SYNCHRONISATION
What is Synchronisation?
sɪŋ.krə.naɪz
to (cause to) happen at the same time. E.g. The show was designed so that the lights synchronized with the music.
Synchronisation license refers to an agreement where permission is obtained for the use of a musical work/recorded music in an audio-visual work/project. Basically, it’s adding a song to a video. Think about all the songs/soundtracks in your favourite movies, series, games and adverts. The songs you hear were synchronized to the video, and a license was obtained. That is what synchronization is.
Why should I know about this?
Synchronisation licenses offer you an extra source of income. Your song can be chosen for synchronisation, and you would be paid for the license. There are several users who would need your songs for their audio-visuals.
Is Synchronisation profitable?
Yes, it is. It has grown to be an essential source of revenue in the music industry. The IFPI Global music report, 2019, reveals that synchronisation has a 2.3% share of the total music market. With the music revenue of 2018 being at $19.1 billion, synchronisation contributed to about $440 million of that amount. In the UK, the report released by BPI shows that UK record industry revenue rose to £865.5 million, and synchronisation contributed £25.5 million. That’s not all. These figures have been on the rise, showing the growing importance that synchronisation plays in the industry. It also means more earnings for you! It’s beginning to look interesting right?
Still interested? I bet you are!
To fully understand a sync license and how it operates, you need to have some basic knowledge about musical works and the rights therein.
What is a Musical Work?
A musical work contains two rights; the Master Rights (Recording) and the Composition (Publishing). The Masters refers to the actual recording of the song/musical composition. The composition refers to the unique qualities of that song, such as the lyrics, melody, harmony and structure. You could say that the composition is the heart and soul of the musical work. There can be several recordings of a song e.g. live version, acoustic version, covers etc. but only be one composition of the song.
What do I need to sync?
To synchronise a musical work to an audio-visual project, you would need to get two separate agreements stemming from the two separate rights in the musical work. The two different licenses are called:
1. Synchronisation License – For the Composition/Publishing Right; and
2. Master Use License – For the Master/Recording Right.
As stated earlier, while there is only one composition of a song, there could be several recordings of it, as the musical work has two rights. The two rights can be utilised for synchronisation purposes. A person may only need a synchronisation license (to use the composition of the song). Another artist can be gotten to record the song for audio-visual purposes. Doing this may help to save cost, as licensing a Master Use License may be expensive, especially if it is a big/famous artist. This also may come in handy if two different companies own these two licenses and getting the Master Use may be harder.
Let’s look at the audio-visual projects which may need sync licenses.
1. Movies and Movie Trailers (Motion Pictures):
Imagine a movie/movie trailer without soundtracks? Urgh! It would suck!!! Music in movies is an essential element and the main factor in determining if the movie is a success or not. In fact, most successful movies have used hit songs to create an interest in the movie and add flavour. Think about Adele’s “Skyfall” for the James Bond franchise, Sess The Prblm’s “Original Gangster” for King of Boys or if you are of the older generation, Whitney Houston’s “I will always love you” for The Bodyguard and Celine Dion’s “My heart will go on” for Titanic. These songs added extra flavour to the movies. Try and imagine the movies without them, and you may realise you did not need to have a pack of tissue as you watched them.
2. TV shows:
We all have our favourite TV shows. We also have songs that we like, simply because they were used in the TV shows. For example, Vampire Diaries which had Ron Pope’s “Drop in the Ocean”. It was a perfect fit and was one of the emotional moments of the series. The songs play a huge role in TV shows, as they help set the mood, and serve as an emotional accelerator just like in movies. They express the current scenery or scene’s message in songs. Take, for example, Vince Staples’s “Street Punks” used in Billions. It served as a party jam, and its lyrics also fit the message the writers intended to convey.
3. Commercials:
Commercials often have songs accompanying them. They use existing musical works as well, ones that align with the message their advert is trying to pass across. Music is used in commercials to deliver an emotional connection with consumers and create a relationship with the brand. It is also used to create an impression. Ba da ba ba ba “I’m Lovin It”. Pretty sure you guessed it, right? Here is what you probably didn’t guess right, £6,000,000 (Six Million Pounds). Justin Timberlake got that amount for the endorsement deal. That phrase has remained McDonald’s longest-running slogan in history. Think about how much airplay adverts get. Now imagine your musical work as the soundtrack of an advertisement being broadcast to the world. It opens you to numerous opportunities, alongside a pay-check to take to the bank.
4. Videogames:
Last on this list, my favourite, Games. Really, think about it, imagine playing games without background music. It seems like a buzzkill. Nothing excites me more than the song intro just before the game starts. Before I knew anything about Imagine Dragons, I knew their song (On top of the world) by heart, courtesy of FIFA and PES. Millions of people play games. You could reach a large number of people simply by having your musical work feature a soundtrack in a game. Video games offer you an opportunity to exploit your music and it also gives you more exposure. Your song could grow on the listeners as they play the game more.
Check this out! Recently, NBA 2K20 featured artists like Drake, Lil Wayne, Billie Eilish, J Cole etc. They then offered young and upcoming artists a chance to send their recordings to be featured alongside these heavyweights. Mind-blowing right!??? Imagine you in a line-up with big and heavyweights? Mad Oh!!!
Still interested in Synchronisation? Of course, you are! Next time, we would look at the various options for synchronisation and how your musical work can be synced. Look out for it!!!
Oluwadamilare Odusanya I am a Nigerian qualified lawyer with 3 years post-qualification experience currently pursuing a post-graduate degree at the Queen Mary University London. I’m a drummer, a lover of dogs and an avid gamer.
Over the years, I have developed a keen interest in Intellectual Property, and the Music industry. My project has ranged from offering corporate and commercial services to companies, businesses and start-ups, to providing advisory services to artists and record labels.
I currently work with Laude London, a music management consultancy firm which offers publishing, sync placement, branding, and A&R services to artists.
Lastly, stay up to date with all you need to know about African music at SOA, right here.
