Sync-friendly music often serves as a backdrop to visuals, enhancing the mood and storytelling. Consider these tips when creating music for sync:

Focus on Versatility

• Create multiple versions of your song, including:

  • Full versions with mixed vocals

  • Instrumentals

  • Stems (individual elements like vocals, drums, or melody lines)

Emphasize Emotion and Atmosphere

• Music supervisors look for tracks that evoke specific emotions (e.g., uplifting, melancholy, suspenseful).

• Write music with strong moods, as emotional resonance often drives sync decisions.

Keep It Relatable

• Universal themes like love, perseverance, or nostalgia resonate across different media.

• Avoid overly niche or complex lyrics that might not align with broad narratives.

Think About Commercial Trends

• Stay informed about current musical trends in sync briefs. For instance, genres like Afrobeats, indie pop, and LOFI hip-hop are in high demand.

Develop High-Quality Productions

Sync tracks must sound professional to compete with other submissions. Music supervisors expect polished, radio-ready production.

Invest in Quality Recording and Mixing

• If you’re not confident in your production skills, collaborate with experienced producers or engineers.

Simplify the Arrangement

• Clear and uncluttered arrangements leave room for visuals and dialogue.

Highlight Unique Elements

• Stand out by including distinctive hooks, rhythms, or textures that capture attention.

Master Metadata and Organization

Metadata is crucial for ensuring your tracks are discoverable and properly attributed.

Tag Your Tracks Effectively

• Include descriptive keywords for mood, genre, tempo, and instrumentation.

  • Example: A song tagged with "uplifting, acoustic, hopeful, warm" is easier for supervisors to find when looking for specific vibes.

Provide Accurate Contact Information

• Ensure supervisors know how to reach you or your publishing admin for licensing inquiries.

Organize Your Files

• Use clear naming conventions:

  • Example: "Song_Title_Instrumental.wav" or "Song_Title_Vocals_Stems.zip"

• Keep all versions and stems readily available for fast delivery.

Understand Rights and Clearances

Music supervisors prioritize tracks that are easy to license.

Own Your Rights

• Ensure you have 100% ownership or co-ownership with all rights holders in agreement.

• For collaborative works, document splits and permissions upfront.

Clear Samples

• Avoid uncleared samples or loops, which can complicate licensing.

Work with a Publishing Admin

• Partnering with a publishing admin like Elizabeth Music Group simplifies licensing, rights management, and royalty collection.

Tailor Music for Different Media

Different types of media require different approaches.

TV and Film

• Focus on tracks that build atmosphere or convey narrative emotion.

Commercials

• Catchy, upbeat, and non-distracting tracks work best.

Video Games

• Create loops or tracks that can enhance gameplay without fatigue.

  • When creating music for video games, you want to create tracks that have room to be replayed over and over again. A player may take a long time to beat a level or they may replay that course over and over, so having quality music that has replay value is super important.

Collaborate Strategically

Collaborations can open new creative doors and expand your catalog.

• Work with Vocalists: Add versatility by offering both instrumental and vocal versions of your tracks.

• Team Up with Other Writers or Producers: Blend styles to create unique, sync-ready songs.

  • Elizabeth Music Group’s founder Zachary Michael is always looking for new collaborators, reach out to potentially collaborate on sync music together.

Research and Network

Stay informed about sync trends and build connections in the industry.

• Study Successful Sync Tracks: Analyze popular sync placements to understand what works.

• Build Relationships: Network with music supervisors, sync agents, and publishers.

Stay Consistent and Patient

Building a sync-friendly catalog takes time. Focus on quality over quantity, and remember that persistence pays off.

Conclusion

Creating a sync-friendly catalog is an investment in your long-term success as a songwriter. By crafting versatile, high-quality tracks, mastering metadata, and understanding rights management, you position yourself for sync opportunities across a variety of media. With the global demand for music in visual projects continuing to grow, now is the perfect time to start building a catalog that resonates with music supervisors and stands out in the competitive sync licensing market.