How to Get Music Rights for TV, Step by Step

The director has fallen for a song. It’s been in the rough cut for weeks, it works, and nobody hears it as temp music anymore. Then someone asks the question that should have come up at the start: do we actually have the rights to this?

This guide explains how to get music rights for TV, whether you’re making a documentary series, a scripted drama, a reality format or a one-off special. It covers which licenses you need, who grants them, what the fee depends on and the paperwork the network will want when you deliver. (Clearing music for an ad instead? Read how to license a song for a commercial.)

The short answer

To use a song in a TV show, you need two permissions:

A sync license for the composition (the melody and lyrics), from the song’s publisher or publishers.
A master use license for the recording you want to use, from whoever owns it, usually a record label or the artist.

Both have to cover the way the show will be distributed: the media, the territories and the length of time. Public performance is handled separately, by the broadcaster or platform through its agreements with performing rights organizations. Your part of that is reporting the music accurately on a cue sheet.

That’s the whole job in three sentences. The rest of this guide is the long version.

Step 1: Find out where the show is going

Every music license is priced on how the music will be used. Before you approach anyone, get these answers from your producer, distributor or commissioning network:

Media. Broadcast TV, cable, streaming, airlines, festivals, home video? Networks and streamers often ask for music cleared for “all media”, so the show can travel without new paperwork.
Territory. One country, a region or worldwide.
Term. A fixed number of years, or in perpetuity. Shows expected to have a long life are often cleared in perpetuity.
Promos. Will the network want to advertise the show with the scene the song is in?

If nobody knows yet, push for an answer. Clearing too narrowly is how a finished show gets stuck when a second broadcaster or a streaming deal comes along. And going back to rights holders after the show is finished leaves you in a weaker position to negotiate.

Step 2: Describe the scene, not just the song

Rights holders will ask how the music is used, because it changes the fee. Be specific:

Background or featured. Is the song playing under dialogue in a bar, or is it the point of the scene? A montage cut to the chorus is a featured use, and it’s usually priced higher.
On-screen performance. If a character sings the song, or a band plays it in shot, say so. It’s quoted as a different use from background music.
Timing. How many seconds will you use? Measure it from the cut and allow a little room for the final trim.
Placement. Opening titles, end credits and theme use are priced differently from a cue in the middle of an episode.
Episodes. One episode, or recurring across the season?

A short clip or a line about the scene helps more than you’d think. “Plays on a car radio while two characters argue” tells a publisher far more than “background, 0:45”.

Step 3: Find who owns the song and the recording

Most released songs have more than one owner. The composition can be split between co-writers, each with their own publisher, and the recording usually belongs to a label. You need a yes from each of them, for the share they control.

Where to look:

PRO databases. ASCAP and BMI have public repertoire searches that list a song’s writers and publishers. Societies in other countries have their own.
The release. Credits name the label and usually the writers.
The artist’s team. With independent artists, the artist or their manager may control more of the rights than you’d guess, sometimes both sides.

Keep a clearance log from day one. A plain spreadsheet with the song, writers, publishers and their shares, master owner, status, fee and date licensed will save you hours at delivery, especially on a series with dozens of cues.

Or skip this step entirely with one-stop music: tracks where one company controls both the master and the publishing, so a single agreement covers both. That’s how Sonomore’s music is licensed.

Step 4: Send the request

A clear request gets a faster answer. Include:

The show’s title, format and a one-line synopsis
The broadcaster or platform, if one is attached
The song and the exact recording
The scene and the type of use (from Step 2)
The timing in seconds and the number of uses
Media, territory and term (from Step 1)
Whether you need promo use
Your deadline and, if you can share it, your budget

Send the same request to every rights holder. The publisher and the label quote separately, and if the publishing is split, each publisher quotes for its share. Expect “most favored nations” (MFN) terms to come up: if the label is paid more than the publisher, the publisher will usually want the same, and the other way round.

Step 5: Understand what drives the fee

There’s no price list for TV sync. A quote reflects:

How well known the song is
How it’s used: background, featured, on-screen, theme or end credits
How long it plays and how many times
The media, territory and term
Whether promo use is included

That’s why two quotes for the same song can look nothing alike. If a quote is out of reach, you still have options. You can narrow the media or term, use less of the song or record a cover (more on that below). You can also ask for a step deal: a lower fee now, with pre-agreed prices to extend the license if the show sells more widely later.

Step 6: Clear it before picture lock

Clear music while you edit, not after. Once picture is locked, swapping a song means re-cutting and re-mixing. And a rights holder who can tell you’re out of time has very little reason to come down on price.

When the agreement arrives, check it against what you asked for: media, territory and term, timing, type of use, promo rights and any credit requirements. Raise anything broader or narrower before you sign.

How long does it take? With one-stop music, it can be a single conversation. With several publishers and a major label, it can take weeks, so start early.

Step 7: Deliver the paperwork

When you deliver the show, the network or distributor will usually want:

Copies of every music license, sync and master.
A music cue sheet listing each cue with its title, writers, publishers, PRO affiliations, ownership shares, timing and type of use.
Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance. Broadcasters and streamers usually require it before they’ll take a show, and the insurer will want to know your music is cleared.

The cue sheet is what gets writers and publishers paid when the show airs, so it’s worth getting right. Ask each rights holder for their exact details when you license the song, not the week the show is due.

Situations that catch people out

Music caught on location. A radio in a café, a busker, someone’s ringtone. If it’s audible, it needs clearing or replacing. This comes up most in documentary and reality TV.
Covers. If you record your own version, you own that recording, so there’s no master license to get. You still need a sync license from the publisher, and changing the lyrics needs their approval too.
“Public domain” music. An old song or a classical piece may be out of copyright, but a recording of it usually isn’t. Check the composition and the recording separately, and remember the rules vary by country.
Promos and trailers. Using a scene, with its song, to promote the show can be included in your license if you ask for it up front. Using the song on its own to advertise the show is a separate license.
Temp love. The longer a temp track stays in the cut, the harder it is to replace. Check clearance and budget before everyone gets attached to it.
Fair use. It’s a narrow legal defense, not a clearance plan. If you’re thinking of relying on it, talk to a clearance lawyer first.

Quick answers

Do I need a license if the song only plays for a few seconds?

Yes. No number of seconds makes a song free to use. A short use may cost less, but it still needs a license.

Doesn’t the broadcaster’s PRO license cover the music?

No. Those blanket licenses cover the public performance of music when the show airs. They don’t give you the right to put a song in your show in the first place. That’s what the sync and master licenses are for.

Is licensing music for film different from licensing it for TV?

The rights are the same: sync and master. What changes is the release. Films are often licensed in stages, starting with festivals, while TV shows are usually cleared for the network’s or platform’s full needs from the start. Either way, a license only covers the media written into it. A festival license for a documentary doesn’t cover a broadcast, so if the film gets picked up, the music license has to be extended.

The short version

Find out where the show is going, describe the use honestly, clear both the composition and the recording, get it in writing before picture lock and keep your paperwork ready for delivery.

If you’d rather not chase several rights holders, that’s what we do differently. Sonomore licenses one-stop indie and alt-pop songs and instrumental music for TV, film and streaming. We control the master and the publishing in-house, so one agreement clears both. We supply WAV files, instrumentals and stems, plus the writer, publisher and PRO details for your cue sheet. If nothing in the catalog fits, we can write custom music to picture.

Have a scene that needs a song? Send us a brief, or read more about music licensing for film and TV.

How to Get Music Rights for TV: A Step-by-Step Guide