I bet at some point you’ve wondered what it would be like if your music was in a film, TV show, game or advert. In the music industry, when music is played in film, TV, games, adverts and more, it’s called synchronisation (or sync for short).
Synchronisation is quite literally the synchronisation of music to visual media. For anyone new to the world of sync licensing, it can be quite confusing and challenging. This is why our friends at Music Gateway have created a guide and list of tips to help you navigate and understand the profitable world of sync.
A huge part of any video project is the music that is used for it. The right soundtrack can make or break a show, and there are many movie soundtracks that are as famous, if not more, than the film it was featured in. For this reason, having your music synced can be great for your music career. It is a great way to expose your music to a greater audience, and in doing so, help you build your fanbase.
Not only that, it can be a great form of revenue, both in the form of royalties and sync fees! The sync fee is a one-off, upfront payment for the license to use your music in visual media. This can be anywhere from 50 up to hundreds of thousands of euros/pounds/dollars, or sometimes even more, depending on the license.
Then on top of that, you’ll usually get royalties as well. Royalties can come from a TV show being broadcast, a film being released on DVD, and many more. You’ll get royalties from the moment the visual media is released until potentially years into the future. Imagine if you get a sync in an episode of a successful TV show that has reruns on TV for years and years. You’ll get royalties every time that episode is aired and possibly even used elsewhere!
Now we know talking about ‘exposure’ is perhaps a bit of a touchy subject. However, the exposure you can get from landing a sync placement is too important not to mention. Many artists and bands have gained a massive amount of exposure and seen a growth in fanbase through having their music synced. Who’s to say you won’t be next?
So now you know why sync could really benefit you and hopefully at this point you’re excited to get involved. So, let’s have a look at how it actually works.
The people who work on any video project need to find music that perfectly matches the project and specifically the scenes within it. The person usually in charge of doing this is called a music supervisor.
The most common process for sync licensing starts with the supervisor, who will have a brief of what they’re looking for. They’ll send this out to their contacts in order to find the perfect piece of music. Music supervisors don’t generally tend to source music from individual artists and instead prefer to work with trusted sources. These ‘trusted sources’ are usually record labels, publishers and sync agents. These sources find tracks in their catalogue that match the project and send them back to the music supervisor. After this, the supervisor (often together with the director) will pick the tracks that best fit the project and move onto the process of clearing the rights to license the music.
If you have a publishing and/or record deal, your publisher or record label should be representing your music for sync opportunities. Check your contract with them to see if sync is included in your deal.
If you’re independent and want to stay independent then you might want to work with a sync agent! A sync agent’s entire job is about representing you for any relevant sync opportunities. As that’s what they specialise in, they are often more likely to have good relationships with supervisors and have more time to focus on sync. Hopefully, this means that they would also find you more opportunities.
You could also try to break into the sync world by yourself, however you’ll have to do a lot of research. You’ll need to find out who’s working as a supervisor and try to meet them, or try to find some networking events where you know there will be supervisors or independent filmmakers. Then you’ll need to build a strong relationship with them.
Unfortunately, however, as mentioned above, most supervisors don’t tend to use individuals as sources when searching for music. Plus, you’ll spend a lot of time meeting people, building relationships and keeping in the loop. This obviously leaves you less time to be doing what you do best, making music and being creative!
As you may be able to imagine, the world of sync licensing is a very competitive one. So how can you get your foot in the door and stand out from the crowd?
Here are our top seven tips to increase your chances of getting your music synced:
Do you already have high-quality tracks that you want to pitch towards sync projects and do you want to get started? Manage all of your music and add metadata all in one place with Music Gateway, as well as get sync representation through their Sync Portal. Or keep an eye out on their marketplace for new opportunities on a near-daily basis!
Music Gateway’s free trial is 14 days with no strings attached, so what’s stopping you?
Find more music industry tips here.
