Getting paid Sync Fees

[JonathanEarthenMusic]

Hello everyone!

I'm a somewhat newbie, and forgive me if this has been asked elsewhere, but I'm wondering how people here get paid their sync fees (not PRO)... Do you get a check after a month or two after the "synchronization" happens? Does the library that has your track send you a check in the mail? Also, does the library notify you that they are sending you a check before they send it? Do you get an email or something? And does whether you get notified or not depend on the library? Do some libraries just send sync fee checks without any notification beforehand? From the library's perspective, when a film company signs/syncs one of their tracks, does the library get paid right away? Or is it quite a lag time for that sync fee (not PRO)?

Also, is there such thing as an "average" sync fee amount, or do they vary wildly? Is a 1k or 2k sync fee quite common?

Thanks for any help you can give, cheers!

-Jonathan

[Casey H]

Hi Jonathan
Everything varies from library to library. Sometimes you'll be told about a sync fee, sometimes you won't even know until money shows up- a nice surprise. Many libraries pay via PayPal, others by check, some give you a choice. PayPal is more and more common.

A great number of placements pay no sync fee, PRO only. If there is a sync fee, it can vary from coffee money to thousands depending on the situation. My observation with typical TV placements (used in background) is they are in the $250-$1000 range. But again, many don't pay any. For example, I've had a lot of placements on Young and the Restless on CBS. No sync fee but good PRO. I've had placements on network shows such as Chicago Fire (NBC) where the sync fee was either $500 or $1000, I forget which. 50% of that goes to the library. Then there are some libraries that share in blanket fees they get for access to a whole lot of their tracks. That could be $20, for example.

The majority of placements on cable reality TV shows pay no sync.

If you are lucky enough to get a placement in a feature film or national ad, the sync fees are much higher. But these are not so easy to come by. But they do happen and we have Taxi friends who have achieved this.

HTH
Casey

[cosmicdolphin]

I have only ever had one sync fee in 6yrs from my 10 LIbraries / 500 cues catalogue, and it was via a well known non-ex library beginning with C and ending with rucial.

It was $300 for show called Good Trouble, an EDM track used as source audio in a night club scene. Iirc they sent me an email notification first and then paid me via Paypal a couple of weeks later.

That was several years ago - never had another one since.

Mark

[Casey H]

I have only ever had one sync fee in 6yrs from my 10 LIbraries / 500 cues catalogue, and it was via a well known non-ex library beginning with C and ending with rucial.

It was $300 for show called Good Trouble, an EDM track used as source audio in a night club scene. Iirc they sent me an email notification first and then paid me via Paypal a couple of weeks later.

That was several years ago - never had another one since.

Mark

In general, I see it as much less likely to get sync fees for instrumental cues on reality TV shows unless you've built your name and work up with a library so much so that they will do up front buyouts for your tracks. I think people like Chuck Henry have done that. Cr***l is a great library that only does placements with sync. However, they are much more focused on vocal tracks than instrumentals. They will take some instrumentals if they feel they would make good source music for their clients but it's not so much the norm.

My biggest earners to date are not the ones that paid a sync, they are ones that have sizable PRO payments. That could be either because it's major network or a cable show that reruns over and over.

[JonathanEarthenMusic]

Hi Jonathan
Everything varies from library to library. Sometimes you'll be told about a sync fee, sometimes you won't even know until money shows up- a nice surprise. Many libraries pay via PayPal, others by check, some give you a choice. PayPal is more and more common.

A great number of placements pay no sync fee, PRO only. If there is a sync fee, it can vary from coffee money to thousands depending on the situation. My observation with typical TV placements (used in background) is they are in the $250-$1000 range. But again, many don't pay any. For example, I've had a lot of placements on Young and the Restless on CBS. No sync fee but good PRO. I've had placements on network shows such as Chicago Fire (NBC) where the sync fee was either $500 or $1000, I forget which. 50% of that goes to the library. Then there are some libraries that share in blanket fees they get for access to a whole lot of their tracks. That could be $20, for example.

The majority of placements on cable reality TV shows pay no sync.

If you are lucky enough to get a placement in a feature film or national ad, the sync fees are much higher. But these are not so easy to come by. But they do happen and we have Taxi friends who have achieved this.

HTH
Casey

Wow, that's awesome that you've had so much success Casey, very cool. Good to know about checks and paypal. And so with the good PRO that you mentioned, that is something that usually shows up in your bank account, say around 6 to 24 months after the fact, would you say?

So for sync fees, the bigger money is in the bigger projects, like feature films and such... I heard a taxi member just got a track in Better Call Saul for instance... do bigger productions like that pay larger sync fees? Or still the same, or maybe none?

I've wondered too if certain styles/genres of music tend to pay more, because they are used in different settings? For instance, do you think stomp clap would sometimes get more sync fees because it's often more prominent? Or is there really no substantial difference between genres on average, would you say?

Pleasure discussing with pros such as yourself

[JonathanEarthenMusic]

I have only ever had one sync fee in 6yrs from my 10 LIbraries / 500 cues catalogue, and it was via a well known non-ex library beginning with C and ending with rucial.

It was $300 for show called Good Trouble, an EDM track used as source audio in a night club scene. Iirc they sent me an email notification first and then paid me via Paypal a couple of weeks later.

That was several years ago - never had another one since.

Mark

Wow! Well congrats on your success Mark, but I hear what you're saying, that's quite remarkable... Do you think that the situation with sync fees depends heavily on the types of music you make (ie different genres get used sometimes more prominently than others)? Pleasure chatting with pros like you guys

[Casey H]

There isn't as much rhyme or reason as to what pays sync and what does not as one would think. Yes, VERY high end placements will. But more and more, PRO back end money only is pretty common. The majority of most people's earnings is from PRO. My guess is a placement like that on Better Call Saul, if it's from the library I think, would have had a sync of around $500, split with the library. That's a guess, not my placement.

PRO payments occur around 6-9 months after broadcast if domestic (US) and around 18-24 months for international. Most PROs now let you set up direct bank deposit payments. I do that with ASCAP.

A generalization... Vocal songs are more likely to get a sync fee than instrumental cues.

Placements that get no sync but re-run a lot can be a real gift that keeps on giving as far as PRO. For example shows like Catfish (MTV) re-run all the time both domestically and internationally. I still get money from a placement that was maybe 8 years back.

[cosmicdolphin]

Do you think that the situation with sync fees depends heavily on the types of music you make (ie different genres get used sometimes more prominently than others)?

I've written and had placements in quite a number of different styles, probably over a dozen but I think the main factor is whether you are making songs or instruemntal cues.

Whilst I was primarily a songwriter when I was making music for myself, after several years of professional vocal lessons I had to admit I couldn't really deliver a really great licenable vocal, so for me it was just easier to start doing instrumetals as I could pretty much do everything else on my own.

I do have a handful of songs I've written or co-written in a few libraries , sang by good singers I know in exchange for splits but none of them have ever been licensed although I do think the chances of getting a sync fee on a song are way higher than getting one on an instrumental regardless of genre.

Maybe one day someone will actually use one of them and I can let you know

PS - The sync on that EDM cue was way more than the backend which amounted to about £120

My highest earning instrumental cue has made about £900 purely in backend - that one got used in 4 or 5 episoodes of Catfish and has been paying out regularly for 3 years now

[JonathanEarthenMusic]

Placements that get no sync but re-run a lot can be a real gift that keeps on giving as far as PRO. For example shows like Catfish (MTV) re-run all the time both domestically and internationally. I still get money from a placement that was maybe 8 years back.

What a gift indeed, that's really cool. Thanks Casey, preciate the info

[JonathanEarthenMusic]

Do you think that the situation with sync fees depends heavily on the types of music you make (ie different genres get used sometimes more prominently than others)?

I've written and had placements in quite a number of different styles, probably over a dozen but I think the main factor is whether you are making songs or instruemntal cues.

Whilst I was primarily a songwriter when I was making music for myself, after several years of professional vocal lessons I had to admit I couldn't really deliver a really great licenable vocal, so for me it was just easier to start doing instrumetals as I could pretty much do everything else on my own.

I think I may have the same problem

I appreciate hearing those specific experiences, cosmic, gives a good idea of how things work out practically. Cheers