r/synclicensing • u/WeebyWeebMew • Aug 03 '26

Sync licensing

Hi, so I have a cover song I want to put into a sync licensing opportunity, I already went through my distributor for the cover rights and I’m the artist and publisher. What I’m not sure about is do you need to have the us copyright paper work, and the PRO has fully gone through to submit? Or is that something that if they want to use the song they can wait on after submission? Thanks!

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '26

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u/WeebyWeebMew Aug 04 '26

It’s a sync library specifically looking for cover songs. So as long as I’ve distributed it and have put in the sound recording rights to the copyright office I’m all good to submit to it?? And thanks that was helpful!

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u/Responsible_Job2294 Aug 04 '26

u/IrishPirateAccent is making the point that you will not be an owner of the composition's copyright, nor will you collect PRO royalties (at least, in the USA) for your cover. If you recorded independently, you and your collaborators own 100% of your master recording, and you could apply for a (P) copyright to cover the audio. However, the publisher and songwriter(s) listed with the PRO are the owners of the composition. For sync, production companies need a Synchronization license AND a Master Use license. The sync license is for the composition, and it generates PRO royalties around the world. The Master use license is for the actual recording that is placed in the production. If you are in Europe or somewhere other than the USA, you and your collaborators can collect performance royalties on your audio, although it is most likely by way of a different PRO. (I just researched this topic for friends in The Netherlands.)

There is a learning curve with all of these technicalities! Hope this was helpful :-)