Prepare a sync pitch: recording versions, rights contacts and a clear brief

Check the opportunity before preparing a package

Verify who is requesting music, the project, the submission route and whether unsolicited material is accepted. Match the actual brief rather than sending the whole catalogue. A sync pitch asks for consideration of a specific audiovisual use; it is different from pitching an artist interview or asking a streaming editor to playlist a song. Submission never guarantees a response, placement or income.

Identify who can authorise the song and recording

A composition and a particular recording can have different owners and approval routes. Wise Music’s licensing guidance distinguishes synchronization permission for the work from permission to use the master. Identify the relevant writers, publishers, recording owners and representatives for the actual project. Do not describe a track as fully cleared or one-stop unless you can substantiate the authority and restrictions involved.

Prepare the recording and its variants

Start with the approved full recording and ask which additional versions the recipient needs. BMI’s professional guidance describes different mixes for different pitching uses; it is not a universal list that every artist must deliver. Instrumentals, clean versions and stems must be the correct recording and clearly named. Do not send a new version as though an earlier permission automatically covers it.

Make the first review easy

Provide a legitimate listening method, accurate title and artist, the recording version, useful musical context and the right contact for approvals. Include duration and a concise reason the track fits the request. Keep the detailed rights file private but available for an authorised enquiry. Avoid attaching identity documents, private contracts or the entire multitrack project to an initial unsolicited message.

Record the requested use before negotiating

If interest develops, describe the production, media, territories, term, edits and promotional uses being discussed. Qualified representatives should check the actual agreement, fees and permissions. Use the visual-use rights preparation guide and the composition-side guide for the underlying distinctions. DistroBolt distribution and optional creative work do not establish a sync agency relationship or guarantee a licence on your behalf.

Keep a useful working record

• Verified recipient and accepted submission route
• Exact master/version, duration and requested variants
• Composition and recording approval contacts
• Any restrictions or missing authority plainly marked
• Use brief and private record of what was actually offered

Use these fields in your own project notes. This is an original preparation worksheet, not an upload form or a request to submit private information here.

An illustrative working example

A fictional band receives a brief for a quiet scene and chooses one suitable recording rather than twenty unrelated songs. Its singer controls the master, but a co-writer’s publisher also needs to review the composition use. The band identifies that approval contact before calling the track cleared. This illustrates preparation; it is not a standard contract or prediction of a placement.

Common questions

Related DistroBolt guidance

• Keep recording variants distinct
• Share a controlled review package