Do You Keep Your Sync Fees and Royalties When You Use a Library?

Short answer: Yes, in most cases you keep your royalties when you use a sync library, but what you keep depends on the deal. A sync placement can pay two kinds of money: an upfront sync fee for the license, and performance royalties your PRO collects when the placement airs or streams. With That Pitch, you keep 100% of your sync-placement earnings. That Pitch does not take a cut.

The two kinds of money a sync placement can pay

• The sync fee (upfront). The buyer pays this for the right to use your music with picture. It covers the use of both the composition and the recording. See upfront sync fees explained for artists.
• Performance royalties (backend). When a placement is broadcast or streamed, the production company files a cue sheet. Your PRO uses it to pay the writer's share and the publisher's share. See what backend royalties are in sync licensing.

Not every use creates backend royalties. Some uses are licensed for a one-time fee and are never reported as a performance. For more on how the two compare, read performance royalties vs sync fees explained.

Who takes a share, and of what

When you work with a library directly, the money usually moves like this:

1. The library and the sync fee. The library licenses the track, collects the fee, and keeps the share set in its contract. You receive the rest.
2. The writer's share. Your PRO pays this to you as the writer. It is yours.
3. The publisher's share. If you self-publish, it can come to you as well. Some libraries act as publisher for the tracks they represent and collect this share. Read the publishing clause.
4. Your collaborators. Everyone who wrote or owns part of the track gets their agreed share of whatever the track earns.

The split between writer and publisher is explained in writer's share vs publisher's share explained, and library income splits in how production music libraries split income.

What you keep with That Pitch

That Pitch keeps none of your sync-placement earnings. You keep 100%. That Pitch gets your music into 100+ sync libraries, matches tracks to library briefs automatically, and lets you set royalty splits with collaborators so everyone on a track is paid their share. It is non-exclusive, so you stay independent. You can join free with unlimited uploads into one library and upgrade any time for 100+ libraries and briefs.

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Questions to ask any library about money

• What share of each sync fee do I receive?
• Do you act as publisher for my tracks, or collect any part of the publisher's share?
• Who files cue sheets, and how are placements reported to PROs?
• Do you retitle tracks, and under which titles are they registered?
• How often do you pay, and is there a minimum payout?
• What do statements show, and how do I read them?
• What happens to income from existing licenses if I remove a track?
• Do you charge artists anything? If so, what do I get for it?

How to make sure you actually get paid

1. Join a PRO and register every track, including any alternate titles a library uses.
2. Use split sheets with every collaborator before a track is pitched. See why split sheets are critical for sync licensing.
3. Keep your metadata consistent across every library so royalties can be matched to you.
4. Read your statements. See how royalty statements work.
5. Expect a delay. PRO payments usually arrive well after a placement airs. See payment timeline for sync fees.

FAQ

Do I keep my royalties if I put my music in a sync library?

In most cases, yes. You keep ownership of your music, and your writer's share of performance royalties is paid to you by your PRO. What a library takes depends on its contract, so check how it splits the sync fee and whether it acts as publisher for your tracks.

Does a sync library take part of my sync fee?

When you sign with a library directly, it usually keeps a share of each license fee as its payment for finding the buyer and handling the license. The exact split is set in your contract. Read it before you upload.

Do I still get my writer's share?

Yes. Your PRO pays the writer's share of performance royalties to you, the writer. A library or publisher may collect the publisher's share if its contract says so, but the writer's share comes to you.

Do I need a PRO to get paid from sync?

You can receive a sync fee without one, but you need to be a member of a PRO to collect performance royalties when a placement airs or streams. Register every track with your PRO so the cue sheet can be matched to you.

How do royalty splits work with collaborators?

Everyone who wrote or owns part of a track should agree on their share in writing before the track is pitched. Each person's share of the sync fee and royalties follows that split. That Pitch lets you set royalty splits with collaborators.

How much of my earnings does That Pitch keep?

None. You keep 100% of your sync-placement earnings.