How to Get a Sync Deal
A sync deal—short for synchronization deal—is the agreement that allows your music to be paired with visual media like a film, TV show, commercial, or game. For many artists and producers, landing a sync deal can mean more than just money. It’s exposure, credibility, and often a foot in the door to future collaborations. But getting a sync deal isn’t about waiting to be discovered. It’s about positioning yourself for the opportunity and making it easy for decision-makers to say yes.
First, your music needs to meet the standard for sync use. That means professional-quality audio files, instrumental versions, clean metadata, and clear rights ownership. Supervisors and licensing teams don’t just want a good song—they want a song that won’t cause issues down the line. If your track samples someone else’s work, or if there’s no clear agreement between you and your collaborators, it likely won’t be used. The best thing you can do is make sure all rights are either fully owned or easily cleared, with documentation to back it up.
Once your catalog is sync-ready, focus on visibility. Sync deals don’t usually come from blasting out cold emails to random supervisors. They come from relevance and timing. Research the kinds of projects that use your style of music and follow the supervisors or companies that work on them. Look for calls for submissions, licensing platforms, and sync agencies that specialize in your genre. In most cases, it’s not about being everywhere—it’s about being where your sound fits.
Building relationships is another part of the process. Networking doesn’t have to mean schmoozing at industry parties. It can be as simple as showing up in the right online spaces, responding to briefs, and being easy to work with. If someone licenses one of your tracks and has a smooth experience, they’re more likely to come back the next time. Professionalism and reliability are just as important as creativity.
It’s also smart to create a small, curated collection of tracks that you know are strong sync candidates—music that evokes clear moods, doesn’t clash with dialogue, and supports storytelling. Keep these ready to go, with clear labeling and rights information. The easier you make it for someone to understand and use your music, the more likely they are to consider it for placement.
And finally, don’t underestimate discoverability. More and more sync deals are happening through platforms where supervisors can search for music based on a mood, emotion, or scene description—rather than waiting for someone to pitch them the perfect track. Being part of these ecosystems, where your music can show up in the right search at the right time, can lead to deals that might never have happened through traditional pitching alone.
That’s where SyncIt becomes relevant. It’s not a pitch platform—it’s a discovery engine. Your music sits in a space where people looking for “raw acoustic longing” or “chaotic high-energy montage” can find it instantly. You still do the creative work—but SyncIt makes it more likely that the right person, with the right project, hears it exactly when they need it.
