Sychronization License
Sync license is a license that is use with visual images when
making your own music. The most reconizable example of this is a song in a moition picture. This happens when the song is played with actions on the screen on tv commercials, home video devices, etc. It does not include any commercials on the radio. Radio is not visual, so it is not considered sychronized. There are radio commercial licenses that are called transcription license. This license is specific towards radio.
What Are The Fees?
Fees depend on the suggnificant importance of the song in the ad. An example, if the song is used for 5 or 10 seconds in the ad for backround this is usually a unknown song. A major song would be a on camera full length major and popular song that is in a high budget motion picture. When you talk about commercial songs, the fees are heavily increased.
Here Is A Breakdown:
1. Moition picture sync license for a major film can range from $15,000 to $100,000 as they buy out the rights for usage.
2. Main title usage is a song that is played during opening credits of a film. $50,000 to $250,000.
3. End title usage is a song that is played during the end of the film credits. $35,000 to $100,000.
4. Indie films are low budget and can range anywhere from $2,500 to $7,000 wherever the song appears in the movie. A kicker deal should be considered. This gives the publisher a nice earning for a song if the film explodes in the box office. Kickers are 3 million in gross and you can make 4 times the amount from the begining.
5. TV, such as cable, free and satellite ranges around $6,500 to $8,500 for perpetuity rights. Pay television is the same as free tv, cable or satellite.
6. Foreign movies should outside the United States are usuallt a standard $15,000.
7. Home video. This is a program that is released later on home video can range from $8,500 to $10,000.
8. A tv theme song are based on how many episodes run. This can be a real money maker. Ranges from $4,000 to $10,000 per episode. Nice money. If a show runs for years and is sydicated, you can make a hugh amount of money.
9. Commons are what we call songs that are on tv shows on airplanes, bicycles, ships, etc. An original deal you make $1,000 to $3,000 which is a five year deal. It can be $2,000 to $3,000 for a perpetuity.
10. Commercials a song can make you some nice cash and range $75,000 to $350,000 for what is called national usage for tv and radio. These are one year deals at a time. If the song is popular and is a giant hit song, the contract can reach into the millions.
11. Video games in songs. If the song is a big hit $30,000. The normal rate however, is between $5,000 to $6,000.
*Make sure that when you become a recording artist on a label of any sort ,that you maximize all your potential income with licensing
when making your own music. You won't make any money on album sales! A very tiny amount.