Let’s take a stroll back in time to the year 2013.
A young and somewhat enigmatic movie streaming website called Netflix launched an original series called House of Cards. It’s important to remember that HBO was still just a channel and Disney still just made movies and theme parks. House of Cards showed the world the future, as it was the first streaming-first program to garner massive mainstream attention and prestigious awards.
8 years later, we have seen the launch of HBO Max, Disney Plus, Apple TV and an entire galaxy of new original series and movies.
So who creates the original music for all of that original content? That’s where a music sync license comes in. It is the music industry’s fastest-growing sector, but it is still a little bit misunderstood.
Music Sync Licensing: An Overview
Let’s start with the basics. A music sync license enables the matching of original music with a:
· Movie
· TV show
· Commercial/ Ad
· Video game
This gives musicians a whole new avenue to find commercial success. Instead of struggling to earn traction on Spotify, Soundcloud, or Tiktok, they can build a thriving career doing music sync. Appearing in the right production could earn them hundreds, thousands, or even millions of dollars.
The sync part of music sync licensing is what makes it unique from other forms of music licensing, as it is specific to the act of combining audio content and visual content.
This does not need to be on a grandiose level, like Billie Eilish doing the theme song to the latest Bond film. Independent artists, songwriters, and composers licence their music to small productions every single day and make a very sustainable living doing so.
What’s in it For the Musician?
This can be so many things for a musician. It could be a side hustle, a launchpad, or a full-blown career. It offers a lot of freedom and opportunity.
If a musician earns the trust and the respect of a well-connected music supervisor or production company, they can soon carve out a very lucrative career.
Singers, songwriters, and composers that get their music featured in popular productions can gain a new level of exposure, which helps them take their careers to the next level. People forget that Feist’s 1, 2, 3, 4 and Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl were modest successes until they landed in iconic Apple commercials.
What’s in it for the Music Supervisors?
Music supervisors are constantly looking for the right music that is:
a) Perfect for the emotions and beats in this scene
b) Easy to clear
Finding the right song instantly elevates their video production. But finding and clearing that song is a constant challenge. If they need a moody song for an emotional pan across a cityscape, or something tense for a chase scene, having access to a network of reliable musicians makes their job much easier.
Want to Know More?
Absolute Sync was created to bridge the gap between the business side and the artistic side of music production, while solving the most common problems from both sides of the industry.
We connect musicians to music supervisors and build the relationships that create success for both sides. Click here to contact us any time to learn more.