What is a sync license?
Permission to set music to picture: a film, a show, an advert, a game or a video. It covers the song. Using an existing recording also needs a master use license from whoever controls that recording.
Sync FAQ.
How sync licensing works, what a request needs, and how to help it move quickly.
What’s the difference between the song and the recording?
The song is the melody and lyrics, as written. The recording, or master, is one performance of it. A song can have many recordings, each controlled by its own label. Recording your own version changes which recording, if any, you need to clear.
Whose permission do I need?
Every publisher of the song, each for its own share, and whoever controls the recording you use, usually the label that released it. A song is cleared only when all of them have agreed.
What if Watershed controls only part of the song?
The other publishers license their shares directly, so you’ll need to reach each of them. In the U.S., Songview (from ASCAP and BMI) and the SESAC repertory list a song’s publishers. In the U.K., PRS for Music does.
How do I find who controls a recording?
Start with the label credited on streaming services, or a discography such as Discogs. Recordings change hands, so it can take some asking.
What do media, territory and term mean?
Media is where the project will be seen: the internet, TV, film festivals, cinemas, or all media. Territory is where in the world: worldwide, or a region such as North America or Europe. Term is for how long: six months, five years, or in perpetuity. A festival run is easy to limit to a territory. The internet usually isn’t.
What does “based on 100%” mean?
The fee quoted is for the whole song or recording, and each rights holder takes its share of it. If we control half the song, we license half, at half the fee.
What is MFN?
Most favored nations. Rights holders who quote on an MFN basis are each owed terms as good as the best any of them agreed. Raise one fee, and the others rise to match.
How much does a sync license cost?
It depends on the song, how it’s used, and the media, territory and term. Your budget, and whether it’s all-in or per side (the song and the recording each), helps us quote.
Can I request more than one song?
Yes. List the songs in one request, separated by commas, with the recording artists in the same order.
How can I help a request move quickly?
Give us everything at the start: how the song is used and for how long, the scene, where the project will be seen, and for how long. Every detail we have to ask for adds a round of email.
What about lyrics, print, podcasts or a stage production?
Those aren’t sync, so they don’t go through the sync form. Request them through our licensing form.
License a song for picture.
Tell us about the song and your project. Our licensing team reviews every request and replies by email.