What You Need for Sync Licensing: The Complete Sync-Ready Checklist
To license your music for film, TV, advertising, trailers, and games, your catalog needs three things in place: the right audio files, clean one-stop rights, and complete registration. When a music supervisor wants your track, the window to say yes is hours, not weeks. The artists who get placed are the ones who are already prepared. This is the full checklist we use to make a catalog sync-ready and pitch it with confidence.
What audio files do you need for sync licensing?
Every track should be delivered as high-quality, uncompressed WAV files (24-bit / 48kHz), organized in folders by song. For each song, a music supervisor or editor may ask for any of the following mixes, so we prepare the full set up front:
- Full Master Mix. The final, finished record.
- Instrumental Mix. The full track with no vocals. Essential any time dialogue or narration runs over the music.
- A Cappella Mix. The vocal completely isolated, so an editor can feature a single line or hook.
- TV Mix. Background vocals and harmonies retained, lead vocal removed. The broadcast and live-performance standard.
- Clean Mix. Explicit language muted or replaced. Required for advertising and family programming, where applicable.
What are stems, and why does sync licensing need them?
Stems are the song split into separate stereo groups, so an editor can rebalance or rebuild the track to picture. Bounce each one from the exact same start timestamp so they drop into a timeline in perfect sync:
- Drums and Percussion.
- Bass.
- Instruments. All guitars, synths, and keys, grouped together.
- Vocals. All lead and background vocals, grouped together.
What track data and metadata does a placement need?
Accurate metadata is what makes a catalog searchable, licensable, and payable. For every song we log:
- Confirmed BPM and musical key for each track.
- Final title, songwriters, and split percentages.
- ISRC code for every recording.
What rights do you need to clear for sync licensing?
This is where most placements fall apart. A supervisor will pass on a great track rather than risk a rights dispute on a deadline. Before we pitch, your catalog needs:
- One-stop control of both sides. You control the master (the recording) and the publishing (the song), so the entire work clears with a single signature instead of three months of chasing approvals.
- Signed split sheets confirming every contributor's share.
- Zero uncleared samples. A single unlicensed sample makes a track ineligible for sync.
- Releases from session musicians and any work-for-hire contributors.
How does registration affect your sync royalties?
Proper registration is what makes sure you actually get paid when a placement airs and re-airs:
- A performing rights organization (PRO) such as ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC, with the work registered and splits filed.
- SoundExchange for digital performance royalties.
- ISRC codes embedded across the catalog, and clean metadata listing title, writers, splits, publisher, and contact.
What makes a catalog pitch-ready for music supervisors?
Finally, the materials that let us put your music in front of the right people fast:
- A private, streamable catalog link.
- Genre, mood, and tempo tags, plus a couple of reference artists per track.
- Current rights and contact details a supervisor can grab in seconds.
Sync Licensing, Answered
What is sync licensing?
Sync (synchronization) licensing is the permission to pair a piece of music with visual media: film, television, advertising, trailers, video games, and online content. It requires licensing both the master recording and the underlying composition.
What do you need to get your music ready for sync?
Three things: deliverable audio (uncompressed WAV master mixes, alternate mixes, and stems), clean one-stop rights (master and publishing under your control, signed splits, no uncleared samples), and complete registration (a PRO, SoundExchange, ISRC codes, and accurate metadata).
What audio mixes do music supervisors ask for?
Most commonly a full master mix, an instrumental, an a cappella, a TV mix (lead vocal removed, harmonies retained), and a clean mix when there is explicit language. Delivering all of them up front means you can say yes the moment an opportunity comes.
Why do most sync placements fall through?
Unclear or split ownership. If a supervisor cannot clear both the recording and the song quickly and from one source, they move on to a track they can. One-stop rights are the single biggest advantage you can have.
Do you need to register with a PRO for sync licensing?
Yes. Registration with a performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC), along with SoundExchange and ISRC codes, is what ensures you collect performance royalties every time a placement airs.
Davy Agency preps your audio, buttons up the paperwork and registration, and pitches your catalog to our music-industry network, so a placement never falls apart on a clearance question. Based in Portland, working with indie artists and labels everywhere.
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