AUDIO MOTION MUSICExact song and edit
Identify the specific recording, remix or live version. Note the extract, duration and whether the music is foreground, background or adapted.
ADVERTISING · BRAND CAMPAIGNS · PAID SOCIAL
Music clearance for commercials and advertising.
Want an existing hit, catalogue recording or familiar song in an advert? Clear the recording and underlying composition for the actual campaign, not just the pitch.
MASTER & PUBLISHING
What music clearance for an advert actually involves
An advertising clearance request usually has two separate permissions to organise: the sound recording (master use) and the composition (synchronisation). Each controller may assess the brand, message, product category and creative treatment before approving commercial terms.
Where the advert runs
Specify TV and connected TV, cinema, streaming, YouTube, paid social, brand websites, influencer placements and any other intended channels.
Commercial boundaries
Name the brand, product sector, campaign dates, markets, paid-media plans, exclusivity or category restrictions, plus any cut-downs or alternate edits.
WHAT APPROVALS ARE NEEDED?
One recording. Two different rights enquiries.
Permission to pair the underlying musical work with picture, normally involving the publisher, songwriter or appropriate controller. Ownership splits can mean more than one approval is needed.
Permission to use that exact sound recording. The master controller may differ from the composition controller, and its grant can carry separate commercial restrictions.
A request, quote or agreement in principle is not clearance. Rights-holder acceptance and the executed documents must match the intended use.
PROJECT EXAMPLE
Plan the real delivery, not just the first cut.
Example brief: a 30-second campaign with social cut-downs
An agency selects a recognizable chorus for a 30-second television advert, then plans 15-second cut-downs, vertical video and paid social internationally. Those versions and media should be described in the request rather than assuming a television permission includes every digital placement. The example illustrates scoping only; no particular song is pre-cleared.
HOW AMM APPROACHES IT
Four stages between the brief and documented rights.
Identify the song
Supply the performer, exact recording and a link to the proposed edit.
Define the campaign
Provide brand, product category, cut-downs, platforms, markets and dates.
Trace the rights
Research who can approve the recording and composition in the requested territories.
Secure written grants
Confirm the negotiated scope, conditions and actual executed licences before release.
BE READY TO QUOTE
What to include in a clearance request.
Send what is known today. Missing information can be flagged; no need to invent a budget or guess the rights owner.
- Brand, agency and proposed product or service category
- Exact track title, featured artist, master version and edit timestamps
- Storyboard or private cut, plus how prominently the track is used
- Media: broadcast, cinema, streaming, paid social, brand channels and events
- Territories, campaign start/end dates, paid-media duration and reuse options
- Number of deliverables, alternate edits, languages and cut-downs
- Indicative rights-holder budget, deadlines and any exclusivity requests
QUESTIONS PRODUCTION TEAMS ASK
Before you promise a song to the client.
Does buying a streaming download let us use a song in an advertisement?
No. Access to listen to a track is not normally a grant of the necessary audio-visual synchronisation and master-use permissions.
Can one licence cover TV, online and social?
Sometimes the parties agree a defined multi-platform grant, but it must be written into the terms. Do not assume coverage of additional edits, paid social or a wider territory.
Can the agency use a re-recording instead of the original master?
A newly produced recording can avoid copying the original master, but permission for the underlying song and any adaptations may still be necessary. Check the agreed use and recording rights.
How quickly can a commercial track be cleared?
Timing depends on the controllers, approvals and negotiations. Supply exact usage and a feasible deadline early; a quote or favourable conversation is not permission.
ADVERTISING · PRIVATE ENQUIRY · NO ACCOUNT NEEDED
Send your commercial clearance brief
Send details straight to Audio Motion Music's private licensing team. You can provide additional audio or confidential documents securely after initial review. This enquiry does not clear a recording or guarantee a quote.
DIRECT ENQUIRY · NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED
Have the recording and the brief? Start here.
Send a rights enquiry straight to AMM’s private licensing pipeline. We can review the brief, identify missing details and discuss the practical clearance route. No approval, fee or completion date is guaranteed.
Educational background: PRS for Music: commercial sync licensing ↗ · ASCAP: acquiring music rights for film ↗. Guidance is general and does not replace a review of the actual agreements or specialist legal advice.