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.
A powerful song can make the scene. Its permission needs to survive the edit, the festival run, the broadcaster and the later streaming release. We help teams define and document that use.
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
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.