
Music Licensing 101: How to Sync Your Music Learn how to create syncable music, stand out to music supervisors, and negotiate sync deals with these tips and insights from music licensing experts.
By
Nick Balkin
Illustration by Dana Smith
Sync licensing deals- syncs, as theyre known in the industry-have become a vital source of income for recording artists and music rights holders. According to a report from the Recording Industry Association of America, the estimated value of sync royalties for the first half of 2022 was $178 million, a record 29.9 percent increase over the previous year. Music labels and publishers are taking note, expanding their licensing departments to seize opportunities to secure coveted placements that spike streams and attract listeners. The stunning resurgence of Kate Bushs 1985 single Running Up That Hill is perhaps the most obvious example of a sync boosting a song's popularity (thanks, Stranger Things). But syncs can also be a powerful tool for emerging artists, such as Orville Peck, whose track Dead of Night saw a jaw-dropping 812 percent increase in streams after it was used in HBOs Euphoria.
The impact of music placements on discovery and consumption is undeniable, but for many artists and producers, entering the world of sync can be daunting. At a recent Berklee Career Jam session, Music in Sync, an expert panel shared advice on navigating the complexities of the music licensing process.
Were probably not gonna sync your avant-garde opus about, like, your great uncle who is a taxidermist.
- Michael Jurasits, Human Worldwide
What Makes Music Syncable? Not all music is created equal in music synchronization. That's why it's critical to understand what makes music syncable, says Michael Jurasits, creative director and music supervisor for Human Worldwide.
Were probably not gonna sync your avant-garde opus about, like, your great uncle who is a taxidermist, Jurasits says. And thats not because we dont love taxidermy. Its because the people on my side, in the advertising world and at brands, are looking for familiarity. Theyre looking for something that they know.
Kristoffer Roggemann, Mophonics
Kristoffer Roggemann, creative producer and partner at Mophonics, agrees that lyrics that are too specific can limit brand interest, noting that while songs with romantic themes often play well on TV and film, advertising tends to favor music with more universal themes that will resonate with a broader audience. Finding authentic and non-generic ways to express universal themes, however, can be a challenge, especially in a market that's become crowded in recent years with sync-seeking musicians writing overly formulaic songs.
I think that kind of got exposed after a while-it's like, is this really a song about working together?-and it became this paint-by-numbers kind of thing, Roggemann says. Now its more like: how do you find an interesting adjacent way to sing about working together without using those words? Just getting a bit more creative with lyric choices is helpful.
Sync Artist vs. Synced Artist Are you a sync artist -a musician who builds their brand writing specifically for sync opportunities-or an artist who simply happens to get synced? That's a fundamental question for anyone venturing into this business, says Allegra Willis Knerr, executive vice president of global sync licensing at BMG Rights Management.
If it's the former, it's essential that your music is sync-ready, which means, among other things, having many versions of your songs-such as instrumental tracks, a cappella mixes, and clean versions-available to pitch. If it's the latter, however, authenticity and uniqueness are key, so it's better to focus on your craft and on building your brand as an artist. Thats whats gonna make supervisors and sync agents want to come to you, Willis Knerr says.
Know Your Musical Lane Artists should target shows that cater to their style of music, says Dom Jones B.M. '19, a specialist for Sony SyncShop. So if your music is pop, she says, it's likely a better fit for the CW sports series All American than it would be for the Starz strip club drama P-Valley.
Dom Jones B.M. '19, Sony SyncShop
Image by Ian Davis
If youre sending happy pop music to the music supervisor of P-Valley, theyre not going to be happy with you, Jones says. And theyll remember that you sent them exactly what they were not looking for.
It's also important to know your strengths, and to prioritize quality over quantity, says Chris Brown, vice president of production, North America, for West One Music Group. From our side, it's focusing on something you're really good at, says Brown. We have so many people who write and say, I can do anything,' and that's generally not true.
Get Your Splits Straight If you're cowriting, then it's critical that your split sheets-or splits, an agreement between song contributors that specifies their ownership percentages-are sorted out before pitching music to potential clients.
Nobody wants to go back and forth with you while you figure out your splits. If they love the song, make it easily clearable for the person that youre pitching, Jones says. And the last thing Ill say is specifically to producers: if youre sampling in your beats, clear the sample-or dont sample.
The person that youre sitting next to can be tomorrows executive that you need a favor from, that can put you onto your next opportunity.
- Dom Jones B.M. '19, Sony SyncShop
Networking is a key factor in gaining a foothold in most industries, and the sync world is no different. Youre probably not even getting looked at by a big company unless you can show some real sync history or fan engagement through social media followers or through Spotify listeners, Willis Knerr
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
22/06/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
22/06/2026
Cosm has announced the appointment of David Ho as Chief Legal Officer, a newly created executive role reporting to President and CEO Jeb Terry. Ho will oversee ...
22/06/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced the developm...
22/06/2026
Daktronics has completed an audio control system upgrade at Petco Park in San Di...
22/06/2026
Accelerate Media has named John Willi as President and announced the launch of the Accelerate Sports Network (ASN), a prep sports media and streaming platform c...
22/06/2026
All Women's Sports Network (AWSN) and 3XBA (3 3 Basketball Association) have announced live television coverage of the annual 3XBA tournament on Friday, Jun...
22/06/2026
OWL AI has announced the appointment of Jay Prasad as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Prasad succeeds Josh Gwyther, who has served...
22/06/2026
CP Communications delivered RF video and audio support for TNT's Inside the NBA at the 2026 NBA Finals, providing main show coverage in San Antonio and ea...
22/06/2026
Polymarket has announced a partnership with GRID, an official esports data platf...
22/06/2026
As sports venues continue to evolve into more video-centric, fan-engagement-driv...
22/06/2026
As the regional sports production scene shifts toward streaming, this Texan helps lead the engineering behind Victory+'s growing live platform...
22/06/2026
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
the memories of your elders [are] a scaffolding for you to build your identity on - and t...
22/06/2026
New hyper-resolution analyser EQ revealed
CEDAR Audio's all-new Icons plug-in series has just gained its newest member, Blade. Described by the compan...
22/06/2026
Turn any live input into a cinematic soundscape
Designed for use in the studio and on stage, Sampleson's latest creation is capable of taking any audio ...
22/06/2026
Adds guitar strings to Eurorack rigs
ADDAC System are renowned for their weird and wonderful synth designs, and their line-up includes plenty of gear that...
22/06/2026
FIFA World Cup 2026 fever grows, as more than one third of Australians tune in ...
22/06/2026
In our latest blog, Tim Pearson explores NAGRA Venturi, the new streaming security solution for the AI era from NAGRAVISION. Designed to aggregate and analyze ...
22/06/2026
Expanded integrations give advertisers access to distinct contextual signals acr...
22/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/06/2026
Xilica today announced the release of Dynamic Voice Lift, a new feature in Xilica Designer v4.12 that brings adaptive speech reinforcement to large meeting spac...
22/06/2026
Monday 22 June 2026
Official trailer released for Katie Price: Nothing to Hide,...
22/06/2026
The next era of AI will not be defined by compute alone. Its growth will be dete...
22/06/2026
Mission, Vision and Veritas - new Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) supercom...
22/06/2026
At the ISC conference running in Hamburg this week, NVIDIA is introducing new so...
22/06/2026
For the past two years, the U.S. National Science Foundation's National Arti...
22/06/2026
JUPITER, Europe's first exascale supercomputer at Germany's Forschungszentrum J lich, runs on NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchips and NVIDIA Quantum-X800 Inf...
21/06/2026
To call the 2026 FIFA World Cup a big undertaking would be a big understatement....
21/06/2026
New series now live on Udemy
Regular SOS contributor and Cubase workshop columnist John Walden has just released a new Cubase video course that is now avail...
21/06/2026
Hot tubs sit at about 38 to 40 degrees Celsius, warm enough that most people can only soak for about 15 minutes. NVIDIA's newest AI servers can run their co...
21/06/2026
Sunday 21 June 2026
Sky announces immersive documentary series The Wargame
The Wargame first looks
ZIP (2MB)
Sky today confirms the commission of The Wargam...
20/06/2026
New add-on creates doubles & vocal stacks
IK Multimedia's latest ReSing add-on kits the innovative software out with the ability to automatically genera...
20/06/2026
What exactly is Apogee Control V3?
Control V3 is a new mixer application that controls Apogee interfaces. The new hit feature is that V3 finally allows for...
19/06/2026
Split compound eases operational challenges at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club...
19/06/2026
North Carolina, Oklahoma meet in the best-of-three Finals as ESPN leans into spe...
19/06/2026
Company launch comprehensive mix-comparison tool
The Him DSP are a plug-in company founded by The Him, an EDM DJ and producer who has amassed over half a bi...
19/06/2026
Major Sampler upgrades introduced
The latest version of Bitwig's DAW software has just entered public beta testing, and is available now for all users w...
19/06/2026
Four times the power of their predecessors
Akai Pro have just introduced upgraded versions of two of their popular standalone MPC systems, kitting them out ...
19/06/2026
Data from May shows seasonal outdoor trends triggers lower viewing
Warsaw, Pola...
19/06/2026
Buttons is best control system in the rAVe Best of Infocomm Awards 2026...
19/06/2026
Mavis Studio Makes iPad Production More Powerful
Brie Clayton June 19, 2026
0 Comments
InfoComm update brings new NDI Preview, PTZ control, USB audio ...
19/06/2026
Immersive Studio Metaverse Stage Tackles Post with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 19, 2026
0 Comments
New narrative projects rely on DaVinci Reso...
19/06/2026
How to Run the Original 1993 After Effects
Graham Quince June 19, 2026
0 Comments
How to the original After Effects v1 in an emulator, and you don'...
19/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/06/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists and engineers, has announced that its entire Standards catalog is now freely available to the global medi...