4. Sync Agreements

When a Music Supervisor wants your song for a film or ad, they send a Sync/Master Use License. You must look for these terms:

Territory: Where will this be shown? (e.g., “The World,” “North America,” or “The Universe”) covering all future platforms and distribution methods)..

Term: How long can they use it? (e.g., 1 year, 5 years, or “In Perpetuity” meaning forever).

Media: Where will it live? (e.g., “All Media” including TV, Internet, and Cinema and any future platforms, or a narrower grant like "Online Only").

Scope of Use: How is the song being used? A featured use (prominent, lyrics audible, central to a scene) commands a significantly higher fee than a background use (low in the mix, incidental). This distinction directly affects your negotiating position.

MFN (Most Favored Nations): A “Fairness” clause. it ensures the master fee (paid to the artist/label) and the sync fee (paid to the publisher) are equal, if one side negotiates up, the other automatically matches. It can also apply artist-to-artist, ensuring your fee matches the highest-paid artist in the same project for a comparable use.

Exclusivity: Non-exclusive deals allow you to license the same track elsewhere simultaneously, which is generally preferable unless the fee justifies the restriction.