How to License a Song for Your Commercial: A Practical Guide

You’ve found the song. It fits the edit, the client loves it and the air date is on the calendar. Now it has to be licensed, properly, for every place the ad will run.

This guide walks through how to license a song for a commercial, step by step, from defining what you need to getting the files into the edit. It’s written for agency producers, brand marketers and editors who don’t do this every week. (Clearing music for a series or a documentary instead? Read how to get music rights for TV.)

Step 1: Define exactly how the music will be used

Before you contact anyone, pin down the use. Every quote is built on these details, and changing them later usually means a new quote.

• Media. Where will the ad run? TV, cinema, online video, paid social, in-store screens, events, radio? List them all, including “organic social” if the brand will post it on its own channels.
• Territory. Which countries or regions? “Worldwide” is a valid answer, but if you only need one market, say so.
• Term. How long will the campaign run? Common terms are a few months, a year or longer.
• Exposure. How big is the campaign? The number of spots, the media spend and whether it’s a hero brand campaign or a small test all affect the fee.
• Versions and edits. Which lengths do you need, such as :15, :30 and :60? Do you need an instrumental under a voiceover, or stems so the editor can rebuild an ending?
• Exclusivity. Do you need to stop competitors using the same track in your category during the campaign? Exclusivity is possible, but it usually costs more.

Write this down in a few lines. It becomes the core of your brief.

Step 2: Find out who owns the rights

Every recorded song has two sets of rights: the composition (owned by the songwriters and their publishers) and the master recording (usually owned by a label or the artist). A commercial needs a sync license for the composition and a master use license for the recording.

For a well-known commercial release, that can mean contacting a label and several publishers. Performing rights organizations such as ASCAP and BMI have public repertoire databases that list a song’s writers and publishers, which is a good place to start.

If you’d rather skip this step, choose one-stop music: tracks where one company controls both the master and the publishing, so a single agreement covers everything. That’s how Sonomore licenses its music for commercials.

Step 3: Send a clear brief

Rights holders can only quote on what you tell them. A good license request includes:

1. The brand and a one-line description of the ad
2. The track you want, with a link
3. Media, territory and term (from Step 1)
4. The number of spots, cutdowns and versions
5. Whether you need exclusivity
6. Your air date and when you need an answer
7. Your budget, if you’re able to share it

Including a budget can feel like a negotiating risk, but it often saves time. If the budget and the use don’t match, the rights holder can suggest a narrower scope or a different track before you’ve built the edit around it.

Step 4: Understand the quote

There’s no standard price for licensing a song for an ad. Fees depend on the media, term, territory and exposure, as well as on the song itself and how central it is to the spot.

When the quote arrives, check that it matches the use you described:

• Are all the media and territories you need included?
• Does the term start on the date the ad first airs or when the agreement is signed?
• Are cutdowns and versions covered by the fee?
• What would it cost to extend the term or add a territory later? Asking now gives you a figure to plan around.

Step 5: Read the agreement

A sync and master license for a commercial usually sets out:

• Grant of rights: the specific uses you’re licensed for
• Media, territory and term: exactly as quoted
• Fee and payment terms
• Edits: whether you can cut the music to length, and whether lyric changes are allowed (they usually need separate approval)
• Exclusivity, if you asked for it
• Credit: whether the artist or song needs to be credited, and where
• Most favored nations (MFN): with several rights holders, a clause promising each of them terms at least as good as anyone else’s

If anything in the agreement is broader or narrower than what you asked for, raise it before signing.

Step 6: Get the files into the edit

Once the agreement is signed, ask for everything post-production needs:

• High-quality files. WAV, not MP3.
• Versions. Full mix, instrumental and any alternative mixes.
• Stems. Separate parts (drums, bass, music, vocals) so the editor can fine-tune hits and endings.
• Cutdowns. Edits at :15, :30 and :60, if they’re part of the deal.
• Cue sheet details. Writers, publishers and their PROs, so performance royalties can be reported when the ad airs.

Step 7: Plan for life after launch

Campaigns often outlive their original plan. If the ad might move from online to TV, or run past its term, ask how extensions work before launch.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Falling in love with a temp track you can’t afford. Ask about clearance and budget early, before the client hears it in a cut.
• Licensing only the master, or only the composition. You need both.
• Under-describing the use. A license for online video doesn’t cover TV.
• Assuming “royalty-free” means “cleared for advertising”. Read the actual license terms.
• Forgetting cutdowns. Make sure every length you’ll air is covered.

The short version

Define the use, find the rights holders (or choose one-stop music), send a clear brief, check the quote against your plan and get every file the edit needs.

If you have a commercial in production now, send Sonomore a brief. Our music is one-stop, so one agreement clears it. For more on how that works, read one-stop music licensing, explained.