Leveraging Existing Songs for Sync Licensing

Ever stare at your music catalog, wondering if those tracks gathering digital dust could actually be making you some money? You’re not alone. Many artists think sync licensing is only for brand new, custom-made songs. But guess what? Your existing music is a goldmine waiting to be discovered!

TL;DR:

• You don’t need all-new material for sync.
• Dig through your past work – it’s probably better than you think.
• Small tweaks can make old songs sync-ready.
• Consider instrumental versions for maximum impact.
• Distribution to the right sync libraries is key.

Your Old Music Isn’t Just for Nostalgia

Let’s be real, you’ve probably got a hard drive full of tracks you’ve poured your heart into. Some got released, some are demos, some are just… there. The good news? All that hard work can potentially earn you some cash through sync licensing. Think of it as giving your tunes a second life, and a financially rewarding one at that.

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that every sync placement needs a bespoke, made-for-purpose track. But that’s often not the case. Music supervisors are looking for the right song, period. Whether it was written five days ago or five years ago is usually irrelevant if it fits the scene.

For those interested in the intricacies of sync licensing, a valuable resource can be found in the article on That Pitch, which delves into the nuances of leveraging existing songs for sync opportunities. This piece provides insights into how artists and composers can effectively navigate the sync licensing landscape to maximize their music’s potential in film, television, and advertising. To explore this topic further, you can read the article here: Leveraging Existing Songs for Sync Licensing.

Revisiting Your Catalog with Fresh Eyes

Before you even think about submitting anything, you need to play detective. Go through your entire discography, from released albums to those forgotten B-sides and demos. Listen with a different ear – not as the artist who created it, but as a music supervisor trying to find a fit for a scene.

You might be surprised by what you find. That track you thought was “just okay” might perfectly capture a mood or emotion that a production needs. Or that experimental piece you weren’t sure about could be exactly what a quirky indie film is looking for.

Don’t Be Afraid to Acknowneledge the Gems

Sometimes, as artists, we’re our own worst critics. We overlook the strengths in our older work because we’ve moved on, or we remember the challenges in creating it. Try to detach yourself. What’s genuinely good here? What stands out? What invokes a feeling?

Think Beyond the Genre You Intended

Perhaps you wrote a pop song, but the instrumental breakdown could work perfectly for a tense documentary scene. Or that folk tune has a certain bittersweet quality that would be great for a dramatic montage. Don’t pigeonhole your existing music by its original genre or intention.

Prepping Your Tracks for Sync Success

Okay, you’ve found some contenders. Now, let’s get them ready for prime time. Sync licensing has specific requirements, and making a few adjustments to your existing tracks can massively increase their chances of getting placed.

Creating Instrumental Versions

This is probably the single most important tip for leveraging existing songs. Most sync placements, especially in TV, film, and commercials, use instrumental versions. Vocals, while powerful, can often distract from dialogue or narration.

• Why it’s crucial: Imagine a scene where two characters are having an intense conversation. A vocal track, no matter how good, will compete with their words. An instrumental can enhance the mood without getting in the way.
• How to do it: If you still have the stems from your original recordings, creating an instrumental is usually straightforward. Just mute the lead vocal track. If you don’t have stems, you might need a good audio engineer to try to remove or significantly reduce the main vocal, though this can be tricky and sometimes negatively affect the sound quality. Prioritize songs where you do have stems.

Crafting Different Mixes and Edits

Beyond just instrumentals, think about other versions that might be useful. Productions sometimes need shorter edits, or mixes that highlight a specific instrument.

• Underscore versions: These are typically less busy versions of a track, often with a simpler arrangement, designed to play subtly behind a scene without drawing too much attention. Think piano, strings, or a soft pad.
• Stinger versions: Short, impactful snippets (5-15 seconds) that can be used for scene transitions, intros/outros, or dramatic reveals.
• Alt mixes: Maybe a mix focusing solely on the drums and bass for a driving intensity, or one that pulls out the drums for a more ambient feel.
• Loops: For game developers or background music, a seamlessly looping section of your track can be incredibly valuable.

Addressing Production Quality

Be honest with yourself about the production quality of your older tracks. Does it stand up to current industry standards? If you recorded something in your bedroom circa 2008 on basic gear, it might need a little polish.

• Remastering: A good mastering engineer can work wonders on older mixes, bringing them up to a competitive loudness and clarity without changing the original vibe.
• Minor Remixing: Sometimes, a track just needs a bit more punch on the drums, or a better balance in the overall mix. If you have the stems, a skilled mixing engineer might be able to subtly refresh it. Avoid drastic changes unless you’re truly overhauling the song; the idea is to enhance, not recreate.

Sure, here is the sentence with the clickable link:
You should read this article on sync licensing strategy for bands.

Metadata is Your Best Friend

You’ve got your prepped tracks. Now, how do music supervisors find them? Through metadata, my friend. This is the descriptive information attached to your audio files, and it’s absolutely crucial for sync. Think of it as the digital breadcrumbs leading directly to your doorstep.

Keywords, Keywords, Keywords

This is where you get descriptive. Don’t just list the genre. Think thematically and emotionally.

• Moods: Happy, sad, tense, uplifting, reflective, energetic, calm, exciting, dramatic, mysterious, romantic, anxious, whimsical. Use a thesaurus!
• Themes: Love, loss, triumph, struggle, friendship, adventure, everyday life, travel, technology, nature, city life, success, failure.
• Instrumentation: Piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, bass, synth, strings, brass, percussion, male vocals, female vocals, choir.
• Vocals: (if applicable) Male lead, female lead, harmonies, spoken word, wordless vocals.
• Use Cases: Commercial, trailer, film, TV show, documentary, video game, corporate video, branding.
• Genre & Sub-Genre: Pop, Indie Pop, Folk, Acoustic Folk, Electronic, Ambient Electronic, Rock, Alternative Rock, Hip Hop, Neo-Soul. Be specific!
• Tempo: Fast, medium, slow, pulsating, driving.
• Energy Level: High, medium, low, building.

The more comprehensive and accurate your keywords, the better. Aim for 10-20 strong keywords per track.

Clear and Consistent Naming Conventions

Messy file names are a pain to deal with. Adopt a consistent system:

• ArtistName_SongTitle_Version.wav
• Example: TheGrooveMakers_CityLights_Instrumental.wav
• Example: TheGrooveMakers_CityLights_MainMix.wav
• Example: TheGrooveMakers_CityLights_Underscore.wav

Stick to this, and save yourself (and music supervisors) a headache.

ISRC and BPM

These are standard industry identifiers. Make sure your ISRC codes are embedded (if you have them) and always include the BPM (Beats Per Minute) for each track. This makes tempo-matching much easier for editors.

When exploring the potential of leveraging existing songs for sync licensing, it’s essential to understand the financial aspects involved in the process. A related article discusses the various factors that influence sync license costs, providing valuable insights for artists and producers alike. By examining these costs, you can better navigate the sync licensing landscape and maximize your opportunities. For more information, you can read the article on sync license costs here.

Distributing Your Sync-Ready Catalog

You’ve polished your tracks and sprinkled them with metadata fairy dust. Now it’s time to get them in front of the right people. This is where platforms like That Pitch come in.

Vetting Quality Sync Libraries

There are a ton of sync libraries out there. Some are fantastic, well-connected, and actively pitch music. Others… not so much. You want to make sure your hard-earned music is going into sync libraries that actually get placements.

• Research: Look at their clients, their track record, whether they’re actually placing music in real productions.
• Transparency: Do they clearly outline their terms, how they pay, and how you receive reporting? Avoid anything shady.
• Exclusivity: Be mindful of exclusive vs. non-exclusive agreements. With exclusive, one sync library gets the sole right to pitch that specific track. With non-exclusive, you can place it in multiple sync libraries (though managing this can be complex). For existing tracks, non-exclusive is often a good way to get wider exposure initially.

That Pitch simplifies this by curating a network of reputable sync libraries, taking the guesswork out of where to submit.

Building Relationships (Even Indirectly)

While That Pitch handles the direct distribution to sync libraries, understanding how sync libraries operate can still be helpful. They act as a conduit, pitching your music to music supervisors on your behalf. The more relevant and well-prepared your music is, the easier you make their job, and the more likely they are to pitch it.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with great music, some pitfalls can hinder your sync success.

Rushing the Process

• Mistake: Submitting unmixed, unmastered, or poorly metadata-tagged tracks.
• Fix: Take your time. Ensure everything is professionally mixed, mastered, and has robust metadata. Quality over quantity. It’s better to submit 10 amazing, fully prepped tracks than 100 rushed ones.

Thinking Every Song is a Sync Song

• Mistake: Believing every single track in your catalog, no matter how niche or experimental, is going to be a sync smash.
• Fix: Be discerning. Some songs are amazing for fans but too specific or complex for general sync use. Focus on tracks with clear moods, emotional arcs, and good production that would naturally fit into a narrative.

Ignoring Instrumental Versions

• Mistake: Only providing vocal versions of your songs.
• Fix: Seriously, make those instrumentals! They are often the first thing a music supervisor asks for. If you don’t have the stems, consider trying to create a high-quality removal or focusing on other tracks that do have stems.

Poor Metadata or File Management

• Mistake: Generic titles, sparse keywords, inconsistent file naming.
• Fix: Treat metadata like a job application for your song. Be thorough, accurate, and consistent. Use the naming conventions suggested above.

Expecting Instant Results

• Mistake: Thinking you’ll get a placement tomorrow after submitting.
• Fix: Sync licensing is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time for sync libraries to review, approve, and pitch your music. Placements can happen weeks, months, or even years after submission. Patience and persistence are key. Keep creating, keep submitting.

Mini Case: The Rediscovered Demo

Let’s look at Maya, an indie artist who’d released an EP a few years back. She had a demo on her hard drive, “Whispering Pines,” that never quite fit the EP’s vibe but was a beautiful, melancholic acoustic guitar piece with subtle synth pads. She’d almost forgotten about it.

After learning about sync, she dug it out. The original demo had some clicks and pops and wasn’t properly mixed. She decided to invest in a simple mix and master to clean it up. She also created a completely instrumental version, even though the original only had ambient, wordless vocals.

She then went to town on the metadata:

• Keywords: “Melancholic, Reflective, Hopeful, Nature, Wilderness, Journey, Discovery, Sad, Bittersweet, Emotional, Acoustic, Ambient, Film Score, Indie Folk, Documentary, Underscore, Calm, Pensive, Cinematic, Guitar, Synth.”
• BPM: 78
• Named it: Maya_WhisperingPines_Instrumental.wav and Maya_WhisperingPines_AmbientMix.wav

She submitted it through That Pitch. A few months later, she got an email – “Whispering Pines” (the instrumental) was sync licensed for a powerful scene in an independent documentary about environmental conservation. The documentary production team specifically searched for “melancholic acoustic nature underscore” and her track popped right up. Because it was high-quality, perfectly tagged, and had an instrumental version, it was exactly what they needed.

Key Takeaways

Your existing music is a valuable asset. Don’t let it sit idly by. With a little effort, a keen ear for sync potential, and smart distribution, those tracks you already created can open up new revenue streams and get your music heard in exciting new ways. The journey might seem a bit daunting at first, but taking these steps makes it much clearer.

Ready to give your music a new purpose? Create a free That Pitch account to distribute your music into real sync libraries and keep 100% of your earnings.

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FAQs

What is sync licensing?

Sync licensing is the process of granting permission to use a musical composition in synchronization with visual media, such as in films, TV shows, commercials, and video games.

How can existing songs be leveraged for sync licensing?

Existing songs can be leveraged for sync licensing by pitching them to music supervisors, production companies, and advertising agencies who are looking for music to use in their projects. This can be done through music libraries, music publishers, or directly contacting the decision-makers.

What are the benefits of leveraging existing songs for sync licensing?

Leveraging existing songs for sync licensing can provide additional revenue streams for songwriters, composers, and music rights holders. It can also increase exposure for the music and potentially lead to new opportunities for the artists involved.

What are some considerations when choosing songs for sync licensing?

When choosing songs for sync licensing, it’s important to consider the mood, genre, and lyrical content of the song, as well as the target audience and the specific visual media it may be paired with. Additionally, the rights and clearances for the song must be in order.

What are some common challenges in the sync licensing process?

Common challenges in the sync licensing process include competition from other songs, negotiating fair sync licensing fees, and navigating the complex legal and administrative aspects of music rights and clearances. It can also be challenging to find the right opportunities and decision-makers to pitch the music to.