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Music

How to Sync License Your Music for Film, TV and Beyond

The ever-increasing number of new video productions means greater opportunity to sync license your music for film and television.

You’re a new artist. You’ve produced music you think people want to hear – so you’re probably looking to tap into every opportunity to make that happen. One of the most underappreciated avenues for the monetization of music for emerging artists is music licensing.

 If you place one song in an advertisement, you can make as much money as you would after 1,000,000 streams on Spotify. 

Which seems more obtainable? For every song that’s licensed, you get money upfront and royalties every time your track is played in public.

Simply put, music licensing or sync (synchronization) licensing is an agreement between a music user and the owner of a copyrighted song that grants permission to use the song in some manner of video format. If you’re reading this, you want to know how to make this happen. How do you go about placing your music in a television show, movie, video game or even perhaps a YouTube video?

How do TV shows, movies and video games find and select music?

A music supervisor artfully selects and licenses pre-existing songs and recordings for use in movies, TV shows and video games. Though it seems like their job merely requires an expansive knowledge and love of music, they must also negotiate and clear rights with licensing representatives and licensing libraries. It’s not just about having exquisite taste and a feel for the juxtaposition of sound and image – a music supervisor resolves rights and pieces together ownership puzzles.

Their music discovery process likely mirrors your own. They surf Spotify, curate playlists, collect recommendations through friends and social media, and actively scout new talent. It’s a demanding job, which is why you want to make licensing your music as straightforward as possible. In order to obtain the rights to a perfect song from a commoditized artist the music supervisor would jump through as many hoops as necessary; an unknown artist, however, must make their work instantly accessible and available without obstacles. 

How to submit for music licensing as an unsigned artist

There are a few different opportunities for an emerging artist to sync license their work. Ideally, you’re going to simultaneously seed a few of these, but it’s important to understand the benefits of each so that you’re maximizing the return on your efforts.

You’ll want to limit the number of non-exclusive partners. Some libraries offer content at lower rates and you don’t want to create an environment where you’re undercutting your own price. Look for different types of licensing partners to cover as many potential revenue streams without much overlap. Find a catalog that specializes in licenses for TV, another that administers micro-licenses (like MusicBed) for YouTube and web-videos, and another traditional partner for film, TV and advertisements. Now, let’s examine your options.

  1. Music Publishers such as BMI and Kobalt require you to sign a publishing deal. While they will provide a cash advance and remain proactive in pitching your work and finding licensing opportunities, they’ll also demand co-ownership of publishing rights, which perpetually entitles them to a share of your licensing royalties.
  1. Sync Agents seek, pitch and negotiate licensing deals on your behalf, usually for a percentage of royalties.  
  1. Licensing Libraries are companies that represent a large catalog of music for the purpose of selling their clients’ music to music supervisors. In the most basic sense, they resemble a business-to-business version of Spotify. Music supervisors search the database and request music they need. Artist agreements with these libraries come in different flavors, and it’s important to understand how these companies handle your work.

i.     Exclusive: Only one music library is allowed to represent your content. This is a restrictive agreement that limits the number of companies shopping your work, but one that typically results in higher sync fees.

ii.     Non-exclusive: You’re allowed to place your content with as many companies as you want. These are larger databases in which its often harder to stand out, but if you don’t like how an arrangement is working out, move on to the next opportunity.

Sync licensing libraries make money by retaining a percentage of upfront licensing fees from placement or a percentage of licensing fees and a percentage of public performance royalties stemming from the licensing of your material. Fees are usually based on a flat rate with no negotiation.

Some examples of popular licensing libraries are SongTradr, Jamendo Music, Marmoset, Artlist, Pump Audio, Rumblefish and Taxi. Each company has their advantages and disadvantages. Research artist satisfaction, website traffic, composer/library financial split, and the library’s re-titling practices (which tend to affect your royalties) before taking the plunge.

Licensing libraries are an efficient online marketplace connecting the music rights owner and the music buyer. The music is pre-cleared and easily licensed, eliminating those aforementioned hurdles that might deter a music supervisor.

  1. Direct Relationships. This is a method for licensing your music directly to music supervisors and other potential licensees such as ad agencies. It is an ideal way to avoid splitting royalties or ownership with a ‘middleman’ because you would be acting as your own agent dealing directly with the buyer. However, it takes time and patience to build these relationships and it requires some experience (or legal assistance) to negotiate such licensing deals. Nonetheless, as you build a catalog of music and test the waters with licensing libraries, you should still continue to build this network of contacts.

i. Music Supervisors

SongwriterUniverse and TuneFind are useful resources for locating supervisors and identifying their needs. Each submission must be personalized and tailored to the individual. First impressions are everything. Make sure your visible media profiles such as LinkedIn and your personal website are up-to-date and highly polished. Only send supervisors links to quality streams, never attachments.

ii. Ad Agencies

To build the necessary networking, attend trade shows and conferences such as Ad Week. Ask questions at panels. Network at meet-and-greets. Receive as many business cards as possible and leave a brief but memorable impression. Do not hand out CDs like candy at Halloween. 

How to prepare your music for licensing

Most productions aren’t looking for the next hit single. Supervisors search for a specific kind of music based on the nature of their medium. Film and TV supervisors require a different kind of music than someone searching for a choice commercial clip. For film and TV there’s a broad range of moods and emotions, whereas commercials, with a maximum allotment of 15-30 seconds, require a hook and immediate energy.

Here’s how to ready your music for licensing opportunities.

1.     Submit music without lyrics or music featuring broad lyrics without mention of a specific time or place.

2.     If you’re using a pre-existing song, provide an original version, an instrumental version and stems for the tracks. Producers might love your song but need it to shine behind spoken dialogue.

3.     Instrumental versions of older material are best suited for a license library. Value your music appropriately and craft a licensing strategy that reflects that value.

4.     Create more music! Successful artists suggest uploading upwards of 80 songs/120 instrumental cues per year.

5.     Write new songs to fit themes you’d expect to find in a production. Create theme lists and tag each with emotions you hope to evoke. For example, you could focus on a “Romance” theme, crafting music to fit the various stages of a relationship like “new love” or “broken heart.”

Once you have your music written and professionally recorded, you’ll need to nail down the details. This means getting your metadata and credits in order. Detail who wrote the song, any album artwork, the year it was recorded, publishers and companies attached, who owns the master, and most importantly your contact info. Put all this into the grouping notes, if necessary. Sync licensing databases are gigantic and without all that information at a supervisor’s fingertips, they’ll just ignore your music because it’s not worth the hassle.

Another avenue into this business is scoring directly for film, TV, and video games. When creating instrumentals for moods and emotions, you’re essentially scoring a movie that doesn’t yet exist. Once your music is out there and you’ve built a network of connections (filmmakers, producers, etc.) you never know how those connections could pay off. You could become the next John Williams (who didn’t even score Star Wars until he was 45!).

The Role of Publishing Administrators

A publishing administrator helps artists navigate the music marketplace, but in some instances they can also assist in licensing your music. A publishing administrator is not the same as a publishing company. They do not actively pitch your music or own a percentage of your fees/royalties. This is an important distinction. Having a publishing administrator can be an advantage, but it’s not necessary for opening up a revenue stream through licensing opportunities. Likewise, aggregators/distributors like CDBaby also offer sync-licensing services. If you’re already using a publisher, you should see what other services they offer.

Like every other aspect of your music career, preparation and persistence are the most important factors in breaking into the business of music licensing. Audiences are inundated with new content from every possible angle. New streaming services. Film. TV. New YouTube channels. Independent movie production. It’s up to you to take advantage of this deluge of opportunity.

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Music

Billie Eilish and the Cautionary Tale of Christopher Cross

What does a Grammy Award mean? What do four Grammy Awards mean? To the artist, that little gold gramophone represents the blood and sweat of artistic creation. In that respect, the value of the award comes without comprehensible value. No one succeeds in this business because they woke up one morning and, on a lark, decided to record hit track. That might be the spark, but that’s not “success.”

In the days and weeks surrounding the Grammy Awards, the industry elevates the nominees and ultimate winners above all others. They’ve been singled out among their peers. The Recording Academy has passed judgment. The winners get their nom de guerre etched in granite and a boost in recognition and sales.

This year, as you might have heard, Billie Eilish became the first woman to take all four major Grammy categories – New Artist, Record, Album, and Song – and the second artist to achieve that elusive clean sweep.

In one night, the industry crowned the now and future queen of popular music. Can you name the other artist to achieve the sweep? His name, now obviously synonymous with “the King of Rock and Roll,” is… Christopher Cross.

Christopher’s Cross To Bear

Christopher Cross became the surprise winner of the Big Four at the 1981 Grammy Awards. The newcomer went up against heavyweights Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand in Album and Record of the Year. Cross, then 29, a craftsman of middle-of-the-road contemporary “pop ‘n’ roll,” a style of music later christened “Yacht Rock,” shocked pundits and even his own record label. Warner Bros. didn’t even plan a post-Grammy party, as would be customary for a label with lofty award expectations.

Cross’ self-titled debut album produced four top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. “Sailing,” the song for which he’s best known, reached #1. Four gramophones later, expectations for the artist reached a crescendo, but fate conspired against him.

After writing the Academy Award-winning theme for Arthur (“Arthur’s Theme”) with Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen, the inevitable backlash arrived. His second LP, Another Page, peaked at 11 on the Billboard 200, whereas his debut had lingered in the Top 10 for months. None of his subsequent records sniffed the Top 100. Cross’s career stalled a hot minute after launch when MTV hit airwaves on August 1, 1981. The doughy, soft-spoken vocalist didn’t stand a chance at stardom in a new pop-culture landscape driven by youth, image, and appearance. MTV immediately downgraded the importance of music in evaluating an artist’s cultural relevance. Hindsight also reveals the permanent folly of his Best New Artist victory over the heavily favored future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Pretenders. The Recording Academy has a poor track record of evaluating new talent, so it’s always a questionable outcome when all the major awards fall into the lap of a new artist — even when that artist may have been as deserving as Christopher Cross in 1981… or Billie Eilish in 2020.

As much as things change, the more they stay the same-ish.

Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell connects with a teenage fanbase that sees her as more “real” than other stars, like Taylor Swift or Katy Perry or any of the other hundreds of carefully curated public personas. They see her as a rule-breaker and an anti-pop trendsetter. She speaks to the insecurities of their high-school entropy in many of the same ways that the grunge movement of the 1990s (and the punk scene before that) struck a rebellious nerve.

“I have taken out my Invisalign and this is the album,” she says after an unbecoming slurp on the prelude to her Grammy-winning debut album When We All Fall Sleep, Where Do We Go? It doesn’t get more real for a teenager than the sound of someone suffering through the weapons of orthodontia. There’s no arguing that she’s given pop-stardom a new dynamic. The teenager comfortable being herself. The teenage fashion-icon that fancies lime green hair, crafts patchwork skater-chic from mismatched thrift and glam and still lives with her parents. This is real — but this also demonstrates the continued importance of youth, image, and appearance. 

In a recent Vogue article, Eilish says, “That’s great, if I can make someone feel more free to do what they actually want to do instead of what they are expected to do. But for me, I never realized I was expected to do anything. I guess that’s what is actually going on—that I never knew there was a thing I had to follow.” This is healthy. This is a perspective that kids absolutely need to counterbalance the false perfection peddled on social media. She’s also used her Instagram fame and international stardom to marshal teenage voter registration and raise interest for environmental activism rather than as a showcase for #JustWokeUp pics. 

She’s the first artist born in the 21st century to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the first teenager to record a James Bond theme for the upcoming No Time to Die. (Doesn’t this gig eerily echo Christopher Cross’ post-Grammy foray into soundtrack music with “Arthur’s Theme”? Cue her 2021 Academy Award.) Isn’t she also, at the moment, still just another zeitgeisty pop phenomenon until proven otherwise? How difficult must it be for a teenage singer/songwriter to hone her craft while hanging onto the side of a runaway train? 

Backlash, Expectation and the Future

Billie Eilish peddles the gothic and macabre through her videos filled with black tears and spider snacks, but she also giggles and hums and most importantly, experiments. When We Fall Asleep is immersive and remarkably focused, but it’s intermittently raw and doesn’t stray as far from traditional bubblegum sensibilities as most of her fans believe. It’s more a score for a scrapbook made up of darkside Lana Del Rey doodles and Billie’s favorite TV shows (The Office and Sherlock) than a sincere reflection of teenage angst. She’s crafting fictions (genuine fictions, but fictions nonetheless) and playacting like any other teenager forced to inhabit a place of expertise before she’s really lived. Teenagers look to her as a mental health icon. Her ability to be a functional, individualistic teenager while sharing deep, dark thoughts through her music inspires self-worth. 

One could easily argue that Lorde’s 2017 Melodrama (released when she was 21, but reflective on similar adolescent themes) succeeded as a more fully formed example of teenage introspection. Specific celebration of one album does not require the denigration of another and both can be enjoyed for exactly what they are. Billie Eilish has more unrealized potential, and this first homespun DIY avant-pop album marks the coming of a refreshing new perspective in mainstream music, but it might also be a disservice to elevate this particular offering to the rare echelon of supposed perfection. Anointing her with a Grammy sweep doesn’t do her any more favors than it did Christopher Cross 39 years ago.

Objectively, When We Fall Asleep features a number of creative choices that don’t quite pay off. The pitchy vocals and ukulele on “8,” for example, should never have survived the demo stage. I would never fault a good sample, but “my strange addiction” would have been better off without the jokey and conspicuous clips from The Office. Compare these two minor production foibles with the oversized confidence of a banger like “you should see me in a crown.” Her image, appearance, and justifiably devoted fanbase perhaps supplied fuel for the Academy’s valuation. 

The connection between Eilish and Cross might only be a coincidence, but it might be more. It would be a shame if Billie Eilish’s career turns out to be nothing more than another example of some destined-to-be-forgotten music of our moment. (Though we’re all pretty sure that Lil Nas X has that niche covered.) A teenage girl rebelling against conventions and striking a chord with a population that’s been lacking a voice. She’s not someone poised to fade away, and we should all feel a vested interest in her continued success – but it’s just hard to shake the feeling that maybe she’s been painted into a creative corner by those most interested in her success, that a Grammy sweep for this almost great record could render stifling expectations on a new artist that still needs room to grow and space to live. 

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Music

How to Get Your Music on Internet Radio (and Get Paid)

Where Do Internet Radio Stations Get the Music They Play?

Up-and-coming presenters like free, just like anyone else. Not every Internet Radio station has the muscle of a KEXP or a KCRW. They’re scouring services featuring royalty-free music like Hooksounds and the Free Music Archive. But they’re also looking for new discoveries on Bandcamp and SoundCloud. They receive unsolicited music from new artists and sometimes they listen to it and sometimes they play it on their radio feed.

Types of Internet-Based Music Sources

There are two kinds of Internet-based music sources, Interactive (on-demand) and Non-interactive (Internet radio). Examples of the Interactive variety are Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and YouTube. These venues allow you to personally select artists and playlists. An Internet Radio station functions much like a traditional AM/FM broadcast. A DJ or presenter selects the music and you can tune in (or not) to stream from KEXP Seattle, or Dublab in Los Angeles. There’s an ever expanding list of internet radio stations that accept submissions. 

12 of the Best Internet Radio Stations At a Glance

KEXP 90.3 – Seattle, WA (Alternative Rock)

KCRW 89.9 – Santa Monica, CA (Eclectic)

Dublab – Los Angeles, CA (DJ, Beat)

XRay.FM – Portland, OR (Eclectic)

KUTX 98.9 – Austin, TX (“Adult Alternative”)

WFMU 91.1 – Jersey City, NJ (Eclectic)

WWOZ 90.7 – New Orleans, LA (Jazz, Soul)

WQXR 105.9 – New York, NY (Classical)

NTS Radio – London/Los Angeles/Shanghai (Indie/Eclectic)

Balamii – London (Electronic, Dance, Hip-hop)

TSFJazz – Paris (Jazz)

Cinemix FM – (Soundtrack scores)

How to Submit Your Music To an Internet Radio Station

Always be nice. (ABN.) DJs and presenters don’t owe you any favors. Believe it or not, the music industry isn’t big enough to overlook individual acts of rudeness. If you’re rude to one station or presenter, it could impact your entire career.

Foster relationships with promoters, radio stations and presenters. Take a personal interest in their life and work. Curate an ongoing dialogue and recognize that they might not be in a position to champion your music right now, but you never know what the future might hold. Promoting your music doesn’t begin and end with a single music submission. Overnight success stories are myths. You’re in this for the long haul. 

Radio presenters/stations inundated with bands begging for airplay. Most don’t get paid and therefore don’t have time to wade through pages of your personal histories to find where you exist and how to get your music. The lazy, short, info-less message reflects on the potential quality of your music before it even has a chance to get heard. Make that first impression count.

The Presentation

Develop a one sheet. This is a one-page advert that represents your personality, your music and details live music gigs and future performances. This .pdf or .txt document should include:

1.     Band / artist name

2.     Biography

3.     Musical influences

4.     Single name, release date

5.     Album / EP name, release date

6.     Story Behind Single / Album / EP

7.     Where to Buy Music

8.     Your Achievements / Awards / Famous Musicians / Producers / Festivals

9.     Upcoming performances

10.  Official website, social media links

Tailor each pitch to the radio station/presenter. Follow these people on social media, study their playlists on Spotify and sample their radio feed. Sometimes presenters will post playlists featuring the music played during their set. Do your homework on the kind of music they play. Find the platforms and presenters that are best positioned to help you gain notoriety as a musician.

Start small. There are many independent and student-run internet radio stations accepting submissions from emerging bands and artists. These smaller stations won’t receive as many requests, which puts you in a better position to be noticed. Every moment of airtime is valuable — no matter how small the venue. Remember that your goal is always reaching more ears. Consider the submission process a small snowball that you’ve just begun to roll downhill.

The most effective way to get airplay is to create hype around your music organically by developing a loyal fanbase that will force increasingly larger stations and audiences to take notice. 

Genre-specific stations. Locate stations and presenters that cater to your audience. It goes without saying that bluegrass fans would be more receptive to bluegrass music than punk rock.  It sounds blatantly obvious, but it’s worth mentioning that many new artists waste their energies pursuing opportunities that don’t support their brand.

Hire a radio plugger. If you’re positive that your music is ready for prime time, but you’re struggling to get airplay, a radio plugger might be of assistance. A plugger acts as a mediator between you and the radio stations. A good one will come with a long list of industry contacts and might be able to expedite the process.

How to Submit Your Music To An Interactive Streaming Service (Like Pandora)

Each of the big streaming services such as Pandora and Apple Music features a slightly different submission process. It helps to have a licensed distributor (such as CD Baby) delivering your music, but it’s not essential. 

Pandora

It could be a great boost for an indie artist to place their music on Pandora Radio. (You must have a distributor to appear on Pandora Premium or Pandora Plus. Conversely just because your music appears on Pandora Premium does not mean it will be available on Pandora Radio. You’ll need to do this manually.) 

Submit to Pandora via their online submission form. This is the best way to get your music in front of ears of Pandora’s curators. Even if you’re using a distributor, the submission form will probably increase your visibility. If accepted your distributor-supported music will then be made available through all of Pandora’s services.

Apple Music

Apple Music requires you to have a distributor or aggregator that offers distribution on iTunes. Through your Apple artist profile (which you’ll need to claim if you haven’t already done so) you can manage your profile and submit music and music videos. 

How Do You Get Paid When You’re Music is Played on the Internet?

Getting your music played on the Internet is only a part of this puzzle. Chances are you’d also like to get paid. If you’re a career musician the money has to come from somewhere. This section describes how to get those hard-earned royalty checks. That’s the big question isn’t it? 

The process goes like this. Whenever a licensed radio station or streaming service plays your music, they owe you a part of a penny. (If they’re not stream licensed and registered they won’t be paying anyone any royalties because they can only play public domain and royalty-free content.) Collecting that penny fraction isn’t always that easy, however. Thousands of dollars in royalties go unclaimed every year. These are the steps to ensure that you get your check.

Copyrighting Your Music

The most important step is one that might be easy to overlook. You must record your song in a “tangible medium.” The lyrics have been written down or the song has been recorded. This registers you as the owner of the song — the one who will financially benefit from the song’s success.

  1. Register for an account at the U.S. Copyright office. 
  2. Fill out a registration application and pay the registration fee. 
  3. Submit a copy of your song. 
  4. Wait for your registration to be processed.

How Internet Music Royalties Work, Very Briefly

Interactive Streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal) generates Performance and Mechanical royalties. Non-interactive Streaming (Internet Radio) generates only Performance royalties. 

In order to collect royalties, artists need to join a Collective Management Organization (CMO), which enables copyright owners to collect royalties generated by the different types of use. There are two types of CMOs.

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs): These organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SoundExchange) are responsible for licensing and monitoring the collection of Performance Royalties.

Mechanical Rights Organizations (MROs): Companies like the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), Music Reports (MRI), and SongTrust manage the collection of mechanical royalties generated from physical media releases.

To make all of this more convoluted, each country can have one or more of each organization. Meaning you’ll have to register with each International society (unless your CMO offers services connecting international agencies) to receive your royalties. Sometimes the same organization handles both Performing Rights and Mechanical Rights. 

This information isn’t meant to be discouraging. Keep in mind that access to your music has huge benefits, but don’t become deluded by the hope that you can make a living wage based on your Internet streams alone. It all goes back to the snowball effect. Every piece of your career, done right, can generate momentum rolling down that hill.