Famous songs & chart hits
Rights research and outreach for recognisable commercial songs, back-catalogue classics and contemporary releases, regardless of label size.
FAMOUS SONGS · CLASSIC HITS · MAJOR-LABEL RECORDINGS
Major song clearance for famous tracks and chart hits.
Want to use a chart hit, iconic catalogue track or major-label recording in an advert, film, TV programme, trailer, game or branded campaign? Audio Motion Music can help research the rights, approach the relevant controllers and coordinate proposed terms and approvals. We work on the clearance process; we do not assume that any song is available.
Direct to AMM · No email app required
Request commercial music clearance
Tell us the song and proposed use. This sends your enquiry into AMM’s private licensing pipeline for staff review. You can provide audio and documents securely later.
What the service covers
Commercial music clearance is more than finding the track.
Master recording clearance
Identify the controller of the specific sound recording and coordinate requests for master-use approval, including label and artist approvals where required.
Publishing / composition clearance
Trace publishers, composers and co-writers as necessary, coordinate synchronisation permission requests and account for multiple publishing shares.
Advertising, film & television
Scope proposed use for brand campaigns, broadcast programmes, documentaries, feature films and streaming productions.
Trailers, games & digital
Define formats such as trailers, gameplay, online video, paid social and international digital campaigns as part of the request.
Negotiation & documentation
Organise usage details, rightsholder responses, quote comparisons, clearance conditions and the final evidence trail.
The essential distinction
Two sets of rights. One recognisable recording.
For the original recording of a commercially released song used with moving images, permissions are generally needed from both the musical composition side (writers/publishers) and the sound-recording side (master owner/label). Several parties may control portions of a right. Fees, approvals and contract scope are assessed case by case. A new cover or re-recording may change the recording-rights requirements, but does not automatically eliminate the need to clear the composition or any additional approvals.
Publishing / synchronisation
Permission for the underlying musical work: melody, composition and lyrics, as applicable.
Master use
Permission for the actual recording: the performance and recording owned or controlled by a label, artist or other rights holder.
Scope of use
Duration, media, territories, term, exclusivity, context, edits, paid placements and budget can all affect proposed licensing terms.
For use of a fragment inside a new recording, see our sample clearance service. For selecting tracks from our own curated catalogue, see music licensing. This service addresses clearance enquiries for pre-existing third-party commercial releases.
Our working process
From the first song reference to documented decisions.
Define the exact use
Confirm the specific recording, cut, context, media, term, territories, length, budget and deadline.
Identify who controls it
Research master and publishing ownership, co-writers, administrators and any additional approvals.
Request and negotiate
Coordinate enquiries and proposed commercial terms; flag conditional quotes and approval dependencies.
Track all permissions
Organise signed grants, conditions and deliverables. No request or quote is presented as a licence.
Common questions
Before you put that song in the edit
Can you clear a famous hit or a major-label recording?
We can review the requested use, research ownership and help coordinate a clearance approach for well-known repertoire. We cannot guarantee that a rightsholder will approve the use, respond, or offer terms within a particular budget or timeline.
What does it cost to license a famous song in an advert?
There is no universal fixed price. Fees depend on the rights holders, track, media, territory, duration, term, brand context, exclusivity, artist approvals and other requested terms. We can help prepare a complete enquiry for a meaningful quote.
Is this the same as sample clearance?
No. Using a commercial recording in film or advertising usually involves synchronisation and master-use clearances. Sampling a sound recording into a new track involves a different recording and composition permission analysis. We can help route the brief appropriately.
Can I use a cover version instead of the original master?
A new recording may avoid licensing the original master, but composition permission and possible additional consent can still be required for the intended use. Re-recording or adapting a song is not a shortcut around all rights.
What should I send you?
Song title and performer, recording/version, production type, exact use and length, online/broadcast/cinema/game media, countries, proposed term, budget, deadline and whether lyrics, samples, edits or re-recordings are involved.
When is the song safe to use?
Only once all necessary permissions for the intended use are in place and conditions are met. An enquiry, provisional quote, rights-holder conversation or generic public performance licence is not a substitute for the required synchronisation/master agreements.
Related music services
A clearance brief starts with the details
Tell us which song and where it will be heard.
Include the song title, performer and version, production, intended media, territory, duration, term, budget and deadline. For brand work, describe the brand and creative context. We will review the enquiry and outline what further rights research may be required.
Rights availability, fees, timing and final permission remain subject to the relevant rights holders. Audio Motion Music does not claim to control third-party major-label catalogues.
ADVERTISING SONG RIGHTS
How to licence a famous song for a commercial.
A brand wanting the original hit recording must usually seek both publishing/synchronisation and master-use permission. Neither access to a streaming track nor an informal artist approval normally covers the whole campaign.
Give the exact version
Supply the performer, recording, edit, approximate use duration and whether the original master is essential or a re-recording is possible.
Include the brand
State the advertiser, product category, creative concept, any competitor exclusivity, territory, media and intended term. Rights holders can decline to associate a song with a campaign.
Plan the cutdowns
Identify TV, cinema, paid social, online placements, 6/15/30-second edits, renewals and international adaptations before requesting terms.
For agency-side guidance, see music clearance for advertising. For production costs, see clearance budgets and timescales.
Request a famous-song clearance quote →PRACTICAL GUIDANCE
What influences the price and approval of a famous song?
A successful clearance is defined by written permission for the actual use, not simply a familiar song appearing in a pitch or an email exchange.
Why there is no standard price for a chart hit
Rights holders assess the particular recording and composition, the prominence of the use, duration, creative context, audience, territories and commercial reach. A global television advert with paid social, for example, will be evaluated differently from a short independent film festival screening. A quote is not a grant of rights.
Why the master and publishing requests can take different routes
A commercial release ordinarily includes the sound recording and the underlying composition. The master controller, often a record company, handles the recording; one or more publishers or writers control the composition. Each can have a separate approval chain, fee and set of restrictions. A response from one party is not authority from every party.
Can we recreate the song to avoid a major-label recording licence?
A newly recorded cover or commissioned soundalike may avoid using the original master, but it does not automatically clear the composition, arrangement, adaptation, lyrics or advertising use. A recognisable new recording can need publisher approval and may require additional consents. Discuss this path before producing a version.
How soon should the production contact us?
Bring a shortlist and realistic budget as early as possible, ideally before locking picture or promising the track to the client. Famous-song clearances can involve overlapping ownership, territorial representatives, creative approval and negotiation; turnaround cannot be promised. We can help prepare alternatives if a song is unavailable.
What documents should we expect at handoff?
Subject to the scope agreed, keep owner contact information, written permissions, executed licences, fee and payment terms, approved usage descriptions, term and territory restrictions, edit permissions and delivery requirements in one traceable record. Do not use the recording until all necessary approvals are complete.
CLEARANCE BY PRODUCTION TYPE
Different screens. Different permission scopes.
Music clearance for commercials ↗
TV adverts, branded campaigns, connected TV, paid social, campaign edits and category restrictions.
Music clearance for film and TV ↗
Scenes, documentary footage, festivals, broadcast, VOD distribution and promotional uses.
Master-use versus sync licences ↗
Why clearing a sound recording and its underlying composition can require separate approvals.
FREE PRODUCTION RESOURCE
Before you request music rights, get the brief right.
Know what to collect for a recording, sample or song clearance: usage, versions, territories, rights controllers, deadlines and sign-off evidence.
View the music clearance checklist → Download the clearance briefing templateA recognised song needs more than a reference track
Treat a specific famous recording as a rights request, not as automatically available inventory.
Recording and composition
The original master and the underlying song can be controlled separately. Different mixes, edits or re-recordings change the scope.
Brand and distribution
Tell us where the song appears, who is promoting it, media, territories, term and whether cut-downs or paid social are included.
Approval trail
We can organise research and requests, but the actual licence requires approvals from each necessary controller and the signed terms.
Every recording and production has different terms. AMM does not claim ownership of third-party songs shown in screen credits; rights are confirmed case by case.