Reviewing a music licence or sync agreement

A sync licence lets a production use a piece of music in a film, advertisement, game, video or podcast, and one piece of music carries two copyrights, the composition and the recording, each owned by different people and each needing its own licence. The licence has to match the production's media, territory and term, and the fee and credit terms have to match what other licensors were given. I review the agreement from whichever side instructs me and return it marked up with a written explanation of the changes, for a fixed fee of £495 in three working days.

Who this is for

Producers, agencies, brands, games studios, podcasters and video creators in England and Wales licensing music for a production, and composers, artists, labels and publishers licensing it to them, whether under a bespoke sync licence, a production music library agreement or a blanket deal. Both parties are businesses.

What to look for in a music licence or sync agreement

Two copyrights, two licensors

The composition is a musical work with its lyrics as a literary work, protected under section 3 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and owned or administered by the writer or publisher, and the recording is a sound recording protected under section 5A and owned by the artist or label. Using the music in a production means copying and communicating both, which are acts restricted by section 16. The review checks that the licensee has, or is getting, a licence for each right from the party entitled to grant it, that the licensor warrants it controls the share it is licensing, and where a work has several co-writers or publishers, that all shares are covered.

Media, territory, term and the uses permitted

The licence should define the production, the uses (in context, in trailers and promotion, in social media clips), the media (theatrical, television, streaming, online, in-store, in-game), the territory and the term, and whether the music may be edited, looped or re-recorded. The review checks that the licence covers every medium in which the production will be exploited, including future formats where the licensee wants them, that options for additional media are priced now, and that a production music library licence's blanket terms cover the client's use rather than only the producer's.

Fees, most favoured nations and step deals

Sync fees are one-off, or stepped by use and territory, and licensors ask for a most favoured nations clause matching their fee to whatever the other rights holder in the same track receives. The review checks the fee structure, the step triggers, the most favoured nations clause and its scope, payment timing with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applying where the licensee pays late, and that performing right income from broadcast and public performance is left to the collecting societies rather than swept into the licence, with cue sheets delivered so that the writers are paid.

Performers' consents and the recording

A recording of a performance can be used only with the performer's consent under section 182 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the performers' rights in Part II, so a master use licence from a label depends on the label having obtained those consents. The review asks for a warranty that all performers' consents for the licensed use have been obtained and that session musicians have been cleared, and for the licensor to indemnify the licensee for claims by performers, writers or publishers whose rights the licensor said it controlled.

Credits, moral rights and changes to the music

The writer has the right to be identified under section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 once asserted under section 78, and the right to object to derogatory treatment under section 80, and licensees ask for a waiver so that the music can be cut and mixed. The review checks the credit obligation and its placement, limits the waiver to editing necessary for the production, and asks for the licensor's approval where the music is to be associated with content the writer might object to, which the licensee should raise before the licence is signed rather than after the edit.

Exclusivity, competitors and termination

Brands want exclusivity so that the same track does not appear in a competitor's campaign during the licence period, and licensors resist it or price it. The review checks any exclusivity, its category and duration, the licensee's right to continue exploiting the production after the term where the licence is for a fixed period, the treatment of the production in perpetuity for archive and festival use, and the licensor's remedies for use outside the licence, which should be a further fee rather than an injunction against the finished production.

What it costs

Standard review, £495. Marked-up document and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the contract review page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• Your own contract returned with my amendments as tracked changes, plus a clean version with every change accepted, ready to send to the other side
• Comments in the document where a point needs explaining
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, marking the points I would hold firm on and the ones that are negotiable
• A view on what is normal market practice and what is the other side pushing their luck
• One round of follow-up questions by email, included

What is not included

• Negotiating directly with the other side, which I quote separately once I know who is on the other side. Where the other side is willing to share a live document, I can work in that document directly
• Drafting a replacement contract from scratch
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Disputes about a contract that is already signed

Questions I am often asked

We have a licence from the label. Do we need one from the publisher as well?

You do. The label's licence covers the recording; the composition is a separate copyright owned by the writers or their publisher, and using the recording uses both. The review confirms which rights each licence covers and what is missing.

The licensor wants most favoured nations. What does that mean for us?

It means the licensor's fee rises to match whatever you pay the other rights holder in the same track, so the two licences have to be negotiated together. The review checks the clause's scope so that it applies to the same use and the same track only, and does not sweep in unrelated licences.

Can we cut the track to fit the edit?

Only if the licence allows editing, and the writer's moral rights let them object to derogatory treatment unless waived. The review asks for an express right to edit, loop and fade for the production, with a waiver limited to that, and for approval where the association might be objectionable.

Related guidance and services

• Contract review, £495, the service this page describes
• Terms and conditions drafting, £995
• Reviewing an artist or management agreement
• Reviewing a media buying or advertising agreement

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.