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The handbook › Sync, honestly
Six

Sync, honestly

Sync is the best-paying thing on the list and the most misrepresented. A placement in television, film, advertising or a game can pay more than a year of streaming, which is exactly why an entire industry exists to charge artists for access to it.

How it actually works

A placement needs two separate licences: one for the master, from whoever owns the recording, and one for the composition, from whoever wrote it. A music supervisor who has to chase four people for permissions on a deadline will simply use a different song. This is the real reason clean paperwork matters more here than anywhere else.

  • You must be able to clear it fast. Undocumented splits, an unreachable producer, or an unclear master owner will lose you placements you never hear about.
  • Instrumentals and stems are not optional. Supervisors frequently need a version without vocals, or a shorter edit. Not having one loses the placement.
  • Metadata has to be in the file. Contact details and ownership tagged into the audio itself, because the file gets separated from the email within a day.

What to watch in a sync or library agreement

Exclusive versus non-exclusive An exclusive library agreement means no other library can place that track, often for years. Non-exclusive lets you be in several. Exclusivity is only worth it for a library that actually places things, and you should ask for examples before agreeing.
Retitling Some libraries register an alternative title for your work to manage collection. It is a normal practice with real benefits, but understand it happens and what it does to your own registrations.
Term and reversion How long they hold the track, and whether it comes back to you if they never place it. A library holding an unplaced track in perpetuity is doing you no good at all.
Who keeps the writer's share A library taking the publisher's share is standard. A library taking part of the writer's share is not, and is worth questioning.
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Nobody legitimate charges you to submit.

Libraries and supervisors make money from placements, which means they make money when you do. A submission fee, a "guaranteed review" fee, or a paid pitch to a named show is a business model that profits whether or not you are ever placed. That is the tell.

Where this leads
The clauses underneath a sync deal Before you sign anything → Why clean paperwork wins placements The details that decide if you get paid →

Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Rates, statutory splits, platform rules and organisation fees all move, and every figure was checked in September 2026 against at least five independent sources. This is written from a United States starting point. If something is wrong, tell us on the forum and it gets fixed.