Get Paid With A Sync Deal

Jul 24, 2024

Get Paid with a Sync Deal

There was a time when musicians shunned the idea of associating their music with advertisements, deeming it the ultimate sell out move. This has dramatically changed since the digitization of music. Previously when music was bought and paid for, popular musicians were fabulously wealthy and could hold opinions like this while still making a living. Nowadays musicians are in vastly different waters. Music is expected to be free, and musicians have to make their money on tour or via merchandise and have to become social media icons all to scrape by.  There still is one holy grail of music money making, that has the same passive income qualities of the days of old and that is the SYNC deal. 

Commonly spelled as SYNCH, the sync deal is short for synchronization and refers to synchronizing a video with your music. Basically playing your music in the background of a video. This deal is the legal agreement between the producer of the video and you, that gives them the rights to use your music in the video. These rights are paid for and are a major money maker for artists now. 

The key components of a sync deal

• Syncronization Rights The primary component of a sync deal is the right to synchronize the music with visual elements. This involves matching the timing, pace, and emotion of the music with the visual content.
• Licensing Fees: The producer of the visual media pays a fee to the music rights holder (which can be the artist, record label, or publisher) for the right to use the music. The fee can vary greatly depending on the song's popularity, the prominence of the placement, and the budget of the production.
• Usage Duration: The duration for which the music is used can affect the licensing fee. It could be a few seconds, the length of a commercial, or throughout an entire films

Sync Deals are super common and are mainly found in the following videos:

• Television Shows: Background music, theme songs, or featured tracks in TV series.
• Films: Soundtracks or background scores in movies.
• Commercials: Music used in advertisements to enhance brand messaging.
• Video Games: Background music, theme songs, or specific in-game scenes.
• Online Content: Music used in YouTube videos, web series, and other digital media.

How Do I Get A Sync Deal?

We could define and give famous examples of Sync deals all day, but what is really important here is the question, “how can I get one of these synch deals?”

Assuming you are doing everything possible to make the highest quality music you can, we have a few additional recommendations as well as common routes to get a Sync Deal. First, know that sync music will have to line up with visual content. Music that is too unique or jarring may have trouble fitting in a film. 

So tip number 1: Always create instrumental versions of your music. 

They are easier to fit into a film, commercial, youtube video, video game, and more. Often when producers are looking at music to place they have several options on the table, so making it as easy as possible for them is key and instrumentals provide just that.  

Tip number 2: Try to keep your music easy to clear 

Anytime you can, try to get “pre-clearances” from any co-writers on your music. This makes it easy to contractually execute the Sync deal. 

Now, how to get that sweet, sweet Sync money. 

1: Sell your Sync deals direct 

Selling direct requires you to do the initial legwork, but it leaves you with all the money from the deal as well as can be free to setup. Curios is a great first platform for listing your Sync Rights. 

Listing a Sync deal on Curios is free and if it closes you keep 100% of those funds. In the age where streamers, youtubers and social media influencers need music in the background of their videos, this direct method is an easy way for the video makers to get the rights to the music and for the musician to get the funds. 

To list your music on curios simply head to studio.curios.com and as always if you ever need any help reach out to [email protected]

Using Curios is most “independent” option, as you will have to do all the legwork, however the entire upside is yours and its at no cost to you. You will have to create your own contract for these deals and you’ll have to set the price for you music. You can create price tiers too, where you sell the rights to use the song in one video for $150 for instance. 

Creating a contract is easy as well here are a few sources where you can do this efficiently: 

• Creative Counsel offers a free sample of a Sync Licensing Agreement Template. Their templates are extensive and user-friendly, covering rights, royalties, terms, and territories of use. They also provide a premium version for more dynamic fields and professional formatting in PDF and Word formats​ (Creative Counsel)​.
• Creators Legal provides customizable templates for music synchronization licenses. These templates include all essential terms and conditions for a work-for-hire agreement, such as compensation, duration, and usage rights. They cater to both independent musicians and established artists​ (Creators Legal)​.
• Lawrina offers a professional music license agreement template that can be customized online. This template covers all necessary details, including the type of music license, geographical scope, royalties, termination, indemnification, and warranties​ (Lawrina)​​ (Lawrina)​.

Additionally you’ll have to do your own marketing as well, but you can leverage your socials well to let people know that Sync rights to your music is available on Curios. 

2. Use Selective Pitch Companies

If you are open to losing a cut, but want to get help being exposed to possibly bigger deals, there are companies that will listen to your work and choose songs they think they can place. They do not take any rights ownership of your work but the cuts are pretty severe and can range from 20-25% on average. We like companies like Music Alternatives, Terrorbird, Bankrobber, Zync, and Lip Sync. 

These companies may reject your work, but they are very talented and know what can be easily placed and what cannot. If they do accept your work, they usually have decent success in placement and this can lead to good revenues. As we touched on above, these companies prefer the easiest contractual routes possible, so they love when you own your masters and love when you have clear publishing too. 

These companies do not require exclusivity, however they have different rates when you are exclusive with them. At Curios we generally believe that non-exclusive is always the way to go. Its your music and you should do with it what you please. HOWEVER in the world of sync placements sometimes exclusivity can work out strongly in your favor. A big placement could be landed and you had more than one of these companies working on it. Then there can be lots of complications as to which company got in first and this can cause the deal to be lost. If you are going for bigger placements, then you may want to consider using only one of these companies to keep things focused and tight. 

3. Use a Publishing Company

Securing a deal with a publishing company is often seen as the pinnacle of sync pitching for several reasons. Many artists and industry professionals are wary of publishing companies, primarily due to misunderstandings about their role. Publishing companies manage your songwriting compositions, much like how record labels (supposedly) handle your master recordings, ensuring they reach the widest possible audience. While artists often dream of signing with trendy labels, those who write songs should equally aspire to work with a reputable publisher. 

If you are a strong songwriter, a publisher is and should be a crucial member of your team. 

Historically, there have been numerous horror stories about writers losing their rights for a seemingly significant amount of money, only for their song to become a major hit. However, the landscape has shifted significantly in favor of writers. While unethical co-publishing deals with no advances or reversions still exist, they are much less common. Remember, entering into a publishing deal doesn’t mean relinquishing your rights. Many artists opt for administrative or “admin” deals that heavily favor the writers while allowing them to maintain ownership. This is similar to licensing your material to a label. Eventually, everything reverts back to you, typically after 1-5 years.

Early Career Co-Publishing Deals

In the early stages of an artist’s career, I often prefer co-publishing deals. Although admin deals may include advances, co-publishing deals usually offer larger advances because the company takes an ownership stake. These funds are often reinvested into the artist's career, supporting tours and promotional efforts to help them gain traction. Once the artist has built a solid fanbase and the publishing deal ends, they can opt for an admin deal if they wish.

Choosing the Right Publisher

We recommend Downtown, Peer, and BMG, there are plenty of other reputable companies as well. We always recommend taking time at this step as it is crucial to choose a company that aligns with your style and needs. 

Conclusion

There are lots of options available for musicians to find and get Sync placements and while we tend to prefer musicians who can make it in the independent route, ultimately at Curios we want you to be successful in whatever manner is possible. Best of luck and we are always here to help!