How to License Your Music for Film and TV: A Guide
The only thing better than hearing your music as you’re flipping channels is getting paid for it
It’s a musician's dream to earn a living by having their music reach audiences far and wide. One of the easiest — and most financially sustainable — ways to achieve that goal is by having their music added to TV shows and movies, also known as sync licensing.
Sync licensing takes a little leg work, but it can pad an artist’s pockets quite nicely. Keep reading, and we'll cover the most popular ways to license your music for film and TV.
What is sync licensing?
Sync licensing is when, as a copyright owner, an artist grants a music synchronization (sync) license to a licensee, for the purposes of adding that music to visual media. Some examples of visual media include films, advertisements, television shows, video games, websites, and social media posts like YouTube or TikTok videos.
You may think you need to already be a popular artist in order to license your music for film and TV, but that isn’t the case. As Digital Music News reports, sync licensing is a great opportunity for up-and-coming and lesser-known artists. Not every scene requires well-known songs to help illustrate its actions. Picking the music that fits the scene best is what’s important, and sometimes that just involves instrumental clips or short verses.
How to license your music for film and TV
Sometimes directors already know exactly what tune will be the soundtrack for a certain scene, but most of the time it’s more about a mood or kind of overall sound. There are a number of ways to get your music out there for consideration. Here are the most popular options.
Work with a publishing company
Working with a music publisher is the most common way that artists sync license their music. Their fees are typically higher, but music publishers work hard to obtain multiple deals for your music. They also have access to the most reputable clients, including advertising agencies, Hollywood film studios, and television networks. Music publishers are paid a percentage of your royalties and licensing fees.
Some of the most popular music publishers include:
Check out the Music Publishers Association of the United States for a complete list of companies.
Once you’ve figured out which publishers you want to approach, it’s time to put your pitches together. First, check the publishers’ websites to see if they accept unsolicited pitches. If they don’t, find out when they accept solicited ones. Pitching music publishing companies may seem intimidating at first but with time, you won’t just master it, you’ll get a feel for each group’s preferences.
Next, make sure your music is ready to pitch. Get some feedback about the sound quality and production from someone you trust. You should also check to see if your ideal publishers are accepting a certain genre of music and consider whether yours is what they’re looking for. If there are no specifications, make a streaming playlist of your best recordings.
Find out the preferred contact method for music supervisors at publishing companies. This information should be included on the publishers’ websites. Music supervisors are bombarded with numerous email pitches every day, so make yours stand out by writing an interesting headline. If you’re sending an email, provide a link to your music — do not attach files to your message.
Remembering that music supervisors are busy, be careful not to send too many follow-up messages. If you haven’t heard anything in over a week, it’s ok to send a polite message asking if they had time to listen to your playlist. Don’t overdo it; keep your message succinct.
Sell your music online
Many artists and composers put their music libraries out in the online marketplace. There are many platforms available that allow you to upload a certain number of tracks into a catalogue at a time. Two popular platforms include Universal Production Music (formerly known as Killer Tracks) and Extreme Music. Their submission requirements differ, but by selling on these platforms, you are providing a license to the licensee to use the music.
As the name indicates, Universal Production Music is owned by the famed Universal Music Group, and also recently integrated fellow production music giant FirstCom Music. The company’s stature within the recording industry means you already have a leg-up in getting your music in front of the right potential partners. Best of all, UPM’s contact page confirms that it’s “always on the lookout for new talented artists and composers to work with.”
Extreme Music represents the production arm of Sony Music Publishing. Its list of musical talent includes Snoop Dogg, Sir George Martin, and prolific film soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer. Extreme Music puts its focus on “deliciously high production values” with a public online library of music that rivals Spotify for ease of use and searchability, and it has offices around the world to field questions from potential partners such as yourself.
Network with content creators
Some might say that networking might be the most important way to get your music licensed. After all, isn’t putting yourself out there par for the course when you’re working on a music career? When you network, you meet a variety of people who may have influence in your industry. Someone who knows someone who knows someone else may just be the ticket to getting your music out there.
A huge pro of networking is that you won’t have to pay any fees as you would to publishing companies or online marketplaces. Figure out your desired marketplace and come up with a pitch. Reach out to content creators that you would like to work with, and ask to have conversations about how your music is the right fit for their projects.
There are plenty of new filmmakers and television producers who need help finding the right music for their projects. Look through social media and even the online marketplace to find potential licensees.
Once you’ve figured out the best method of how to license your music for film and TV, you still have to ensure you’re receiving your full due of royalties. If you’re a big fan of spreadsheets, you should have no trouble, but anyone else is going to need a trustworthy partner to help them out. We created Trqk because we understand the importance of a transparent music economy. Our goal is to take the pain out of royalties so that artists can focus on what they do best — making music! Contact us today for a demo.