Rights & Services
Sync License
A sync license is permission to synchronize a composition with visual media. Using a commercial recording in a video needs this plus a master-use license.
A synchronization (“sync”) license grants permission to pair a composition with visual media — film, TV, ads, games, trailers, lyric videos. It comes from the songwriter and publisher and is freely negotiated; there is no compulsory rate.
The key rule: using a commercial recording in video takes two licenses — a sync license on the composition and a master-use license on the recording. Use your own newly made recording and you need only the sync license. This is also why a cover in a video falls outside the audio-only §115 license.
The income a placement earns is its sync royalty. Notes makes your catalog available for sync and reconciles what each use earns, with no percentage taken.
Good to know
Sync License: common questions
- What's the difference between a sync license and a sync royalty?
- The license is the permission to use the music in video; the royalty is the money that use pays. One sync deal involves a license up front and can generate performance royalties when the placement airs.
- Do I need a sync license for a lyric video of my cover?
- Yes — any video use needs a negotiated sync license on the composition, because the §115 compulsory license is audio-only.