If you are working on your first film and have never gone through the legalities of sync licensing music for film and cinema before, then the process could sound daunting. Depending on the kind of music you want, which artist and where you license the music from , the process can be arduous and time consuming.

But it doesn’t have to be. If you are wondering how to license music for film, I’m going to briefly tell you about a relatively new music licensing site that takes care of all the hard work for you and makes sync licensing an absolute breeze.

The Problem With Licensing Music

Although the process has improved considerably in recent years and with the advent of the internet – handling the complexities for both artists and buyers alike – in some cases and with some companies it can still prove to be a laborious process.

This process is even more complicated if you want to use music written and recorded by a popular artist. When there is more than one songwriter or rights holder, then permission to be issued a license is even more complex, as everyone has to agree to release the right to use the music in the film.

There are loads of music licensing websites proliferating the internet these days, where artists, composers and producers (either independently or through a label) post their tracks available for music licensing for film and other projects. The issue is, many of these sites haven’t yet cleared the release for sync licensing with all of the rights holders. When you find some music you would like to use and go for the sync licensing purchase, you often have to wait while the owners of the site negotiate with the artists to get the track cleared for your project.

This can all take time. Filmmakers are often both on a budget and tight deadlines. You may not have time to wait. What you really want is a one click solution where the music has already been cleared BEFORE it’s listed for sale on the site, so all you have to do is click the “Buy” button and make the purchase instantly.

Songtradr to the Rescue

This is where newcomer to the music licensing business comes into its own.

Songtradr launched in March of 2016 and already they have a growing catalogue of awesome music suitable for all types of films, documentaries and major release movies. What differentiates Songtradr from the competition is there one click ordering system. You see, Songtradr will not allow artists to list their tracks live on the site until each track has been cleared for licensing with all of the rights holders.

When you find a track you like on Songtradr, you can click on the purchase button knowing with full confidence that you will get access to the track immediately and can use it in your film. This is a massive time saver and it also guarantees that no person involved in the creation of the song you want to use is going to say no to the deal.

The only exception to this will be if the artist has set the pricing for the track to “Offers Only”. This means the artist has no set price in mind for movie sync licensing and is open to offers. You submit the offer and the artist will either accept or send back a counter offer. Most artists set prices though, so you won’t encounter this scenario very often on Songtradr.

To Wrap Up

The easiest way to license music for film and cinema is to go through a music licensing portal like Songtradr, who have pre-cleared all tracks for sync licensing. If they are live on the site, they are available immediately for licensing.

If you would like to browse the Songtradr website, just click on their logo below.