Sync License

Audiodrome | Last Updated: March 16th, 2026 | 4 min read | Glossary

Audiodrome is a royalty-free music platform designed specifically for content creators who need affordable, high-quality background music for videos, podcasts, social media, and commercial projects. Unlike subscription-only services, Audiodrome offers both free tracks and simple one-time licensing with full commercial rights, including DMCA-safe use on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. All music is original, professionally produced, and PRO-free, ensuring zero copyright claims. It’s ideal for YouTubers, freelancers, marketers, and anyone looking for budget-friendly audio that’s safe to monetize.

A sync license, short for synchronization license, is permission to use a musical composition in timed relation with visual images, such as in a video, film, ad, trailer, or other audiovisual project. It covers the song/composition, not automatically the specific sound recording, so many projects also need separate master-use permission for the recording itself.

Quick facts:
Also called: synchronization license, synch license
Covers: pairing music with visual media
Usually obtained from: the music publisher or composition rights owner
Not the same as: master license, public performance license, or mechanical license.

Example:
A brand wants to use a song under a product video on YouTube. It needs sync permission for the composition, and if it wants to use the original commercial recording, it will usually also need a master-use license from the sound recording owner.

Gotchas:

A sync license covers the composition, not automatically the recording you hear on Spotify or a released track. Using the original recording usually requires separate master clearance.
A public performance license is different. BMI defines sync as use with visual images, while public performance covers performing or transmitting a work to the public.
Sync is generally a directly negotiated market license, not a standard compulsory/statutory music license administered by the U.S. Copyright Office. The Copyright Office notes the statutory systems for other uses, while its music marketplace study says audiovisual sync licensing occurs in the free market.

FAQs

No. A sync license covers the composition, but you also need a master license to use the specific recording. Both are required unless you use a royalty-free or original recording.

It depends on the song and use case. Costs can range from $50 for a royalty-free track to $100,000+ for a hit song in a national ad campaign.

Yes. Non-commercial status doesn’t exempt you from licensing laws. Many publishers offer reduced rates for educational or nonprofit use.

A sync license is for music paired with visuals. A mechanical license is for audio-only reproductions like CDs, downloads, or streaming.