Sync licensing remains one of the most lucrative revenue streams in music. Here's everything artists and producers need to know about getting their music placed in film, TV, ads, and games.
TL;DR
Sync licensing — placing music in visual media — can earn artists thousands per placement. This guide covers how sync deals work, what music supervisors look for, and how to position your catalogue for placements.
What Is Sync Licensing?
Sync licensing (short for synchronisation licensing) is the process of licensing music for use alongside visual media — films, TV shows, adverts, video games, trailers, and increasingly, social media content.
When your track gets placed in a Netflix drama or an Apple advert, that's a sync deal. The fee can range from a few hundred quid for a small YouTube production to six figures for a primetime TV placement or global advertising campaign.
For independent artists and producers, sync is increasingly the most reliable path to significant income. While streaming pays fractions of pennies, a single sync placement can fund an entire album.
How Sync Deals Actually Work
A sync deal typically involves two licences: the master licence (for the specific recording, usually controlled by the label or artist) and the publishing licence (for the underlying composition, usually controlled by the publisher or songwriter).
When a music supervisor wants to use your track, they need to clear both. If you're an independent artist who owns both your masters and publishing — congratulations, you're a one-stop shop, and supervisors love that because it makes clearance faster and simpler.
Fees are negotiated based on the media type, the size of the production, the territory, the duration of use, and the prominence of the placement. A background cue in a low-budget indie film pays very differently from a featured track in a Super Bowl advert.
Most sync deals also include a performance royalty component — so when the show or advert airs, your PRO (PRS in the UK, ASCAP/BMI in the US) collects additional royalties on your behalf.
What Music Supervisors Actually Want
We spoke to three music supervisors who collectively work on over 50 productions a year. Their advice was remarkably consistent.
First: quality recordings matter more than genre. A beautifully produced lo-fi track will beat a poorly mixed pop song every time. Supervisors listen to thousands of tracks per project — if yours sounds amateur in the first five seconds, they're moving on.
Second: instrumentals are gold. Most sync placements need tracks that work under dialogue. If you only have vocal versions of your songs, create instrumental and stems versions of everything.
Third: emotional clarity wins. The best sync tracks communicate a single, clear emotion. Happy. Tense. Melancholic. Triumphant. If a supervisor can't immediately feel what your track is about, it won't make the shortlist.
Fourth: clean metadata is non-negotiable. Your tracks need proper titles, artist names, ISRC codes, and genre tags. Supervisors search libraries by mood, tempo, and genre — if your metadata is wrong, your music is invisible.
How to Get Your Music in Front of Supervisors
The sync world operates through a mix of relationships, libraries, and increasingly, technology platforms.
Sync libraries and agencies (Musicbed, Artlist, Epidemic Sound, and dozens of boutique operations) act as intermediaries between artists and supervisors. You submit your music, they pitch it for placements, and you split the fee — typically 50/50.
Direct relationships still matter enormously. Attending sync-focused events like the Production Music Conference, SXSW's sync panels, or the UK's Music Publishers Association events can open doors that cold emails never will.
Sync-focused platforms like Songtradr, Musicgateway, and DISCO allow artists to upload catalogues and be discovered by supervisors searching for specific sounds. Think of them as Spotify for music supervisors.
And don't underestimate the power of a well-crafted pitch email. Keep it short, include streaming links (not attachments), describe the mood and potential use cases, and make it clear that you control all rights.
Building a Sync-Ready Catalogue
If you're serious about sync income, think like a music supervisor when you create.
Build your tracks in stems from the start. Every session should produce a full mix, an instrumental, a vocals-only version, and separated stems (drums, bass, synths, vocals). This makes your music infinitely more placeable.
Create music in a range of tempos and moods. A supervisor might love your sound but need something slower, or more upbeat, or more ambient. Having variety in your catalogue means you can say yes more often.
Keep your rights clean. If you've used uncleared samples, collaborated with artists who haven't signed splits, or don't have written agreements with your co-writers, your music is unlicenseable. Sort your paperwork before you pitch.
And register everything with your PRO and a neighbouring rights organisation. Sync placements generate performance royalties that you'll only receive if your works are properly registered.
The Numbers: What Sync Actually Pays
Sync fees vary wildly, but here are realistic UK ranges for 2025.
Student or micro-budget film: £100–500. Independent film or web series: £500–5,000. TV background music (terrestrial): £1,000–10,000. TV featured placement (primetime): £5,000–50,000. National advertising campaign: £10,000–100,000+. Global advertising campaign: £50,000–500,000+. Video game soundtrack: £2,000–25,000 per track.
These are upfront sync fees only. Performance royalties from broadcast airings can add 20–100% on top over the lifetime of the placement.
The maths is clear: one good sync placement can be worth more than millions of streams. For independent artists, building a sync-ready catalogue isn't just smart — it's essential.