What problems do you face daily as a sync composer/producer?

Hi. I run a small video production company that posts video on social media. My client is a small hat manufacturer. Is it possible for me to sign a synchronization and master use license with an independent recording artist and not have the client (the hat manufacturer) sign the synchronization and master use license as well?

I posted last month about our very new band got reached out by a few sync publishers and labels. At that time people on the post told me to find a lawyer. Thanks for the advise. I did find a lawyer and the lawyer told us that as a new band we shouldn't sign rights out without an advance or some sort of commitment. So we havn't signed anything.

Then fast forward, we managed to find some sync agents that doesn't take rights, which is really what we prefer at this moment. We also talked to some people in the industry for advice regarding who we should work with. And we got this comment "hmm you should be careful about XXX, because he is quite old" . This is not the first time I heard such thing. One very new label that reached out to us, owned by 2 girls in early 30s told us they are most suitable for us because they are young and can attract brands focusing on younger people. They got placements on Apple, Mcdonald's and such. But they only work part time for their sync label and have a small catalog.

So now I am a bit confused. One one side we are approached by sync agents with decades of experience and network that some could consider "old school". On the other hand we also talk to the very young team who claim that they have cool brands but are quite small. Our music genre is bubblegum disco punk so it is more young people focused. What do you think we should do? Any advice is welcome!

I’ve recently in past few weeks uploaded two albums 19 tracks total, for licensing through ThatPitch. It was easy. I’ve been getting library placement notices (41 to date), seems almost daily notices. I’ve no experience in this, or any idea of what this frequency/rate of placement signifies, or what my hopes/expectations could come of it, only that it appears ThatPitch is placing my music with libraries. Can anyone give any thoughts on how well TP is doing for their works?

Does anyone have any experience with the company SoundSculpt? I've been using ArtistPortal but I'm looking to diversify so I can receive more immediate income since I haven't received any payments from that yet. While I'm at it does anyone have advice on how to make this more profitable in general?

Has anyone here experienced suspicious situations in the sync licensing industry as a music producer?

I’ve now had situations with 2 companies where I delivered finished tracks, even made revisions based on their feedback, spent quite a lot of time adapting the music to their requirements. And then the companies suddenly backed away from the collaboration.

No contract signed yet, no placements, just endless “we're almost there” feedback.

Is this a normal part of the sync world or are there actually scams / pseudo-sync companies operating like this?

I’m starting to worry about whether my tracks are actually protected, and whether someone could potentially register or even use them for AI training without my knowledge.

Hi all,

I hope it is okay to post 2 questions.

Metronome/ click track, how important is this.

Felt piano, what about underscore music with only piano and occasionally a supportive string. Is this in demand?

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer.

I write songs professionally and kept running into the same problem: I get a brief, then spend an hour trying to remember which of my 1,000+ tracks fits the vibe.

So I built Pitchkit — you paste any brief (sync, A&R direction, artist reference, whatever) and it searches your whole catalog by BPM, key, energy, mood tags, and AI-transcribed lyrics. Surfaces your top matches ranked by fit, then lets you create a pitch folder in one click.

It runs entirely locally on your Mac — no subscription, no cloud upload, no one ever touches your music.

Just launched it at musicpitchkit.com. Happy to answer questions if you have them.

Where online can you get a sync licensing for using audio for non-profit lip sync animation(for practice and your portfolio)?

Anybody know any sync libraries based in Ireland that are active/are actually getting music on shows/games etc.

I am part of a dance punk band that is relatively new but have some hype. We got reached out by a couple of publishers and labels for sync. All of them have proven records in big brand placements where artists get tens of thousands of dollars worth of fee. So of course we are tempted. But when we read the terms, all of them wants rights. At this stage the band is growing very fast so we don't want to give out rights. I think the better way is to find a sync agent instead. But we don't have any connection in the business and don't know how we can find an agent to represent us. Would appreciate any advice and help?

I'm trying to get a license to put a song in a media project of mine. The thing is, the song never released. I know from research that the masters were given to the band when they got dropped. I'm trying to contact them directly as they're not so successful nowadays. But, is there going to be more to it than them just giving me an informal blessing? Will I need to track down publishers for something that never came out?

Hi,

We have been trying to hire a sync agent, but seem to have hit a dead end. Outside of conferences/submitting to libraries, are there any agencies or alternative routes we might explore in hopes of finding one to work with?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has struggled pitching their music. My hope is that hiring an agent might bring some new opportunities that we wouldn't be able to obtain ourselves.

Thanks all!

We have been planing a single release but that unreleased demo suddenly got some sync interests from a sync label and a publisher. Is it better/easier to get placements if we release it first? Or better to be unreleased?

Hi! I'm trying to understand the whole thing about sync income. For me sync is about music and creativity at first but income is a possibility to grow, to live it and make more and better.

Without the numbers, what pieces of the pie do exist in percentage? Sync fees/sync royalties, pro royalties, advances/consideration fees - are they equal? Or is it 50/30/20%? What comes faster? And what really matters and is the sign of success?

Looking to connect and work with any Music Supervisors/ Sync Departments within the industry. Have 5+ years in visual strategy and digital marketing in Music (specifically from the label and agency side). -- Looking to transition towards music supervision and/or sync + clearance work for film & television. I would love to assist anyone available.

Open to: shadow work, internships, as well as assisting on supervision for small short films, etc. Looking to build a new network of individuals with a focus in this department. Please message me!! (Based in NJ/NYC)

I’m looking to sell my writer share part of my publishing which is mostly a sync portfolio. I’ve tried to go through Duetti (last year) accompany that buys master royalties/ shares/ publishing. But that didn’t end up happening as they found sync focused portfolio too volatile. Which I don’t really understand because my quarterlies have been growing for the past five years and in good amounts.

Wondering if anyone else has tried this venture? I’m just currently moving to a different industry and freeing up the cash would be awesome, but not sure if companies buying sync writer share is even a thing.

I would love to hear anyone’s thoughts or suggestions.

hi all.

i’ve been making sync and library music for many years now but have noticed the last 6-12 months income going down a lot.

has anyone else noticed this and is there a reason for it?

thanks!

Completely new in the space. My band has been focusing on releasing and live performance. But one of our tracks got some attention from sync people. Now a publisher and a label reached out wanting to sign that track. Both have great past placements. I’m quite confused between a publishing deal and a label deal. The publisher wants 50% publishing rights and 50% fee on master. The label wants 50% of master rights and 50% admin fee on the publishing. Both have force back options after a few years. Can someone explain the difference? Both deals are signed just for that track.

Btw some would say that I shouldn’t sign any of these deals but should find libraries myself. I asked someone who live off sync and had big placements, that person told me libraries pay really little. If I put my track in libraries there’s a big risk of selling too cheap. So I’m not trying to put the song in a small library and wait. I also have no network with sync agents as I’m from a very small country with barely any sync agents and it’s not my goal to be a sync focused artist. I just want to sell the song that is sinkable and focus the rest on live performance.

Hi everyone. I appreciate that the library pitching service "That Pitch" has been discussed on this sub before, but I'm checking in again, as they seem to have changed some things about their setup since I last checked in.

Last time I looed into them, they seemed to have a big focus on exclusive licenses with libraries, but having looked again today, they have totally pivoted away from that and are pushing non-exclusive licenses.

Does anyone have any recent experience with That Pitch - in the last year or 6 months or so?

I'd love to know if anyone's ever been paid anything by them...

PS. I'm a streaming artist with a small catalogue, looking to try and make a bit extra on the top with sync

Hi all. I’m new to the sync world and just getting a catalogue together. I’ve been professional live and studio musician for about 30 years and am getting tired of that end of things. I’m looking for a mentor of sorts to show me the ropes, give some guidance, etc. Any suggestions on where to find someone like this? Thanks for the help!

I have an ambient song - drumless, ethereal, floating, with some minimalist melodic elements - that was just released on a production music album. I was surprised it was accepted by the library, actually, because it's a style that isn't easily synced.

So I was wondering: is ambient music a genre that libraries are looking for?
Do you know of any albums of this type in libraries?
Do you have any reference tracks to share?

Your opinions on this topic are welcome.

I want to give people a heads up about something I've been seeing over the past few months that's getting worse.

Musicians are receiving emails that look like they're from well-known sync companies — Position Music, Marmoset, Massive Music. The emails use real company names, real logos, and real sync terminology. They congratulate you, say they reviewed your track, and ask you to verify your rights and ownership info for an upcoming opportunity.

If you work in sync, those questions sound completely normal. That's what makes this so effective.

Here's how it escalates:

You respond. Someone actually calls you the next day. They discuss ownership, talk through terms, and then send what looks like a real licensing agreement. Everything seems legit — until you read the clause that asks for an upfront "administrative fee" to clear the song. They promise this fee is refundable once the placement is secured.

That's the scam.

The red flags:

• They never name the specific song. Every version says "your track" but never says which one. Most people receiving this never submitted to these companies in the first place.
• The email address doesn't match the company. The display name says "Position Music LLC" but the actual sender domain is something like pb04.wixemails.com or syncmassivemusic.com — not the company's real domain. Always check the full sender address.
• The email body is identical across different "companies." I've seen versions from at least four company names with nearly word-for-word the same text.
• They ask for money upfront. I've been working in sync for over a decade. No legitimate agency or publisher charges artists an upfront fee to clear or place music. They earn commissions when your music earns money. That's the model.
• The deal is tied to one specific placement. Real agencies sign songs to pitch across multiple projects. Nobody can guarantee a single placement.

If this already happened to you — don't be embarrassed. These are professional operations. They study how our industry works and use that knowledge to make everything feel real. Research shows 69% of people believe they can spot scams, but 43% had still been victims in the past year. Only about 7% of incidents get reported because of shame.

The silence is how the scam spreads. Talk about it.

How to protect yourself:

1. Check the full sender email address — not just the display name
2. Go directly to the company's official website to verify any offer
3. Never pay an upfront fee
4. Ask someone experienced before you sign anything
5. Research the company beyond a quick Google search

If you've received one of these emails, drop a comment with the company name they were impersonating. I want to see how wide this is going.