AUDIO MOTION MUSICPicture-lock details
Identify the cue, timing, footage context, exact song version and whether the music appears on camera, in the background, over credits or in a trailer.
FILM · TELEVISION · DOCUMENTARIES · STREAMING
Music clearance for film and television.
Need to clear an existing song for a film, documentary or TV production? We identify the precise master and composition permissions, then document the cue, duration, territories, term, festival plans, broadcasters, streaming use and separate promotional trailers. A festival-only licence does not automatically cover later distribution.
FILM & TV / DISTRIBUTION DECISION
The same music cue can need different approval scope at each release stage.
Give the rights holders the exact recording, cue timecode and anticipated distribution route. A cue sheet documents uses; it does not grant permission.
FILM & TELEVISION BUYER CHECKLIST
Build a music rights brief that survives distribution.
A festival-screening licence does not automatically cover later television, streaming, international sales or promotional trailers. Define the release path while the cue can still change.
Picture and cue
Provide scene context, music timecode, exact recording, duration and whether the cue is on camera, in opening titles, over end credits or under dialogue.
Distribution scenarios
Distinguish festivals, theatrical, broadcaster, subscription or advertising-funded streaming, home entertainment, international sales and term extensions.
Promotional use
Identify trailers, programme promos, teasers, paid campaigns and social clips separately. A cue sheet identifies uses but does not replace an executed licence.
What the brief should produce: A cue-by-cue permissions checklist identifying master and composition controllers, proposed territory, term, media and additional uses.
DOCUMENTARY · FILM · BROADCAST
Music clearance for documentaries and distribution changes.
A music cue cleared only for an early festival screening may not cover a later broadcast or worldwide streamer release. Give the production team a clear rights picture before the final licensing window closes.
Documentary and archive music
Identify the exact performance or recording used beneath interviews, archival footage or montage. Check whether the excerpt is part of a wider clip that carries separate underlying rights.
Festivals to streaming
Record planned festivals, theatrical release, UK or international broadcasters, on-demand platforms and territories. Flag likely upgrade rights before signing limited terms.
Trailers and promotional clips
A trailer, teaser, broadcaster promo or social cut can be a separately defined use. Include it in the first brief rather than assuming permission follows the main film.
Production teams can use the cue-log starter and worked example to collect metadata, but a cue sheet is not clearance evidence. Need music sourcing as well?
Send a film, TV or documentary clearance brief →MASTER & PUBLISHING
The clearance checklist changes with the screen
For existing recorded music, a film or TV production will typically need permission to synchronise the composition and use the chosen master recording. Territory, term, distribution, music edits and promotional rights can materially change the request.
Distribution pathway
Describe theatrical, festival, broadcast, subscription or advertising-funded VOD, home entertainment, international sales and known commissioning requirements.
Promotion is its own question
Trailers, teasers, social clips, broadcaster promos, soundtrack use and behind-the-scenes content may require separate or expressly included rights.
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 documentary moving from festivals to streaming
A producer wants one recognisable recording under an interview montage. The film may premiere at festivals before a potential international streaming deal. A festival-only licence should not be assumed to cover future broadcast or streaming. Describe both the confirmed release and any proposed future windows in the clearance request.
HOW AMM APPROACHES IT
Four stages between the brief and documented rights.
Break down the cue
Provide the timecode, exact master, music duration and scene description.
Define the release
Map theatrical, festival, broadcast, VOD and promotional use by territory and term.
Research controllers
Identify recording and composition owners, including relevant split or territorial approvals.
Record usable evidence
Check executed grants against the actual picture and delivery requirements 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.
- Production company, project title, format, episode number if relevant
- The precise recording and where it is used: timecode, duration and scene
- Festival, theatrical, broadcast, streaming, VOD and home-video plans
- Territories, periods of use, renewal and future exploitation options
- Trailers, advertising, teasers and other promotional placements
- Picture edits, cut-downs, language versions or alternate cue use
- Clearance budget, deadlines, legal-delivery requirements and cue-sheet needs
PRODUCTION QUESTIONSQuestions before you promise a song?+
QUESTIONS PRODUCTION TEAMS ASK
Before you promise a song to the client.
If a song is cleared for a film festival, is streaming included?
Not automatically. The signed agreement must cover the relevant platform, market and term; festival-only grants can be narrower.
Do trailers and teasers need to be included?
Check explicitly. Promotional uses can be excluded or negotiated separately, especially if the music appears in a different edit.
Is a cue sheet the same as permission?
No. A cue sheet helps document musical use and reporting, but it does not replace the necessary master and composition permissions.
Do documentaries have the same rights questions as dramas?
Both can require permissions for existing recordings and compositions. The particular footage, context, exceptions and territories need fact-specific assessment; do not assume a documentary automatically qualifies for an exception.
FILM & TV · PRIVATE ENQUIRY · NO ACCOUNT NEEDED
Send your film or television rights 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: ASCAP: checklist for music in audio-visual works ↗ · PRS for Music: commercial sync licensing ↗. Guidance is general and does not replace a review of the actual agreements or specialist legal advice.
Before you lock the soundtrack
Search for music, prepare a defined licensing brief and include trailers, versions and promotional use where relevant.
Are you clearing a known cue or finding a new one?
A specified recording needs rights research. If the soundtrack is not yet locked, a music search or original composition brief may offer a better creative route. Promotional trailers and international distribution need to be scoped explicitly.
Film & TV clearance: cue-by-cue delivery checklist
Track recording versions, master and publishing permissions, festival-to-streaming changes, trailers and signed agreement evidence. Includes a blank cue-log CSV for your production team.
Open the delivery checklist ↗BRIEF INTELLIGENCE / PRACTICAL PROJECT SCOPE
Check the route from festival to final distribution.
Capture the music cue, release pathway and promotional uses before making a master/publishing request.
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 GUIDEOne scene, several distribution rightsOpen guidance +
Confirm whether your film is limited to festivals, broadcaster transmission, a streaming licence, or includes trailers. Later distribution and promotional rights should be scoped before the deal is signed.
Use the delivery checklist ↗Guidance only. An enquiry is not clearance or a signed licence.
PRACTICAL BUYER EXAMPLE · ILLUSTRATIVE
Example: checking a documentary music cue
A recorded song works in the festival cut. The same use may need different approvals when the film goes to streaming or television.
Define every release window
Identify festival, theatrical, broadcaster, on-demand streaming, trailer, paid promotion and planned international release separately. Specify the actual recording, duration and cue timing.
Confirm each rights line
Research master and composition controllers and their approvals before delivery. A cue sheet records usage but does not clear the rights.
Illustrative scenario only. No licence, availability or fee is implied.