A single sync placement can generate more income than years of streaming. We administer your sync licensing - pitching your catalog, negotiating fees, issuing licenses, and ensuring every backend royalty that follows a placement finds its way back to you.
Synchronization licensing is the process of pairing your music with visual media - a film scene, a TV commercial, a streaming series, a video game cutscene, or a brand campaign. It represents one of the most lucrative and career-defining opportunities available to independent creators.
But sync isn't just about the upfront fee. Every placement triggers a chain of royalty income - performance royalties from broadcast and streaming, backend licensing fees, international usage income - that continues generating revenue long after the initial deal closes.
We handle every layer of sync administration on your behalf: pitching your catalog to music supervisors and licensing partners, negotiating deal terms, issuing licenses, and tracking all backend income so nothing is left uncollected.
Submit Your CatalogEvery sync deal generates both an upfront sync fee and ongoing backend performance royalties - two separate income streams from one placement.
There is no cost to submit your catalog for sync consideration. We earn only when your music is placed.
Sync licenses are time- and use-limited agreements. You retain full ownership of your music and publishing rights at all times.
Feature films - theatrical releases and streaming originals - represent some of the highest-value sync opportunities. A film placement carries both a strong upfront fee and long-tail performance royalties from theatrical exhibition, broadcast, and home distribution.
TV remains one of the most active and reliable markets for sync licensing. Network, cable, and streaming series all license music extensively for scenes, trailers, promos, and theme use - with strong backend royalties from broadcast and repeat airings.
Commercial sync is among the highest-paying use categories. National advertising campaigns command significant upfront fees, and broadcast royalties from repeated commercial airings can generate substantial ongoing income over the life of a campaign.
The video game industry is one of the fastest-growing sync markets. Game placements include in-game music, trailers, cutscenes, and menu soundtracks - often with buy-out structures that provide strong upfront income and potential for long licensing windows.
Online video, branded content, and social media campaigns have emerged as a major and fast-growing sync market. YouTube channels, social campaigns, podcasts, and digital-first content all require licensing - with rates and terms that vary significantly by platform and usage.
Sync opportunities extend beyond traditional screens. Live events, theme parks, fitness platforms, corporate presentations, and theatrical productions all require music licensing - expanding the scope of what a well-administered catalog can earn.
Sync licensing involves far more than a handshake and a fee. We handle the complete administration cycle - from catalog preparation and pitching through licensing, backend tracking, and royalty collection.
Before a sync deal can close, every element of the music must be cleared - composition rights, master rights, and all co-writer and co-publisher ownership confirmed. We audit your catalog for clearance readiness, resolve any gaps, and ensure every work is properly documented and ready to license without delays.
We actively pitch your catalog to music supervisors, licensing agencies, advertising music departments, and production companies seeking music for their projects. We match your catalog's characteristics - tone, tempo, genre, mood - to live briefs and ongoing relationships in the sync marketplace.
When a placement opportunity arises, we negotiate deal terms on your behalf - sync fees, usage scope, territory, exclusivity, and term - ensuring you receive fair market value for the use. We issue formal sync licenses and master use licenses as required by the deal structure.
The upfront sync fee is only the beginning. Every placement generates ongoing backend performance royalties from broadcast, streaming, and international usage of the licensed work. We register each placement with your PRO and relevant collecting societies and ensure all backend income is tracked and collected across every platform and territory where the content airs.
Sync licenses expire, get renewed, and often lead to additional placements within the same production or franchise. We manage your active license portfolio, track renewal dates, pursue re-licensing opportunities, and ensure that no expired license goes unnoticed or results in unauthorized continued use.
We provide comprehensive sync income reporting that breaks down every placement, the fee received, the backend royalties collected, the territory of usage, and the current status of each active license - giving you complete visibility into one of your most valuable and complex income streams.
Every sync placement actually requires two separate licenses - one for the composition and one for the recording. Both must be cleared before a deal can close. We administer both.
The sync license grants permission to use a musical composition - the underlying song, its melody and lyrics - in timed relation to visual media. This license is controlled by the publisher or publishing administrator and songwriter.
The master use license grants permission to use a specific sound recording of a composition in visual media. This license is controlled by whoever owns the master recording - typically the artist, an independent label, or a major label.
When the same person or entity controls both the composition and the master recording - which is common among independent artists who write and record their own music - both licenses can be issued simultaneously. This is called "one-stop" licensing and is highly valued by music supervisors for its simplicity.
Once a licensed work is broadcast, streamed, or exhibited publicly - whether on TV, in theaters, or online - performance royalties begin generating separately from the sync fee. These backend royalties are collected by PROs and neighboring rights societies worldwide and continue accruing for the duration of the content's distribution life.
We begin by reviewing your catalog for sync readiness - confirming ownership documentation, co-writer agreements, split sheets, and master rights status. Any clearance issues are identified and resolved before pitching begins, so no deal is delayed or lost due to administrative gaps.
We categorize your catalog with the metadata music supervisors use to search and filter - genre, tempo, mood, instrumentation, lyric themes, and production style. Well-tagged catalogs surface in more searches and get pitched more often. This step alone can significantly increase the volume of placement opportunities your catalog receives.
We actively pitch your catalog against live briefs from music supervisors and licensing agencies seeking music for active productions. When a supervisor is looking for something specific - an upbeat track for a car commercial, a melancholic instrumental for a drama scene, a hip-hop track for a sports brand - we match your catalog and submit directly.
When a supervisor wants to use your music, we negotiate all deal terms on your behalf - fee, exclusivity, territory, media type, and term. Once terms are agreed, we draft and execute the sync license and master use license and collect the upfront fee.
Immediately following placement, we register the licensed work with your PRO under the production title and cue sheet information to begin backend collection. We track broadcast and streaming usage of the licensed content, pursue performance royalties from all applicable territories, and report all backend income alongside your standard royalty distributions.
Most creators only think about the upfront fee. A well-administered sync deal generates multiple income streams - some of which continue paying out for years.
Paid at the time of licensing for the right to use the composition in the production. Rates vary widely - from hundreds of dollars for indie digital content to hundreds of thousands for major film or national advertising campaigns.
Paid separately from the sync fee for the right to use the specific recorded version of the track. Negotiated independently and often matches the sync fee - effectively doubling the upfront income for artists who own their masters.
Every time the licensed content airs on TV, plays in theaters, or streams on a platform, performance royalties are generated and collected through your PRO. A single TV show placement can generate thousands in performance royalties over a full broadcast run.
If the production is distributed internationally - as most streaming and theatrical content now is - performance royalties are generated in each foreign territory where the content airs. These are collected through our international affiliate network and distributed alongside your domestic royalties.
If your music is used in a trailer or promotional content for the production, a separate license may be required - and separate performance royalties are generated from the trailer's own broadcast and online distribution.
When a production moves into home entertainment distribution - DVD, Blu-ray, digital download - additional licensing fees and royalties may apply depending on the original deal terms. We track these windows and pursue additional income where it is contractually available.
Virtually every genre has a sync market - from hip-hop and R&B to orchestral, ambient, indie rock, and electronic. What matters most to music supervisors is production quality, emotional specificity, and clearance speed. Well-produced tracks with clean stems, clear ownership, and fast clearance turnaround are placed far more frequently than tracks that are technically impressive but administratively complex.
Submit your catalog and we'll assess its sync potential, prepare it for licensing, and start actively pitching it to music supervisors and licensing partners.