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.
Need a recognisable recording in a TV commercial, paid-social campaign or brand film? We help research master and publishing permissions for the exact music, edit lengths, cut-downs, paid media, territories and licence term. Agency approval alone is not rights-holder clearance.
ADVERTISING / USAGE MATRIX
One campaign. Three deliverables. Make each usage explicit.
A TV hero film, social edit and paid creator post should be described in the same rights enquiry when relevant. The permissions depend on the agreed master and composition licences.
ADVERTISING BUYER CHECKLIST
Clear the campaign, not just the hero film.
A 30-second television advert, a 6-second bumper and a paid creator post may have different delivery requirements. Put every intended use in the same brief before owners are approached.
Campaign scope
TV, connected TV, cinema, paid social, brand channels and creator posts. Include markets, flight dates, any renewal options and how long online versions remain accessible.
Creative variations
List each cut-down, language version, re-edit, remix or instrumental requirement. Identify the exact recording and the sections of the song used in each deliverable.
Commercial restrictions
Identify the brand, product category, talent associations and any requested exclusivity. Owners may decline use even when a fee is available.
What the brief should produce: A campaign-use matrix for the master and composition enquiry, with each required approval and proposed usage documented separately.
FOR AGENCIES & BRAND PRODUCERS
Clear the music for every version of the advert, not only the hero cut.
Whether the brief is a UK television commercial, connected TV campaign, online film or paid social launch, the exact recording and media plan determine what permissions to request. Tell us the song, brand, campaign dates and where the finished work will appear.
Advertising-agency clearance
Share the brand and product category early. Rights controllers may review creative context, exclusivity and competitive restrictions before considering an approval.
TV, CTV and paid social
Specify television, connected TV, online video, cinema and paid placements separately. Include overseas territories and influencer or third-party posting where relevant.
Edits and delivery
List the full version, 6/15/30-second cutdowns, vertical edits, trailers and possible renewals. A later revision may require a new approval.
Want a recognisable hit? See famous-song clearance requirements. Need music composed for the campaign instead? Explore original advertising music.
Send the commercial clearance brief →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
PRODUCTION QUESTIONSQuestions before you promise a song?+
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.
Working from a production brief? Use our free advertising music clearance checklist to collect rights, media, territories, cutdowns and sign-off details before you submit.
Planning an advertising soundtrack?
Compare catalogue licensing with clearing a commercial recording, and gather all media and usage details before requesting terms.
Music sourcing and music clearance are different starting points.
For a specific chart hit, send a clearance brief. For music discovery, shortlist available recordings first. For precise edit points, explore a bespoke composition.
When this is the right clearance service
Commercials clearance is for an existing recording or song already chosen by the creative team, not for searching a catalogue from scratch.
What you bring
Artist, track, version, storyboard or edit, brand category, territories, campaign windows and each delivery format.
What AMM can coordinate
Rights-holder research, master and composition permission requests, scope questions, negotiating routes and documentation tracking.
What it does not guarantee
No rights-holder response, price, turnaround or permission is assured. An estimate, contact or draft agreement is not final clearance.
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.
BRIEF INTELLIGENCE / PRACTICAL PROJECT SCOPE
Scope the campaign before you request permission.
Include every commercial use and edit in one useful clearance enquiry. This is preparation, not rights approval.
What the AMM team needs
Track selection or a quotation is not clearance. All necessary controllers must approve and signed licences must cover the actual use.
PROJECT DECISION GUIDEA commercial campaign is more than one videoOpen guidance +
Tell us if the recording appears in the television edit, social cut-downs, creator posts or cinema. Different media, territories and versions should be listed in the first rights enquiry.
Use the advertising clearance checklist ↗Guidance only. An enquiry is not clearance or a signed licence.
PRACTICAL BUYER EXAMPLE · ILLUSTRATIVE
Example: clearing one track across campaign cut-downs
An agency approves a 30-second hero film, then requests 15-second, six-second and creator edits. Rights scoping must cover the complete campaign.
Specify the campaign, not just the hero video
List television, online video, paid social, cinema, in-store and influencer/creator distribution as applicable. Include regions, term, spend or media plan and exclusivity needs.
Confirm versions, music use and controllers
Provide the exact recording and cue points. Master and publishing permissions may have different owners, restrictions and fees; approvals must be signed before use.
Illustrative scenario only. No licence, availability or fee is implied.