SYNC Licensing is the way to go for music artists wanting to earn some money licensing songs for sync licensing services for use in film, television, commercials, or video games. As an absolute beginner, it can be difficult to identify what to start with, especially with so much information to sift through when researching an area of the music business. That is why it is so important to understand how to submit music for sync licensing the right way, from the beginning.
This guide is meant to detail the process of sending music out for sync licensing, and will break down the most rudimentary understanding of what sync licensing is and how it works, some of the more relatable aspects of it, and what one must do to one’s music in order to increase ones chances for successful placements. With educational materials up front for sync licensing submission, your tracks are in a better position to be found.
Sync Licensing
Sync Licensing (or synchronization licensing) is when your music gets paired with visual content such as films, advertisements, or TV programs. You are paid every time your music is utilized within a production. It’s a great way to earn passive income and get on the map as an artist. To benefit from this, it’s essential to know how to submit music for sync licensing to the right platforms that deal with visual media.
Why Sync Licensing Is a Big Deal
Money: You may earn hundreds or thousands of dollars just through one sync placement.
Exposure: Your music has the potential to get heard by millions of people worldwide. Royalty: commercials, film scores, and TV Development and scripts are all music compositions that could potentially give you royalties for many years to come.
In order for you to do this, you need to learn how to submit music for sync licensing properly and make sure your tracks are industry standard. The better you understand how to submit music for sync licensing, will directly correlate to your success.
Step-By-Step: How to Submit Music for Sync Licensing
1. Understand Your Rights
You must have 100% of the ownership of your tracks or have full permission from all other contributors (producers, co-writers, vocalists, etc.).
Sync agencies simply won’t take the risk of being in a legal predicament.
When submitting to an agency, such as One Night Stand TV, they will clearly request this information in terms of ownership.
They make it clear: “This is why we only work with music that is completely sample free and 100% owned by the artist or rights holder.”
To submit music for sync licensing properly, you need to ensure your rights are clearly defined and documented.
2. Make Sure Your Music is Sync-Ready
Before submitting anything, your song must be:
- Original: Without any copyrighted samples or beats.
- Quality: Properly mixed and mastered.
- Instrumental Versions Available: Many projects prefer a separate instrumental version if applicable.
- The Right Metadata: For example, your name, email, genre, mood, lyrics if included, in the file information.
These are essential parts of preparing to submit music for sync licensing. Skipping any of these can negatively affect your chance of being chosen.
3. Do Your Research
Seek out companies or sync libraries that are similar to your style. An example would be:
- One Night Stand TV – This is a company that focuses on licensing music into film and TV.
Check their music submission page: Submit Your Music
There are others like Musicbed, Artlist, Epidemic Sound, and Songtradr.
Check out their website. Look at what type of music they already have.
Do not submit music for sync licensing to a company that manages only ambient or cinematic music if your genre doesn’t match. Always research how to submit music for sync licensing according to the specific company’s style.
4. Submit Music Properly
When you’re ready, head to the submission page of the sync licensing company. Follow their instructions to the letter. Here’s what you’ll typically need to send:
- Full name and contact details
- Links to your tunes (SoundCloud, private download link, or MP3s)
- Genre and mood tags
- A short bio (optional but useful)
- Song details (title, BPM, lyrics, etc.)
- Ownership declaration (remember to write that you own 100%)
Understanding how to submit music for sync licensing includes paying attention to all these details so your submission doesn’t get overlooked.
5. Be Respectful and Professional
Sync agents receive hundreds of submissions each week. You might not get a response immediately. Don’t spam them and keep following up too much:
- Let them listen to your music.
Being professional is part of learning how to submit music for sync licensing effectively. Being too aggressive or careless with your approach can ruin your opportunity.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Sending incomplete music
- Utilizing copyrighted samples
- Disregarding submission guidelines
- Providing missing or inaccurate contact information
- Submit without knowing the company’s style
All these errors can hurt your chances. Knowing how to submit music for sync licensing properly helps you steer clear of these beginner mistakes.
Why One Night Stand TV?
One Night Stand TV is an excellent place for new artists to start. They directly engage with TV productions and movies and take submissions directly on their website. What they’re particularly good at:
- They appreciate independent artists.
- They seek sync-compatible music that’s 100% owned.
- They like to keep things straightforward and artist-friendly.
If you’re looking for an accessible way to submit music for sync licensing, this platform is one of the best to start with. Visit their page here: https://www.onenightstand.tv/music/
Final Thoughts
It can seem daunting at first, but if you take the steps (and have patience), pitching music for sync licensing can open huge doors. You need to make sure your music is ready, your rights are clear, and you are pitching to the right outlets like One Night Stand TV.
Don’t wait. That one amazing placement might be the start of a music career you never thought possible. The key is to keep learning how to submit music for sync licensing and never stop improving the quality of what you submit.