Music in film and TV is one of the most important parts of scene setting, mood and emotional impact. Whether it’s a custom commissioned score, an existing track, production music or a cover version, the right piece of music in the right scene can make all the difference.

From opening titles and closing credits to dramatic needle drops, documentaries, trailers and advertising, music helps set the tone, support the story and make a scene memorable. Used well, it can become one of the things that people remember most about a production.

This doesn’t just apply to major studios, broadcasters or large budget productions. Independent filmmakers, production companies, content creators and agencies are all using music to phenomenal effect, but can unfortunately be put off by the opacity of music licensing, the number of rights involved and the feeling that the music industry can be difficult to deal with.

Below, you can download our Film & TV Music Checklist, which will give you some starting points. This should be useful for any stage of production, but especially so if you are:

• Commissioning original music

• Licensing an existing track

• Using a cover of an existing track

• Clearing music for a trailer, advert or promo

• Preparing cue sheets for delivery

• Looking at festival, broadcast or streaming use

• Wanting to ensure that licences are cleared properly

• Setting up works and recordings to collect royalties

These are a few of the things that Wasted State Music can deal with on your behalf, becoming your Music Licensing & Rights Department and helping you avoid issues such as uncleared uses, rights conflicts, delivery problems, missing cue sheet information or missed revenue.

We work around your production schedule, but the earlier we’re involved, the more we can mitigate any potential issues down the line and help make sure the musical side of your project is properly cleared, documented and ready for delivery.

We can also deal with relevant registrations, cue sheet information, rights holder details and royalty administration, helping make sure that the correct parties are paid when your work is broadcast, streamed, screened or distributed.

How Do I Licence Music For Film and TV?

There are two sides of music rights. The first is the Master Rights.

The Master Rights are the rights to the recording of a particular song or piece of music. These are traditionally held by the party that pays for the recording. In the good old days, this was usually the Record Labels, but with the proliferation of home production, independent releases and artists controlling more of their own work, the Master Rights are now just as likely to lie with the artist, producer, composer or another rights holder.

In the case of a commissioned score or soundtrack recording, depending on the contracts used, this could lie either with the production company, the composer, the artist, the label or another agreed party.

Publishing Rights cover the writing side of the song or piece of music. Again, depending on the contracts agreed, these rights might lie with the original writer, composer, publisher, administrator or belong to the commissioning entity.

Whether you’re commissioning original music, licensing commercial tracks, using production music or working with cover versions, getting things cleared properly early in the process can avoid expensive complications later.

To make sure you don’t run into problems once your film, programme, trailer or advert is released, you need to make sure that both sides are cleared and that the rights you clear match your intended use.

This means thinking about how the music will actually be used. Is it for a festival screening, broadcast, online use, streaming, theatrical release, advertising, trailers, social media, international distribution or all of the above? The licence needs to reflect the production, the territory, the term, the media and the intended exploitation.

This can even apply to commissioned works, which can sometimes catch producers out. If the contract does not clearly deal with ownership, usage, royalties, cue sheets and registrations, issues can appear later when the production is being delivered, broadcast, streamed or sold internationally.

To avoid unnecessary rights issues, delivery problems, royalty disputes and missing income, it’s important that music rights are properly cleared, registered and covered for the intended uses.

With over 25 years of experience in the music industry, Wasted State Music provides support with rights management, licensing and royalties throughout the development, production, delivery and release cycle of a film or television project. Whether working with a larger production company, an independent filmmaker, an agency or a broadcaster, services can be adapted to suit the scale, budget and requirements of each project.

If you’d like to discuss a project, you can get in touch via the contact page or by email.