— 2 minutes — Mark Eckert
Production Music — How Can You Make Money from It?
You’ve probably heard the term “production music” thrown around in sync licensing circles, but what does it actually mean?
More importantly—can you make money from it?
Spoiler alert: Yes, and you don’t need a label, a following, or a viral moment to do it.
So… What Is Production Music?
Production music (also called stock music or sync library music) is music created specifically to be sync licensed for use in visual media:
- TV shows
- Ads
- Movies
- YouTube videos
- Corporate videos
- Podcasts
- Trailers
- Video games
It lives in music libraries — online platforms where content creators, editors, and brand managers can browse tracks, license them, and drop them right into their projects.
What Makes Production Music Different?
Here’s how production music stands out from traditional artist releases:
In short: Production music isn’t “worse” — it’s different. It’s functional. Think of it like scoring for scenes that haven’t been written yet.
Who Uses It?
Literally everyone:
- Netflix editors
- Nike ad teams
- Travel vloggers
- Podcast producers
- Instagram influencers
- Local news broadcasts
- Gaming companies
They don’t have the budget (or need) for a custom score from Hans Zimmer. But they still need good music — and they’ll pay for it.
How Much Can You Earn?
Depending on the deal and placement, here’s what’s possible:
- Sync library placements: Steady earnings over time
- Ad syncs: $1K–$50K+ per use
- Performance royalties: Passive income every time your track airs
- Micro-sync licensing (e.g. YouTube): Adds up fast with volume
And if you keep your writer’s share, your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc.) will pay you every quarter.
Is This Only for Full-Time Composers?
Nope.
That’s the beauty of production music — it welcomes:
- Indie artists
- Bedroom producers
- Touring musicians
- Singer-songwriters
- Beats creators
- Anyone with quality music and rights control
If you’ve got a hard drive full of great songs, you might already be halfway there.
How to Get Started (Without Losing Your Mind)
You could try cold-emailing sync libraries, chasing briefs, and praying someone clears your music correctly…
Or you could use That Pitch.
We connect independent artists like you to over 100 top music libraries around the world. You upload once, and your music gets pitched automatically — with all the legal and metadata stuff handled.
We’ve helped thousands of artists get placed (and paid). You could be next.
Wanna get your tracks into 100+ top music libraries?
Join free. Upload unlimited music. Keep 100% of your earnings.
👉 thatpitch.com
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