Sync vs Master Rights: What Musicians Need to Clear

Musician and manager reviewing music clearance documents

Sync rights and master rights are two separate permissions. Sync (synchronisation) rights cover the composition: the melody and lyrics. Master rights cover the sound recording: the specific audio file. If a track is going to sit under moving images, such as a YouTube video or an ad, whoever is making that video generally needs both. If you wrote and recorded the track yourself, you are the person who can grant both.

This guide explains who holds each right, how the money is usually split in the UK, and what to check before you publish or promote a video.

MusicvideomarketplaceCreate a Video for Your SongMusicvideomarketplace helps musicians create long-form videos for YouTube and create ad campaigns for their songs.Visit Musicvideomarketplace

TL;DR

Sync right: permission to use the composition with moving images. It is usually granted by the publisher, or the songwriter if there is no publishing deal.
Master right: permission to use the recording. It is usually granted by the label, or the artist if they funded the recording themselves.
Both are normally needed for a video or advert, because it uses the song and the recording of it.
Fees are negotiated, not fixed. Territory, length, media and artist profile drive the price, and the two sides are often paid the same amount.
Own both and you can move fast. Clear titles, ISRC/ISWC codes and PRS and PPL registrations make that easy to prove.

The difference in plain terms
Why a video or advert needs both
Who actually controls each right
How the fees work
Clearing both rights for YouTube and ad campaigns
Our perspective
Getting your video ready, and your release moving
Common mistakes to avoid
FAQ
Sources

The difference in plain terms

Every recorded song contains two copyrights. The first is the composition: the written music and lyrics. The second is the sound recording: one particular performance captured on one particular file.

Universal Music Publishing Group’s UK licensing page puts it this way: publishing rights cover the composition and lyrics and can be licensed from the music publisher or publishers representing the writers, while master rights cover the actual sound recording and can be licensed from the record label representing the artist who made it.

The UK Intellectual Property Office describes a synchronisation licence as permission to use a rights holder’s music in sync with moving images, across feature films, TV, advertising, games and corporate videos. It is only needed if the copyright has not expired.

A simple way to hold the distinction:

	Sync licence	Master use licence
What it covers	The composition (melody, lyrics)	The specific sound recording
Usually granted by	Publisher, or songwriter if unpublished	Label, or artist if self-funded
Needed when	Music is paired with video	That exact recording is used in the video
Related royalty body	PRS for Music (performance royalties)	PPL (neighbouring rights)

Note the wording “sync vs master” can mislead. A master licence is not an alternative to a sync licence. For a normal video placement they are two halves of one clearance.

Why a video or advert needs both

A video that uses an existing recording uses the composition and the recording at once. Clearing only one leaves the other rights holder unpaid and unconsulted. One UK licensing guide states plainly that using only one licence means using a right without the other holder’s permission, which is copyright infringement.

There is one more wrinkle: the rights holder has the power to say no. The dance sector body One Dance UK explains that the licence holder can reject the pairing of audio and visuals, and that this may or may not involve a fee. So a request is a request, not a formality, and the visuals and context you propose matter.

This applies to anyone building a video around music they do not fully own:

a DJ cutting a visual for a remix or a mix of other people’s tracks
a label producing a promo clip for a signed artist
a manager commissioning content for a campaign
a producer using a sample or a collaborator’s recording

Who actually controls each right

The answer depends on how the track was made and funded.

The master

The master copyright is stereotypically controlled by whoever paid for the recording. Traditionally that was the record label, but in the modern industry it is often the artist. For independent artists the master owner is almost always the artist; for signed artists it is the label. Where a label owns the master, the artist typically receives a share of the master fee according to their royalty rate, not the whole fee.

The composition

The sync side is controlled by whoever owns the composition copyright: the songwriter directly if the rights have not been assigned, or the publisher if there is a publishing deal. A single track can have several writers, publishers and sub-publishers in different territories, and all of them may need to give permission. This is where co-written tracks cause delays. One missing signature stops the whole clearance.

If you are unsure who to approach, PRS for Music can help: according to One Dance UK, PRS can assist in acquiring a licence from one of its members or help you contact the rights holders directly.

The one-stop advantage

When the same party controls both, the track is called “one-stop”. One UK publisher notes that music supervisors and sync agents find one-stop music very attractive, because both copyrights can be agreed in a single contract, which improves the chances of a placement. A UK sync company also points out that if you wrote and recorded a track yourself, you can approve a deal without waiting for anyone else. Speed matters because advertising briefs move quickly, and placements involving major label releases are sometimes lost because label and publisher cannot agree in time.

How the fees work

There is no rate card. Code Group Music says there are no standard sync rates in the UK: each placement is a negotiation depending on exclusivity, territory, duration and prominence. It describes a short online video or local advert paying a few hundred pounds, and a major global campaign or feature film paying tens of thousands.

Sentric reports that most syncs it does for emerging artists range from £1,000 to £20,000, with an occasional deal above £100,000. It lists the factors that move the price:

Territory: worldwide costs significantly more than UK-only.
Length: from a three-day film festival licence to perpetuity.
Media: a TV advert, radio and YouTube are priced differently.
Artist profile: a bigger name commands more.

The 50/50 split and MFN

The upfront sync fee is generally divided between the master and publishing sides. The usual arrangement is an equal split, protected by a Most Favoured Nations (MFN) clause. Universal Music Publishing Group explains that under MFN, if one rights holder quotes higher, the other fee should be raised to at least match, and that you pay one fee for the publishing and one for the master.

A worked example from Sentric: on a £10,000 fee, £5,000 goes to the publisher and £5,000 to the label.

MFN can bite. IQ Artist Management describes a November 2023 negotiation for a rock band’s retailer Christmas campaign. The master was cleared at £17,500, the publisher asked for £20,000, MFN lifted the master to match, and the total reached £40,000. The brand walked away and used production library music for £8,000 in total. The lesson for rights holders is that a high ask on one side can cost both sides the deal.

If you own both sides, you keep both halves. A glossary from DropCue notes that an owner of both collects both fees. Treat the 50/50 split as common practice rather than law, since individual contracts can differ.

The 50/50 split and MFN

Royalties are separate from the fee

The sync fee is paid upfront. Backend royalties come on top and flow through different bodies:

PRS for Music collects performance royalties on the composition when content is broadcast, paid quarterly, separate from the sync fee.
PPL collects neighbouring rights royalties for the recording and its performers, again separately.

Sync companies that pitch your music typically take a commission on the fee. Code Group Music puts that at 25% to 50% of the sync fee, and says backend broadcast royalties usually go straight to the rights holder without a commission deducted.

Clearing both rights for YouTube and ad campaigns

Most musicians reading this are not selling a track to a TV brand. They want to put their own song on YouTube and promote it. The principle is the same: you need clean permission for both rights, and your paperwork should prove it.

Before you upload or run an ad, work through this list:

Confirm ownership of the composition. List every writer and their share. If there is a publishing deal, the publisher may need to be involved.
Confirm ownership of the master. Check any label, distribution or licensing agreement for who holds the recording rights and what it says about video use.
Get the identifiers in place. UK sync companies advise having an ISRC and ISWC for every track, plus active PRS and PPL registrations.
Get written consent from every co-owner. Split sheets and signed agreements prevent disputes after the video has gone live.
Check existing arrangements before you publish. Prior contracts can limit what you can do with a track.
Keep the paperwork where you can find it. Platforms and agencies may ask who owns what.

When existing contracts get in the way

Prior agreements can override assumptions. In early 2026 the High Court granted an interim injunction in a dispute between a music brand and two companies over their contractual arrangements. The brand claimed to have terminated the agreements for unremedied breach, as reported by Solicitors Journal. The point for artists is practical: a track you assume is free to use may be tied up by a contract you or a collaborator signed. Read it before you launch a campaign, and take legal advice from a music solicitor if the terms are unclear.

If you are not the owner

A label manager or DJ working with other people’s music should approach the master owner and the publisher separately, in writing, explaining the use, territory, duration and platform. Expect two fees, and expect either side to say no. If the track is registered with PRS, the society can help you identify the right contact.

Our perspective

We built Music Video Marketplace around a simple observation: most of the friction between a finished song and a released video is not creative, it is practical. Artists lose weeks to custom shoots, back-and-forth edits and rights questions they did not expect.

That is why we focus on ready-made, full-length music videos made by professional filmmakers specifically for music. They are human-made, never generated with AI and never stitched from generic stock footage. You upload your audio and branding, customise the video, and export something YouTube-ready without commissioning a shoot.

Our view is that rights clarity and release speed go together. When you own your composition and your master, you can decide quickly, and a video that is ready to edit lets you act on that decision the same day. For independent artists, labels and managers who need to release often, that is the advantage we want to give you. Our licensing page explains how video licences work on our side.

Music

Getting your video ready, and your release moving

Once your rights are in order, the next question is the video itself. A custom shoot with a director is one route; our comparison of hiring a director against using a marketplace sets out the trade-offs, and our piece on stock footage versus custom video covers the other common shortcut.

With Music Video Marketplace you can browse human-made, full-length music videos, add your own audio and branding, export a YouTube-ready file, generate short social clips and launch an ad campaign for your song. Membership is £19.99 per month, and each recurring extra video is £9.99 per month per video. Full details are on our pricing page.

Musicvideomarketplace

You stay in control of your own song: the audio you upload is the recording and composition you have already cleared. If you run a label or manage several artists, the same membership approach lets you keep a steady flow of releases moving without a new production each time.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a distributor covers video. A distribution deal for streaming does not automatically grant anyone the right to use the track in an advert.
Forgetting a co-writer. A single uncleared share can block the composition side.
Treating one licence as enough. Clearing the publisher but not the master, or the reverse, leaves you exposed.
Skipping registrations. Without PRS and PPL registration, royalties from broadcast uses can go uncollected.
Confusing sync fees with royalties. The fee is upfront; performance royalties are separate and arrive later through the societies.
Not putting it in writing. Verbal agreements are hard to prove when a platform or agency asks.

FAQ

Do I need both a sync licence and a master licence?

For a video that uses an existing recording, yes. The video uses the composition (sync) and the recording (master), and each is owned by a potentially different party. If you wrote, recorded and own everything yourself, you can grant both permissions to yourself.

Who pays more, the publisher or the label?

Usually neither: the upfront fee is commonly split equally between the two sides, and MFN clauses push the lower quote up to match the higher. So if the master is quoted at £5,000, the publishing side would normally also receive £5,000. Individual contracts can vary.

Are sync fees the same as royalties?

No. The sync fee is an upfront payment negotiated for the use. Royalties are separate: PRS for Music pays performance royalties on the composition, and PPL pays neighbouring rights royalties on the recording, typically when the finished content is broadcast.

How much does a sync licence cost in the UK?

There is no standard rate. Fees depend on territory, licence length, media and the artist’s profile. A UK publisher reports most syncs for emerging artists falling between £1,000 and £20,000, while a short online video or local advert can pay a few hundred pounds.

What if I own the master but not the publishing?

Then you can grant only the master side. You would need the publisher or co-writers to clear the composition before using the track in a video or ad. Check any publishing agreement first and get the permission in writing.

Sync vs Master Rights: What Musicians Need to Clear