What Is Sync Licensing & What Do Music Supervisors Do?
Ask most independent artists and songwriters, “What is sync licensing?” and most will have a general idea of what sync placements are, but they may not be able to explain how it works exactly.
In this Sync Songwriter post, we’ll take an in-depth look at sync licensing and discuss:
· How sync licensing works.
· What a music supervisor does.
· The different ways you can earn money from sync placements.
· How much you can expect to earn from a sync placement.
· How sync placements can lead to residual income from royalties.
· Tips on how to get your songs into TV and Film.
What Is Sync Licensing?
Sync is just short for “Synchronization.” Sync licensing is granting other parties synchronization rights (sync rights) to your song. This gives them the right to sync (or pair) your music to different forms of visual media like Film, Trailers, TV Shows, Video Games, and Advertisements.
What Do Music Supervisors Do?
Music supervisors oversee the music used in visual media. They are typically hired by film studios, network television studios, and production companies like Netflix, HBO, etc. and given a schedule and a budget for musical content.
The music supervisor has to work within the deadlines and budget to find, pre-clear, and secure the rights to the music that serves the vision of the producers and/or directors of the shows, movies, or ads.
They will often create sync briefs for the type of music they need and distribute these briefs to their trusted sources like record labels, major artist, music libraries, sync agents, etc.
SECURING SYNC RIGHTS
In order to “license” your music for TV, film, or any other visual media, music supervisors first need to secure the “sync rights” from the owners of the copyright. That is often you the songwriter (along with your co-writers), and your music publisher if you have one. If you are not signed with a publisher, then you yourself own all the publishing rights and the master recordings.
PRE-CLEARING SONGS
The music supervisor will first pre-clear the music to make sure that all the rightful owners, co-writers, and publishers have agreed to the sync licensing opportunity. They also oversee the sync agreement which outlines the negotiated terms like the sync fee, the scope of the permissions, and how the music will be utilized.
MANAGE THE MUSIC BUDGET
Music supervisors manage the project’s entire music budget so they must choose and pitch only the very best songs that will serve each scene. They work directly with the project’s producers, directors, and editors until the ideal music is chosen while staying within the budget.
MANAGE CREDITS & REPORTING
Music supervisors are also in charge of managing all the paperwork including the credits, cue sheets, and royalty reports for the project.
What Is a Sync Fee?
Music supervisors are given a budget for each project so all the music that they license must fit within that budget.
Before your music can be used in any visual media, the music supervisor will negotiate the sync licensing fee with you. Sync placement generally involves two types of fees:
1. The Sync License Fee – This is the song composition fee, which is paid for the right to use the composition itself (lyrics and melody).
2. Music Master License Fee – The master recording fee is paid to whoever owns the “master”. This could be the artist, the songwriter, or the label if there is a label involved.
If you are not signed to a label and don’t have a publisher, and you wrote the song and paid for the recording yourself, you have the exclusive right to grant permission. That means you would collect both sync fees upfront since you are the owner of the composition and the master.
How Much Does a Sync Placement Pay?
There is no standard sync licensing fee. The fee amount will vary a lot depending on where, when, and how the song was used. It will also be different for how much of the song was used in each scene.
Small Budgets “$0 - $1000” - The budgets for indie films, reality shows, and documentaries are generally smaller, and in some cases, you may be asked to grant permission pro bono. If you are new to sync, this can be a great way to break into the world of sync licensing.
Medium Budgets “$1000 - $5000” - Network TV, video games, and some lower budget films.
Larger Budgets Under $100,000 – Some TV, commercials, and large budget films.
Lucrative Budgets Over $100,000 – Larger budget films and large advertising campaigns.
How Are Sync Fees Determined?
Sync fees are not only affected by the project's budget. For example, a well-known artist will command a higher sync fee than a song from an independent artist or unknown songwriter.
As well, if only a few seconds of the song are used, the fee will be considerably less than if the whole song is used for a montage or as the theme song for the entire project.
Sync Licensing & Residual Income
As the song owner, you can also earn passive income after your sync placement.
Performance royalties are paid to you by your PRO (Performing Rights Organization) every time the visual media that used your song is aired. For example, television shows are often syndicated and broadcast reruns that can generate considerable income over time.
Sync placements can also help you find new fans who visit your website or download your song from different music distribution platforms.
What Kind of Music Is Good for Sync Licensing?
Major film studios, TV networks, Netflix, HBO, Amazon, and numerous other production companies are always looking for great music for their projects.
All types of music, in all genres, can be used for sync licensing. That said, the music you submit must be “Broadcast Quality.” That simply means the song must be properly recorded, mixed, and mastered so that it sounds professional.
Sync Licensing Cover Songs
Yes, you can submit cover songs for sync licensing. Even though you wouldn’t own the publishing on the song, you would own the master recording. There are times when the original artist recordings are beyond a project’s budget so the music supervisor might look for a cover version like yours.
Keep in mind though, that the music supervisor would still need to clear the song with the original publisher and/or songwriters who may or may not agree to grant the composition rights for the project. For a full rundown of what you need to do to legally release a cover song, check out our cover song guide here.
Tips On Preparing Your Music for Sync Licensing
Here are a few tips on how to license your music and properly prepare your music for sync placements. The information you provide will make it easier for the music supervisor to find your song if it fits the criteria they are looking for.
1. Song Production - Only submit songs that are Broadcast Quality. Music supervisors look for well-crafted songs that are professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered.
2. MP3 Only - Only submit MP3s. WAV files are large so music supervisors prefer MP3s and will ask for WAV files only if they are interested in licensing the song.
3. Metadata - Always include the Metadata with your MP3 files. Metadata would include among other things, your contact information, PRO affiliation, Co-writers, and Publisher information. You should also include specific info about the song including Genre, Similar Artists, Lyric Theme, Explicit/Clean Lyric, Mood/Feel, the Song Tempo, and Instrumentation. For a detailed guide, check out our metadata cheat sheet here.
4. Song Lyrics - If your song has lyrics be sure to have those available as well.
5. Authenticity – Most music supervisors only want authentic sounding songs. They want you as an artist, to be yourself and write songs from the heart.
6. Explicit Lyrics – Depending on the project, songs with explicit lyrics can be acceptable for sync placement but always disclose that the lyric is explicit in your metadata. You might even consider recording a clean alternate take.
7. Instrumental Versions – Most music supervisors also prefer to have instrumental versions of your songs. They can cut between that and the vocal version of your track to suit the scene in the show, movie, or ad.
8. Stems – Music stems (separate instrument tracks) are not always requested but it’s a good idea to have them available in case the music supervisor requests them. Most advertising sync placements will request a copy of the stems as well.
About Sync Songwriter
Sync Songwriter was created by Chris SD, a JUNO award-winning producer.
Our mission is to not only help independent artists and songwriters learn and understand the sync licensing world but to also help them build relationships with music supervisors.
Our goal is to teach you how to be a sync licensing professional and then introduce you to top music supervisors looking for music.
We can show you what you need to do and more importantly, what not to do when preparing and pitching your songs to music supervisors. We’ll also show you how to find the right sync placement opportunities for your music.
Music supervisors looking for music are the gatekeepers of the songs that make it into TV shows, films, and ads.
At Sync Songwriter, we introduce you to some of the industry's top music supervisors because building relationships is vital to your success in sync licensing.
If you still have questions about how sync licensing works or about Sync Songwriter, feel free to reach out. Contact us.