How to read a sync license in ten minutes — the five clauses that decide everything
Written before the desk opened · July 15
obody warns you that the first sync deal you’re offered will arrive as nine pages of PDF at 11 p.m., with a supervisor who’d like it signed “ideally tomorrow.” The good news: a sync license is one of the most formulaic documents in music. The same five clauses decide everything, they live under predictable headings, and once you can find them you can read any license in ten minutes — not to replace a lawyer when real money appears, but to know before you reply whether this is a conversation or a trap.
Print it, or open it split-screen with your notes. You are looking for five things, in this order.
A license is a fence around a permission. Your only job is to find the four posts: how long, where, what media, and what exactly they may do.
The grant
The sentence that starts “Licensor hereby grants…” is the whole deal; everything else qualifies it. Check what is being granted: a license (good) or an assignment (alarm — that’s ownership leaving). Check what it covers: the master, the composition, or both.
Look for: “grants a non-exclusive license” vs “assigns all right, title and interest” — those are different universes.
Term
How long the permission lasts. Fixed terms (1–7 years) are normal; “in perpetuity” is normal for the *use in the finished film* but should never attach to your right to keep exploiting the song elsewhere.
Look for: “…in perpetuity, in all media now known or hereafter devised” — fine when scoped to the production, a red flag when scoped to the song.
Exclusivity
Non-exclusive means you can keep licensing the song to anyone. Exclusive means you can’t — which is sometimes fair (a title theme) but must be paid like it. Watch for stealth exclusivity: holds, first-refusal rights, or category locks (“no other home-goods brands for 24 months”).
Look for: “Licensor shall not license the Composition to…” — any sentence shaped like that needs a number attached.
Territory & media
Where and on what. “Worldwide, all media” is the modern default for streaming-era productions and usually fine. Narrow grants (EU broadcast only) should cost less; broad grants should cost more. The mismatch to catch is broad grant, narrow money.
Look for: say, a $500 fee next to “worldwide, all media, in perpetuity” — the scope and the check disagree.
The money’s timing
Not just the amount — when it moves. “Net-30 after execution” is healthy. “Payment upon exploitation” or payment tied to the production’s own financing is you giving them a free option.
Look for: “within thirty (30) days of full execution” — the sentence you want to see.