Sync Licence Deals: How Do I Get One?

Whenever you hear a song on an advert, in a film or on a TV show, it's usually what is referred to as a 'sync licence.' Sometimes they can literally make a musicians career.

Take The Rembrandts for example. Their sync licence for the popular sitcom 'Friends' is still earning them performance royalties or "backend" 25 years after it was written, every time the show airs!

As an independent artist, it can be easy to think that you have no chance at placement if you don't have a major label backing you.

However, What many indie artists don't realise is that sometimes being an independent artist can actually be an advantage in the sync licensing world.

Here are four types of sync licensing opportunities that are better suited to indie musicians rather than big-name artists:

1. Projects with a quick turnaround time

One of the biggest advantages about being an indie artist is that there's a good chance you own all of the rights to your music. If a music supervisor wants to place a song by a major label artist, they usually have to deal with a number of different rights holders. This can really slow the process down, and since music supervisors often work with tight deadlines, speed and efficiency can sometimes make all the difference.

2. Projects with smaller budgets

Another major constraint music supervisors often deal with is budgets. While they may want to use a song by a major artist in their project, they may not be able to afford it, and will look instead for an indie artist with a similar sound.

3. Projects focused on breaking new talent

Since sync licenses have come to replace radio singles for many artists, music supervisors know that placing the right song by the right artist in the right film or TV spot can be the key to launching that artist's career. And while some outlets still prefer to stick with well-known music when they can afford it, there are plenty of others that are actively looking for the next big artist to break.

4. Projects that match perfectly with your sound

Sometimes landing a sync deal as an indie artist has nothing to do with budgets or timelines, or even a music supervisor's desire to discover new music. Sometimes you can land a sync simply because your song fits perfectly with what’s happening on screen.

How do I find sync briefs?

We are frequently given briefs by music supervisors to find tracks suitable for their projects - we always advertise them on the frtyfve app, which you can download here:

For Android

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