you should be able to send it within the hour. Keep a folder for every song you pitch with:

• A full mix (high-quality WAV, plus an MP3 for quick listening).
• An instrumental version. Many placements sit under dialogue, and vocals get in the way.
• Stems (drums, bass, music, vocals) so an editor can build their own version, if you can provide them.
• Clean versions if the song has explicit lyrics.
• Short edits or cutdowns (30 and 60 seconds) if the song suits ads or trailers.

Fill in the metadata

A file with no information attached is a file nobody can license. Embed and keep track of:

• Song title, artist name, and all writers with their splits and PROs.
• Publisher and master owner, and a contact email for licensing.
• ISRC for the recording.
• Tempo, key, mood and genre keywords if you’re submitting to libraries or platforms that use them.

Make sure the contact information still works years from now. Songs get found long after they’re pitched.

Register so the backend gets paid

The upfront sync fee is only part of the money. When a show or film airs, the production files a cue sheet listing the music used, and performance royalties flow to the songwriters and publishers through their PROs.

That only works if your songs are registered with your PRO, with correct splits, before the placement airs. Unregistered songs can mean a placement with no backend at all.

Where the pitching happens

There are a few common routes in, each with tradeoffs:

• Music libraries license catalogs to productions. Some are exclusive (they represent the song alone, often for a set term) and some are non-exclusive. Read the agreement closely: term length, exclusivity, fee splits, and whether they re-title your songs.
• Sync agents and publishers pitch your catalog for a share of the fees. A good one has real relationships with supervisors.
• Direct pitching to music supervisors works best when it’s targeted: a short email, a link to two or three songs that fit their show, and confirmation that you’re a one-stop.

Whatever route you choose, never send unsolicited attachments, and never pitch something you can’t clear.

Start with the songs you control

You don’t need a huge catalog to begin. Pick the five songs you own outright, get the agreements, files, metadata and registrations in place for those, and pitch them well. A small, ready-to-clear catalog beats a large messy one every time.

The Musical Pathfinder book has a full section on sync licensing, from deal terms to backend royalties: The Musical Pathfinder. The upcoming The Art of Sync Licensing course will go deeper into pitching and negotiating.