Music licence agreement, Ridgeline

Music licence agreement for sync use, term and credits

Music carries two rights, the composition and the recording, and a sync licence needs both. This one works because the composer owns both: one fee of $900 covers a single track in a single brand film, worldwide for two years, with paid social at twelve months and broadcast and cinema left off the list.

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Music licence agreement · Ridgeline · Licence ML-2028-07Page 1 of 3
Music licence agreement · Ridgeline · Licence ML-2028-07Page 2 of 3
Music licence agreement · Ridgeline · Licence ML-2028-07Page 3 of 3
Music licence agreement

Made on 2 March 2028 between Halvard Pike of 22 Sorrel Street, Marchmont, called the Composer, and Gantry Pictures Limited of 5 Foundry Row, called the Producer, for use of one track in a brand film made for Vessel Coffee.

$900
Licence fee
2 years
Term
Worldwide
Territory
Sync only
Use
1. The work
1.1
One track, both sides of it
Music carries two separate rights: the composition, meaning the written music, and the master, meaning the particular recording of it. The Composer owns both in this case, so one fee and one signature cover a use that would otherwise need two licences from two owners.
Detail
The work
Title
Ridgeline
Duration
2 minutes 48 seconds
Composition
Written by Halvard Pike, 100 per cent share
Master recording
Recorded and owned by Halvard Pike, no label involved
Delivery
Reference HP-RID-01, 48 kHz WAV plus stems, delivered 4 March 2028
2. What is licensed
2.1
Synchronisation into one film
The Composer grants the Producer the right to synchronise the work with the audiovisual film provisionally titled Quiet Power, in its full version of about two minutes and in cut downs of 30, 15 and 6 seconds. The work may be edited to length, faded and mixed under voiceover, which is what a sync licence is for.
2.2
Where the film may be shown
The film carrying the work may be shown in the media below. A medium that is not listed is not licensed, and broadcast and cinema are quoted separately because they carry different obligations.
Where the film may run
Territory
Term
Client website and owned social accounts
Worldwide
2 years
Paid social and online video advertising
Worldwide
12 months
Trade shows, internal events and sales decks
Worldwide
2 years
Broadcast television
Not licensed
On quote
Cinema
Not licensed
On quote
3. What is not licensed
3.1
Outside the grant
The licence is limited to the uses in clause 2. In particular, none of the following is permitted without a separate written agreement and a separate fee.
Re-recording the work, or having it performed by other musicians.
Changing the melody, adding lyrics, or making a remix.
Using the work under any film other than the one named in clause 2.1.
Sublicensing the work to the client’s other agencies or production partners.
Registering the work with a production music library or a stock audio service.
4. Fee, credit and warranties
4.1
The fee
The fee is $900, covering both the composition and the master, payable within 14 days of delivery of the files. A further 12 months of the media in clause 2.2 may be bought for $450 by asking before the term ends, and the rate is held for the life of this agreement.
4.2
Credit
Where the film carries credits, the work is credited as Music by Halvard Pike. Where it does not, such as a six second cut down, the credit appears in the video description instead. A missing credit is fixed within 10 business days of being told.
4.3
What the Composer warrants
He wrote and recorded the work himself, owns 100 per cent of both rights, used no samples of anyone else’s recording, and has not licensed it exclusively to anyone else. If anyone claims otherwise, he will sort it out at his own cost or refund the fee.
5. Moral rights, term and general
5.1
Moral rights and treatment
The Composer consents to the editing described in clause 2.1. He does not consent to the work being used in a way that is derogatory to him, or alongside content that is unlawful, hateful or misleading, and that consent cannot be bought with a higher fee.
5.2
Term, ending and general
The term runs from 4 March 2028 to 3 March 2030. At the end the film is taken down or the licence renewed under clause 4.1. Material already printed or pressed may run out. This is the whole agreement about the work, may be changed only in writing signed by both, and neither party may assign it without the other’s consent.
Halvard Pike, composer
Name
:
Date
:
For Gantry Pictures Limited
Name
:
Position
:
Date
:

Section by section

What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.

Parties and licence summary
Composer, producer and end client, with the fee, term, territory and use.
1. The work
Why music carries two rights, and a table of the title, duration, ownership and delivery.
2. What is licensed
The sync grant and cut downs, and a table of where the film may run and for how long.
3. What is not licensed
Five uses that need a separate agreement and a separate fee.
4. Fee, credit and warranties
The $900 fee and renewal rate, the credit line, and what the composer warrants.
5. Moral rights, term and general
Consent to editing, the limit on derogatory use, and the term and assignment terms.
Signatures
A block for the composer and one for the production company.

Clauses in this document

How to adapt this agreement

For a track owned by a publisher or a label, split this into two documents and expect different terms in each, because the master owner and the publisher rarely agree on term or territory. For a film that may run on television later, price the broadcast extension now rather than leaving it on quote, since a producer with a deadline has no leverage. For music in a game or an app, replace the media table with platforms and a copy or install count, and say whether the licence survives a change of platform.

Two rights, not one

Music carries two separate copyrights and a sync licence usually needs both. The composition is the song itself, written by the songwriter and often controlled by a publisher. The sound recording is the particular performance, usually controlled by the label or the artist who paid for the session. A licence from one is not a licence from the other, and using a recording with only the publisher's permission is the most common mistake in this area. Public performance is separate again and is normally handled through a collecting society rather than a direct agreement. Outside the stated territory, term and media, the permission simply runs out, so a campaign that extends needs a new licence.

What makes this document work

It explains the two rights before licensing them

Clause 1.1 says that a composition and a master are separate, and that the composer owns both here, which is why one signature is enough. A producer reading it learns why a track from a label or a co-written song would need two clearances rather than one.

The media table ends the ambiguity about paid social

Owned channels and trade shows run for two years, paid social and online video advertising for twelve months, and broadcast television and cinema are marked not licensed with a quote on request. Those three lines are where most sync disputes actually happen.

The exclusions are listed rather than implied

No re-recording, no lyrics added, no remix, no use under another film, no sublicensing to the client's other agencies, and no lodging the track with a production music library. Each is a real thing that happens to a track after a shoot, and each one is priced at zero here.

Questions people ask

What is a sync licence?

Permission to synchronise a piece of music with moving images. It is separate from the right to use a particular recording, so a producer normally needs a sync licence from the publisher and a master licence from the label. Where one person owns both, as here, a single agreement can cover it.

What should a music licence agreement include?

The work and who owns each right in it, the film the music goes into, which versions and cut downs are allowed, where the film may be shown and for how long, the fee and what it covers, the credit, the warranties about ownership and samples, and what happens when the term ends.

Does the fee cover both the song and the recording?

In this agreement, yes. The $900 covers the composition and the master because the composer wrote and recorded the track himself with no label involved. When a label owns the recording, expect two fees and two agreements, and budget for the master to cost more than the song.

Can the music be edited to fit the film?

Yes. The grant allows the track to be cut to length, faded and mixed under a voiceover, and used as 30, 15 and 6 second cut downs. What it does not allow is re-recording it, adding lyrics or remixing it, and the composer does not consent to a use that is derogatory to him.

What happens when a music licence expires?

The film comes down or the licence is renewed. Here the term runs to 3 March 2030 and a further twelve months costs $450, with that rate held for the life of the agreement. Material already printed or pressed may run out, because it cannot be recalled.

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Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .