What Is Sync Licensing?

This year may bring us a lot of surprises as standards in song submission. We are experiencing lots of new trends. These trends are being triggered by the huge influx of new songs being submitted. There are now over 10,000 new songs submitted each day.

Due to this large number of new songs, we at Songwriters Portal are offering a new service for "Sync Licensing Opportunities". We feel that our songwriter members will have a better chance, playing the odds, for placement in Film, TV, TV Advertising, and Games.

What music supervisors who deal in songs for sync are looking for, is a "clip" of your song or sometimes the complete song. They may also be looking for just the instrumental track of your song. This requires a lot of time and effort on your part to create 4 versions of your song. Sounds like a lot of work and it is. However, we have written a program that will do this for you automatically when you submit a song for evaluation and submission!

You can specify the start time for both the 10 second clip and the 30 second clip. The program will create this for you. You will still have to create the song with vocals and the instrumental only track. All are submitted at the same time using your secured portal. The portal is your private account that is created when you sign up as a member. Once you understand the process, you can browse current sync licensing opportunities.

The number one reason that I can tell you for pursuing Sync Opportunities is "The Payout". I have seen songwriters sign sync licensing contracts for $50K payable upfront with royalty payments on the back end. This is not normal but the opportunities are there.

I have been asked "What is the average payout". Let me explain. There’s no single “average payout” for a sync-licensing placement — the amount a songwriter earns from a sync license varies hugely because every deal is negotiated based on the project, usage, territory, and who owns what rights. But you can think in terms of typical ranges that many clients, music supervisors, and industry guides use as benchmarks:

💡 Typical Sync Fee Ranges (Upfront Payment)
These are the one-time sync fees that rights holders negotiate for the right to use your song:
Low-budget / small usage

* Micro-syncs (YouTube, indie video): ≈ $50–$1,500
* Small films / local ads or short web content: ≈ $500–$5,000

Mid-Tier placements

* TV episodes, streaming series, indie films: ≈ $5,000–$25,000+
* National ads / larger campaigns: ≈ $10,000–$100,000+

High-end placements

* Major brand commercials / premium film trailers or theme songs: $100,000+ —
sometimes several hundred thousand dollars for big campaigns.

🧠 So what does that mean for the songwriter?

* If you own 100% of the composition and master, you get your full share of
the sync fee (but publishing splits and any co-writers reduce this).
* Many sync deals are split (e.g., 50/50 between songwriter/publisher and master
owner) if others have rights.
* After splits, a songwriter’s net from a mid-tier TV sync might realistically be in
the $2,500–$15,000 range if you own half the rights, but it could be $25,000+ for a lucrative commercial.

📈 Performance Royalties on Top

In addition to the upfront sync fee:
* If your song airs publicly (TV, streaming episodes, films), you also earn performance royalties via your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC). These are paid over time and vary based on audience size and how often the media plays.
Ready to submit your music? View our pricing plans.

There isn’t one average payday — it’s a spectrum. But for most independent songwriters:

* Small placements pay in the hundreds to low thousands,
* Mid-level placements in the low five-figures, and
* Major syncs can pay tens of thousands to six figures or more.