Sync Licensing Guide
How Much Does a Sync Placement Actually Pay?
Real 2026 fee ranges for film, TV, ads, games and trailers, plus the two licenses you get paid for, and what you actually keep after the splits.
| Where it's used | Typical fee | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|
| Student / short / festival film | $0-$5,000 | Often festival-use-only or deferred; a credit + festival rights, not real money. |
| Indie feature (theatrical) | $5,000-$25,000 | Per song. Background cue vs. featured vocal changes the number a lot. |
| Major studio film | $50,000-$250,000+ | Recognizable songs for a main-title or trailer-driving moment go far higher. |
| Network TV episode | $5,000-$50,000 | Per use. A theme or recurring cue is worth more than a one-off background bed. |
| Premium streaming (Netflix / HBO) | $10,000-$100,000+ | Worldwide, all-media, in-perpetuity terms push these toward the top of the range. |
| Trailer / teaser | $10,000-$75,000 | Short window of use but extremely high exposure, priced accordingly. |
| Video game | $5,000-$50,000 | Per song. A single in-game cue can be heard tens of millions of times. |
| National TV ad (1-year buyout) | $50,000-$500,000+ | Major brands pay $1M+ for a recognizable song. Term & territory drive everything. |
| Online ad / branded social | $500-$10,000 | Scales with the campaign size, platform reach, and length of the run. |
Why the range is so wide
There's no rate card for sync. The same song can be worth $2,000 or $200,000 depending on the deal terms a music supervisor negotiates. The levers that move the number:
Term, how long the license lasts (a one-year ad buyout vs. in-perpetuity). Territory, one country vs. worldwide. Media, festival-only vs. all-media (theatrical, broadcast, streaming, home video). Prominence, a background instrumental bed vs. a featured vocal moment vs. the main title. Exclusivity, whether the music can also appear in competing productions. MFN ("most favored nations"), a clause guaranteeing your deal is no worse than any comparable song in the same project.
You're actually getting paid for two licenses
Every piece of recorded music carries two separate copyrights, and a sync placement has to clear both. That's why the headline fee gets split before anyone sees it.
Composition copyright
Sync license
Granted by the publisher / songwriter, the right to synchronize the song (melody + lyrics) with picture.
Sound-recording copyright
Master-use license
Granted by the master owner (label or artist), the right to use that specific recording.
The total fee is typically split 50/50 between the master side and the publishing side. If you wrote and recorded your own song and own both copyrights, both halves come to you.
What you actually keep
The quoted fee is gross, not take-home. Before it reaches you it usually passes through a chain of cuts:
Fee → minus agency / library commission (25-50%, if one pitched it) → split master vs. publisher (≈50/50) → minus any label or co-writer share → your take-home.
So a $20,000 TV placement pitched by an agency that takes 40% leaves $12,000, split across the master and publishing sides, and split again if you don't own both, or have co-writers. The artists who keep the most are the ones who own their masters and their publishing and pitch without giving away a large commission. Separately, performance royalties on the backend (via your PRO) only flow if your works are registered correctly, don't leave that money uncollected.
How independent artists actually access sync
Music supervisors are the gatekeepers, and most don't take unsolicited submissions, placements run on relationships. The realistic paths:
- Sync agency or library. They pitch your catalog to supervisors and take a 25-50% commission on anything they place. Lowest effort, highest cut.
- Direct relationships. Build trust with supervisors over months and years. Highest payoff, slowest, and the hardest door to open cold.
- Targeted self-pitching. Find the supervisors behind shows, films, and games that sound like your music, and reach them directly, keeping the full fee. This is what SyncPlacement is built for.
Sync fees, FAQ
How much does a song in a TV show pay?
For a network or premium-streaming show, a single placement typically pays somewhere between $5,000 and $50,000, and $10,000-$100,000+ on big Netflix/HBO-tier productions. That total is split between the song's publisher (sync license) and the master owner (master-use license), usually 50/50. A background instrumental cue sits at the low end; a featured vocal moment or a theme sits much higher.
How much does sync licensing pay for a movie?
An indie feature usually pays $5,000-$25,000 per song. A major studio film ranges from roughly $50,000 to $250,000+ for a well-placed or recognizable song, and trailers (priced separately) run $10,000-$75,000. Festival and student films often pay little or nothing, you're licensing for the credit and the festival rights.
Do I get paid every time my song airs?
Often, yes, but through a different channel. The sync fee is a one-time upfront payment for the right to use the music. On top of that, public performances of the composition (when a TV show or film airs or streams) generate performance royalties, collected by your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or GMR) and paid to the songwriter and publisher. So a sync placement can have both an upfront fee and an ongoing backend, register your works with your PRO so you actually collect it.
What do I actually keep after the splits?
Less than the headline number. If a sync agency or library pitched the placement, it takes a 25-50% commission first. The remainder is split between the master owner and the publisher (typically 50/50). If you wrote and recorded the song and own both copyrights, you keep the most; if a label owns your master or you only wrote (not performed) the track, your share is smaller. Treat the quoted fee as gross, not take-home.
How do I actually get my music to music supervisors?
Music supervisors are the gatekeepers, and most don't accept unsolicited submissions, placements happen through relationships, agencies, and libraries. The practical paths for an independent artist are: pitch through a sync agency or library (which takes a commission), build direct supervisor relationships over time, or use a tool like SyncPlacement to find the supervisors behind shows, films, and games like yours and how to reach them.
Is sync licensing passive income?
Not really. The upfront sync fee is a one-time negotiated payment, and the backend performance royalties only flow if your music actually gets placed and you've registered it correctly. Sync is best thought of as high-value, relationship-driven licensing, not a set-and-forget royalty stream.
Find the supervisors who place music like yours.
The fee only matters if you get in the room. SyncPlacement shows you the music supervisors behind the shows, films, and games in your lane, and how to reach them, without handing an agency half your check.
Find music supervisors freeWorking every angle?
Sync is one path to getting heard. Grow your streams, get radio airplay, and book live shows too.
Fee ranges are industry-reported estimates for orientation only, every sync deal is individually negotiated and varies by song, project, and terms. This guide is educational and is not legal or financial advice; for a specific placement, work with a music attorney.