Where does this come from, and can I check it?

A sync licence covers the composition and a master licence covers the recording. The figure is taken from Music Business Worldwide, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a music fact?

Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Putting a song in a film needs two licences

A sync licence covers the composition and a master licence covers the recording Film, television and advertising use a synchronization licence from the publisher for the underlying song, plus a separate master use licence from whoever owns the recording. Either side can refuse, which is why some scenes use a soundalike re-recording. Fees vary wildly with the prominence of the placement. It sits in Mondo's music collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Music Business Worldwide

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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America sets a fixed mechanical royalty per songThe rate for 2023 to 2027 is 12.4 cents for recordings of five minutes or less Tin Pan Alley sold songs as sheet musicPublishers on West 28th Street hired pluggers to push tunes into vaudeville ASCAP was founded in 1914 to collect performance feesComposers pooled their rights so venues could be licensed in one deal Broadcasters founded BMI in 1940 as a rivalRadio stations wanted an alternative to ASCAP's licensing fees The countdown came from a German filmFritz Lang's 1929 picture used the device for dramatic tension The London Gazette is the oldest surviving newspaperIt has been published continuously in Britain since 7 November 1665

Tags: licensing, publishing, film

Putting a song in a film needs two licences: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: A sync licence covers the composition and a master licence covers the recording. The figure is taken from Music Business Worldwide, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a music fact?: Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.