If you want to learn how to get your music placed in film, TV, commercials and video games, listen up.
This area of the music industry is called sync licensing and is highly lucrative. But extremely complicated and hard to break into. So let’s break it down.
This is an area of the industry that I’m highly engaged in. Not only have I had about 50 of my own songs synced, but on the New Music Business podcast I’ve interviewed countless experts in the field including:
Music Supervisors:
- Deva Anderson – Greyhound, Band of Brothers, The Pacific
- Jen Malone – Euphoria, Atlanta, Empire, Step Up
- Madonna Wade-Reed – Reign, Smallville, Batwoman
- Lindsay Wolfington – One Tree Hill, To All the Boys, Virgin River
- Brittany Douziech – Life & Beth, From Scratch, A League of Their Own, Daisy Jones & the Six
- Winslow Bright – Sephora, Beyond Burger, Calvin Klein, Mini Cooper
- Brian Vickers – Disney (Star Wars the Last Jedi, Black Panther, The Avengers, Soul)
- Chris Douridas – Austin Powers, American Beauty
Sync Agents:
- Jen Pearce – Low Profile
- Jessica Vaughn – Head Bitch Music
- Marty Silverstone – Primary Wave
- Lyle Hysen & Kyra Wendel – Bank Robber
- Daniel McCarthy – Music Bed
- Vo Williams – Sound Dose Music Group
- Jenn Miller – Audiosocket
I’ve also interviewed (read up and attended panels) of dozens more music supervisors and sync agents over the years for research for the book.
The sync licensing world is something I care deeply about. For one, I’ve seen it launch the careers of many, many artists (some of whom I’ve had the pleasure of touring with and opening for). After Lindsay Wolfington placed my song in One Tree Hill back in 2010, not only did my iTunes numbers skyrocket that night, but for years after that placement people at every show came up to me saying they discovered me from that show.
And also because I know how much sync pays.
Typical upfront sync fees for indie artists:
- Commercial Campaigns: $20K – $550K+
- Films: $10K – $80K
- Trailers: $10K – $80K
- TV: $500 – $20K
- Video Games: $2K – $10K
- Theme Songs: $5K – $10K
Not to mention the backend performance royalties. Which can add up to be quite a lot.
Every TV show is different, of course, budgets vary and whatnot. But it’s not uncommon for a $10K placement to an emerging artist for a Netflix show. More on this in a minute.
Sync licensing is one of those hidden corners of the music industry that not too many people talk about. Everyone is so obsessed with Spotify and TikTok and Instagram and ticket sales. When, literally one sync placement can pay your entire year’s salary. That’s a hell of a lot of streams!
Now, back in 2010 when I got my song on One Tree Hill, I did it by tweeting it to Lindsay.
This is not possible anymore. Artists are much more savvy and understand that music supervisors are the ones who hold the keys to the sync licensing kingdom. So they flood their inboxes with pleas to listen to their music.
Now, even if you get the perfect pitch down to the perfect music supervisor for the perfect show where your music would fit just perfectly, don’t expect a listen, let alone a reply.
Why? Well, because for one, they don’t know you. But, more so, they’ve been burned too many times by well-intentioned, but ignorant artists.
Artists just don’t understand how sync rights work. They think because they released the song on Spotify that they have the rights to get it synced. They may not. Or they think because they co-wrote it with a friend, they have the rights. They may not. Or they think because they bought their beat (production) off of BeatStars and chopped it up, they have the rights. They probably do not. Or they think, they think, they think, but they don’t KNOW. And if the music supervisor can’t be 10000% sure that the song they are placing in the episode won’t get the network SUED, they won’t place it. Because then they’ll be out of a job!
So, music supervisors RARELY accept music from artists directly.
So, how do you get your music in film, tv, commercials and video games? How do you get it in Netflix, HBO, Prime, Apple+ or Hulu shows?
Sync agents!
What are sync agents? Sync agents are the people who are the go between. Sometimes they work at sync licensing companies. Sometimes they work alone.
Sync agents have the relationships with all the music supervisors. And they have their trust. Music supervisors don’t have to worry that sync agents will send them music that isn’t cleared. Sync agents know how to make sure everything is completely cleared. Sync agents usually operate as “one stops.” Meaning, they rep indie artists, clear all the rights to the music, and can offer it, completely cleared, to the music supervisor. So the music supervisor only has to make one stop. (Not, like 12 stops, calling around to the various publishers and record labels).
Music supervisors LOVE working with sync agents because they have music that is great and cleared.
So, how do you get signed with one of these sync agents? And who are they?
Vo Williams is a hip hop artist who has had over 3,000 sync placements of just his own music. You may remember him from the New Music Business episode. The Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Tampa Bay Lightning used Vo’s music for their team’s theme songs in the last few years – and ALL THREE went on to win their respective championships. Coincidence? Well, the Lakers are using him now!
I was so impressed with him on my podcast with his generosity at sharing his knowledge that I asked him to teach a course on sync licensing for Ari’s Take Academy.
So that’s why we launched Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV, and Video Games.
Not only does he teach students everything they need to know about the sync licensing world. He also, of course, teaches them how to get signed to agents.
But something that’s done in this course, that no other education institution is doing: Showcases with top-tier sync agencies in the world. ATA students are able to submit their music (which they have honed and created based on Vo’s incredible guidance) to sync agents that Ari’s Take Academy has partnered with.
To date, over 200 students have signed to sync agencies because of these showcases.
So, if you’re interested in conquering the sync world, consider applying for Ari’s Take Academy’s Advanced Sync Strategies course with Vo and make it happen!
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