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Synchronization (or "sync") licensing is the agreement that allows a piece of music to be paired with a visual medium, such as a film, television show, commercial, or video game.
To successfully pitch and place music, a catalog must meet strict industry requirements so that music supervisors can legally clear the track and easily locate it in a database. When curating a catalog for a platform like Discover YOU RADIO or a dedicated sync library, the requirements generally fall into three main categories:
1. Legal Ownership and Clearances (The "One-Stop" Standard)
Music supervisors work on tight deadlines and need to know exactly who owns what. A song has two distinct copyrights: the Master (the actual sound recording, usually owned by the artist or record label) and the Composition (the underlying melody and lyrics, owned by the writers or publishers).
To clear a track, a supervisor needs:
Writers and Publishers: A complete list of everyone who contributed to the song and their respective ownership splits.
PRO Work Numbers: Verification that the song is registered with a Performing Rights Organization (like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC) so performance royalties can be paid.
A.I. Transparency: An increasingly critical requirement. Because copyright laws around AI-generated music are still evolving, catalogs must know exactly what portion of a track is human-created versus AI-generated to ensure the track can be legally protected and monetized.
Explicit Status: Knowing if a track contains explicit lyrics is mandatory, as many commercial or network TV placements have strict broadcasting standards.
2. Embedded Metadata and Identifiers
If a track doesn't have accurate metadata, it essentially doesn't exist in a music supervisor's search system. Essential identifiers include:
ISRC (International Standard Recording Code): The digital fingerprint for the master recording.
ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code): The unique identifier for the musical composition.
Tempo (BPM), Key, Genre, and Mood: Supervisors rarely search by song title; they search by feeling or technical requirements (e.g., "Upbeat, 120 BPM, Synth-Pop in C Minor").
Keywords and Scene Descriptions: Having artists describe the "vision" or "scene" (e.g., car chase, romantic comedy, advertisement) helps match the song to a director's brief.
3. Audio Deliverables
Having the right file formats is just as important as the song itself.
Instrumentals: This is arguably the most critical deliverable. Dialogue is king in film and TV. If a character is speaking, the supervisor will often need an instrumental version (or "Cue Type") of the track so the vocals don't clash with the actors.
Stems: While not always required upfront, having individual instrument tracks (stems) available makes a song highly attractive, allowing the audio editor to remove a distracting guitar solo or isolate a drum beat.
Capturing all of this information comprehensively right at the submission stage prevents legal headaches later and drastically increases the chances of a successful sync placement.
Please upload tracks to uploads@discoveryouradio.com