Learn Sync Licensing
Everything you need to understand how sync licensing works — from your first brief to your first placement.
What is sync licensing?
Sync licensing (short for synchronisation licensing) is the process of licensing your music for use alongside moving images — TV shows, films, advertisements, trailers, video games, and online content. When a music supervisor selects your track, they license both the master recording and the underlying composition, and you earn a sync fee plus backend royalties.
Unlike streaming, sync placements can generate significant one-time fees and long-term royalties. A single TV placement can earn hundreds to thousands of pounds, while a national advertising spot can reach five or six figures.
What's in a sync brief?
A sync brief is a request from a music supervisor describing exactly what they need for a specific project. Briefs typically specify:
Genre & mood
The emotional feel and musical style — for example "uplifting indie pop" or "tense, cinematic underscore".
Tempo & energy
BPM range and energy level that fits the pacing of the scene or edit.
Vocal & production
Whether they need an instrumental, full vocal, or no-lyrics version — plus any specific production characteristics.
Why mix quality matters
Music supervisors review hundreds of tracks per week. A poor mix — muddy low end, harsh highs, clipping, or weak stereo width — can eliminate an otherwise perfect track before it reaches anyone's ears. Professional mix quality signals that you take your craft seriously and that the track is ready to deliver.
TuneLens scores your mix across frequency balance, dynamic range, stereo width, and loudness. Use these scores to close the gap between your current mix and what supervisors expect to hear.
How to pitch your music
Build a clean catalogue
Have professionally mixed and mastered tracks ready in both vocal and instrumental versions. Supervisors often need both.
Read briefs carefully
Only pitch tracks that genuinely match the brief. Pitching off-brief wastes a supervisor's time and damages your credibility.
Analyse before you pitch
Run your track through TuneLens to check sync readiness, brief match score, and mix quality before submission.
Keep metadata clean
Embed accurate BPM, key, genre, and mood tags. Many supervisors search libraries by metadata before pressing play.