Music Licensing Archives

Hey there, music lovers! Today at HAULIX Daily, we’re going to be talking about the importance of sync licensing in the music industry. If you’re thinking, Wait. Sync licensing? What’s that? Well, friends, it’s when your music gets matched up with visuals like TV shows, movies, commercials, and video games. And it’s a big deal.

So, how can independent artists get in on the action? It’s not as hard as you might think… especially if you follow some of these steps:

Step 1: Make sure your music is top-notch

No one’s going to consider low-quality, poorly-produced music. So, before you even think about submitting your music for sync placements, make sure it’s mixed and mastered to a professional standard.

Step 2: Do your research

There are tons of sync agencies and music libraries out there, all with their own unique preferences. Do your homework and find the ones that specialize in your genre of music. Don’t waste your time sending your death metal album to a library that only licenses lullabies.

Step 3: Build your portfolio

A portfolio of your music is like a resume for your tunes. You want to showcase your best work and show off your range as an artist. And don’t forget to include both instrumentals and vocal versions, because sometimes a sync placement requires an instrumental and yours could be perfect if you provide an option without a vocal.

Step 4: Submit your music

Many sync agencies and libraries have online submission forms that you can use to send in your music. Follow their guidelines to the T, and give them as much information as possible about your music and your beautiful self. Sell yourself and put your best foot forward.

Step 5: Network, network, network

Getting a sync placement isn’t just about submitting your music and crossing your fingers. You need to network with industry professionals, like music supervisors and other sync agents. Attend industry events, schmooze like a pro, and make those connections. Who knows? Maybe the person you’re chatting with at the bar is secretly a music supervisor for a big-time movie, and they’re just waiting for the perfect song to drop in.

Step 6: Be patient

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a successful music career. It takes time to get noticed and get those big sync placements. So, don’t lose hope if you don’t hear back right away. Keep working on your craft, building your reputation, and submitting your music to different agencies and libraries. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely you are to get those sweet, sweet sync placements.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, you might be thinking. I’m just an independent artist trying to make it in the big, bad music industry. How am I supposed to do all of this? Well, you’ve got to believe in yourself. Believe in your music. And don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. It may be scary, but it’s worth it.

Remember, music licensing is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to building a successful music career. Keep creating, keep networking, and keep being awesome. Now go forth and make some amazing music!

The music industry at large has spent the better part of two decades trying to make money from the use of music on social platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and beyond. In a world where physical album sales have essentially bottomed out, royalties gained from song streams and licensing have become more important than ever, and that trend shows no signs of changing anytime soon.

Twitch is an exception. Since its launch in 2011, the live video streaming service has managed to avoid paying royalties for music played by its users while broadcasting on its platform. Twitch is mainly used to broadcast individuals or teams playing popular video games, such as FortNite, but almost every broadcast also includes a musical component. The service claims to have 2 million daily broadcasts, as well as 15 million daily users. Here’s a quick example of a Twitch stream for anyone unfamiliar with the service:

Watch live video from Ninja on www.twitch.tv

Twitch is a platform that requires UGC, otherwise known as user-generated content, to thrive. Similar UGC-based platforms have negotiated license agreements, but Twitch has somehow managed to avoid the process, despite the service and many of its most popular broadcasters making millions. Revenue comes from subscriptions, bits, and Amazon Prime memberships, but many of the most popular broadcasters have negotiated third-party sponsorship deals as well.

Many broadcasters generate revenue when not streaming through fans who watch previous broadcasts maintained on the Twitch servers. Again, no royalties are paid to musicians whose music may appear on these streams, despite several broadcasters welcoming tens of thousands of viewers per day.

In June 2018, Universal took the first steps to fight back against Twitch’s unrestricted use of music when it had 10 of the most popular broadcast suspended for 24 hours and all videos using UMG music deleted from their accounts.

“This organization has asserted that it owns this content and that you streamed that content on Twitch without permission to do so,” according to an email sent to the user known as KittyPlays. “As a result, we have cleared the offending archives, highlights, and episodes from your account and given you a 24-hour restriction from broadcasting.”

As Forbes pointed earlier this year, platforms with user-generated audiovisual content require performance licenses for the compositions from performance rights organizations ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR. Music users must obtain synchronization and master use licenses from the music publishers and record labels, respectively, along with paying negotiated fees to “synchronize” the audio with the visual elements. Also, rights’ owners may share in ad revenue in addition to or in lieu of those fees.

There is no evidence that Twitch has acquired any of these licenses. There is also no evidence that any broadcaster using music on Twitch obtains synchronization or master use licenses, or pays any fees for the use of music.

YouTube, for example, has a content ID system that automatically detects and flags the use of copyrighted material. Twitch has no system like this, opting instead to leverage Audible Magic to track audio uses after a live stream is over. Twitch will mute infringing content in the on-demand re-broadcasts, but not all content is recognized and removed. There is also no system to flag these infringing uses or mute them during a live stream.

In other words, if an artist hears their music being used without permission there is virtually no way to take action against the user (or Twitch).

There are rumors that The National Music Publisher’s Association (NMPA) is in negotiations with Twitch for licensing, but has not confirmed or commented as to the details.

The bottom line is, everyone deserves to be compensated for the use or their art. While some artists have endorsed streamers who play their music those decisions do not forgive the platform-wide decision to not go through proper channels to secure the rights to use music created by performers at every level of the business.

That said, Twitch has launched a music FAQ page that encourages the use of music in the public domain.

We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.