Sync and brand licensing: how to be easy to say yes to

What sync means

Sync (short for synchronisation) is when music is paired with moving pictures: an ad, a film, a web series, a game, a brand's social video. The user pays a licence fee for the right to do that.

The three doors

When a brand needs music for an ad, there are three ways in:

1. Library music. Pre-cleared tracks from a stock catalogue. Cheapest and fastest, and rarely memorable.
2. A licensed song. An existing track, which needs permission from everyone who owns it.
3. A custom track. A composer is commissioned to write something new for the brief.

Independent artists can walk through doors two and three.

The two licences every sync needs

If a song has three co-writers, a label and a publisher, every one of them has to agree before the deadline. That's why clean ownership matters so much.

What affects the fee

There's no reliable public rate card for sync in India, so be wary of anyone quoting a standard price. The fee depends on:

• Media: TV, digital, cinema, outdoor, in-store, social only.
• Term: how long the brand can use it: three months, a year, forever.
• Territory: India only, specific countries, or worldwide.
• Usage: a few seconds in the background, or the whole hook front and centre.
• Exclusivity: whether you can license the same song to others, especially competitors.
• The brand and the moment: a national campaign isn't priced like a startup's social post.
• Versions: cut-downs, edits and new arrangements.

How a sync request actually flows

1. The brief. An agency or brand defines the mood and the budget, often with reference tracks.
2. The search. A music supervisor, the agency's team or a music company looks for options.
3. The shortlist. A few tracks are tested against the edit.
4. Clearance check. Before choosing, they ask: who owns this, and can we get a yes in time?
5. The quote and terms. Media, term, territory, exclusivity and fee are agreed.
6. The licence. A written agreement is signed, and the music is delivered.
7. Payment and credit.

Deadlines are often short. A song that can't be cleared in days can lose out to one that can. In practice, brands rarely pick the best song; they pick the one they can clear in time.

How to be ready

1. Own your rights, or know exactly who does. Being one-stop (you control both the recording and the song) is a real advantage.
2. Get every split in writing before release, not when a brand calls.
3. Register your works so ownership is on record. See Module 2.
4. Keep instrumentals and stems for every release. Editors almost always ask.
5. Keep a one-page rights sheet per song: writers and splits, master owner, ISRC, contact, and any samples.
6. Clear your samples. An uncleared sample can kill a sync.
7. Make yourself findable: a website or link page with your music, a contact email, and a note that you're open to licensing.
8. Reply fast and clearly. Name who owns what, and whether you can grant both licences.

What to check before you sign a sync licence

• Media, term and territory match what was discussed.
• Whether it's exclusive, and for how long.
• What edits they're allowed to make.
• How you'll be credited, if at all.
• When you'll be paid.
• That the licence doesn't transfer ownership of your song or recording.

Brand collaborations are different

A brand collaboration can involve a new song, your appearance in a campaign, social content or an endorsement. That's more than a sync licence, and it needs its own agreement covering deliverables, usage rights, exclusivity, approvals and payment. The marketing track covers working with brands in depth.

Your checklist

1. Make a rights sheet for each of your songs.
2. Save instrumentals and stems for every release.
3. Check that every sample is cleared.
4. Add a licensing contact to your bio or website.
5. Decide in advance what you'd say yes to, and what you wouldn't.