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Sync & Licensing2020-09-29T13:43:55+00:00

Licensing – Welcome

Welcome to our music licensing and clearance page. We represent artists for film, television, commercial, and all other types of sync licensing as well as having extensive experience with music clearance for all your music needs.

OUR ARTIST LICENSING:  Much of the music we represent is “one-stop” for synch & master rights. If there are outside publishers, we will help you locate them and assist in clearance for quick approvals. Our catalog is set up for quick and easy searches for specific needs too. Try searching in our database. Request Access.

MUSIC CLEARANCE: Need to license a song or specific cue outside of our catalog?  We can handle any music licensing request in a fast effective manor with the extensive understanding of song values and negotiated rates films, trailers, TV shows, advertising, video games, corporate events and usages worldwide. If you have a project that needs music to be cleared and licensed we can advise and walk you through the entire process from researching the rights holders to discussing terms and fees to the final licensing and payments. Our experience and relationships with publishers, labels and other rights holders make the process smooth and efficient.

Need  custom music for your project or a score for your movie?   Our award winning composers have worked on hundreds of TV shows and films and have created content for Apple, Microsoft, major corporate campaigns including Apple, Microsoft and so on… Please contact us to find out more.

Click here to search our music catalog
Requires users to login – request access

Click here to license music outside our catalog

Movie & TV Placements 

Brand and Network Placements & Licesning

FAQ’s

WHAT IS MUSIC CLEARANCE AND LICENSING?2017-06-20T04:04:28+00:00

You need to have permission in order to put someone’s music into a film, television programs, video games, advertising, social media outlets, etc. This process of requesting and negotiating a fee and receiving permission is called “music clearance.” After one has received clearance, the process of issuing contracts and payment is called “licensing”. To put a recording underneath picture (to “synchronize”) requires two types of rights clearances, the “Sync Rights” and the “Master Recording Rights”. “Sync Rights” are for the actual words and music used (the “Composition”). “Master Recording Rights” are for the specific recording of that composition (the “Master”).

EXAMPLE… if your film needs the acoustic version of “I Try” as recorded by Ben Taylor, there are two clearances: the “sync rights” for the composition, owned by the writers’ publishers and the “Master Rights” for the recording, owned by Ben Taylor’s record label which is us (Iris Records).

HOW DO I STRUCTURE A MUSIC REQUEST FOR MY PROJECT?2017-06-19T04:11:22+00:00

All requests need to be in writing. We’ll be happy to speak with you on the phone, but we will not take clearance requests over the phone. Written requests can be faxed or emailed if in a PDF non editable form. Clearances and licenses are legal documents. If you don’t have access to a fax or are unable to create a PDF and you are serious about licensing music for a project, give us a call. I’m sure we can work something out.

Requests need to include the following info.:
1. Your name, company name, address, phone/fax/email
2. Project name, synopsis, music budget, any other important production detail
3. Song title, artist, album title, record label
4. Scene description – describe the scene in the movie/show
5. Use & timing – instrumental or vocal? How long is the music use?
6. Rights requested (length of term, territories needed, media needed)
7. Deadline for clearance

WHAT ARE THE COSTS OF LICENSING MUSIC?2017-06-18T04:12:08+00:00

It completely depends on the situation, popularity of the song and artist, how it’s being used and for how long, etc. That being said, some artists/songs are more expensive than others. In general, We will work with you and try our best to make the placement work.

CAN I USE A FEW BARS OR A SHORT SAMPLE FOR FREE?2017-06-15T04:08:29+00:00

No, not even one note. You’ll find it much more pleasant to get permission ahead of time instead of having a lawyer or right’s holder call you, costing a fortune in legal and licensing fees. Please contact us for any use of our music or to help with your outside music needs.

AM I CHARGED FOR A CLEARANCE IF I DON’T WIND UP USING THE SONG?2017-06-14T04:13:33+00:00

If it’s a song we administer, No. It happens. It’s the same with any label or publisher. You only pay if you use the song.

If you are looking to licensing a song outside of our catalog,  we’ll charge a fee depending on how far down the road we get with initial research & negotiations with the rights holders but you don’t pay for the actual license unless you use it. All cost structures are discussed up front.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECEIVE PERMISSION FOR A MUSIC USE?2017-06-13T04:12:56+00:00

For a one-stop song, it will normally be done within 24 hours. If there are outside publishers, or if we need to speak with the artist or writers, it can take a little bit longer. In the case of a song with major publishers, it’s at their discretion. Normally we’ll be able to estimate for you on a case by case basis.

WHAT DOES “ONE-STOP” MEAN?2017-06-12T04:07:41+00:00

A “one-stop” clearance means that we can provide clearances and licensing for both sync and master rights. Approval from an outside publisher (such as Warner/Chappell, or any other publisher) is unnecessary in this case. Much of our music is one-stop, helping us to provide easier, faster, and often times less expensive clearances.

I OWN A RECORD LABEL OR IN A BAND. CAN I AFFILIATE MYSELF WITH YOU? HOW DO I SUBMIT MUSIC? DO YOU TAKE ON COMPOSERS?2017-06-11T04:15:11+00:00

We do take on new record labels or possibly artists when the correct situations arise. The best way for you to inquire about this would be to email us information about your label or music. If you have a website to point us to, great. If not, that’s ok too.
DO NOT mail us a random package of your music as it will not be opened or listened to.

CAN I JUST GO DIRECTLY TO ONE OF YOUR ARTISTS TO GET THE SONGS?2017-06-11T04:14:21+00:00

No. Our artists will just come back to us to clear the song anyways and will just slow down the process for you. Plus artists usually don’t want to deal with this directly.

I’M A STARVING FILMMAKER WITH NO BUDGET AND WANT TO SHOW MY FILM AT FESTIVALS. DO I STILL HAVE TO PAY?2017-06-11T04:09:50+00:00

Every situation is different but you need to get a license from us no matter what. We are all about the indie spirit, and it’s important to us that our artists and writers get paid for what they do so they can make a living at it but we also would like to support like-minded filmmakers. Feel free to contact us to discuss.

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