How To Get A Sync Agent

Real quick, just a reminder that Ari’s Take Academy enrollment is open, but just for another couple weeks. Join the other 6,000 students and finally break through what you’ve been struggling with in your music career. 

Learn more and enroll here (before October 25th). 

“Ari’s Take Academy has honestly changed my life. I’ve joined almost all of the courses. The courses are top notch. The community is incredible. I’ve started a record label. I’ve signed new artists. It’s incredible having the resource that is ATA and all the people in there to help wade through all these murky music business waters. It’s a goldmine.” - Dana Nielsen, Grammy-nominated, producer, songwriter, mixing engineer

Read this on aristake.com

So, if you've been following me for a while, you know I study the sync licensing realm (getting songs placed in film, tv, commercials, video games) quite a bit.

On the New Music Business podcast, I’ve interviewed quite a few sync experts like music supervisors, agents and artists. 

The sync licensing world is something I care deeply about. For one, I've seen it launch the careers of many, many artists (some of whom I've had the pleasure of touring with and opening for). After Lindsay Wolfington placed my song in One Tree Hill back in 2010, not only did my iTunes numbers skyrocket that night, but for years after that placement, people at every show came up to me saying they discovered me from that show.

And also because I know how much sync pays.

Typical upfront sync fees for indie artists:

Commercial Campaigns: $20K - $550K+
Films: $10K - $80K
Trailers: $10K - $80K
TV: $500 - $20K
Video Games: $2K - $10K
Theme Songs: $5K - $10K

Not to mention the backend performance royalties. Which can add up to be quite a lot.

Every TV show is different, of course, budgets vary and whatnot. But it's not uncommon for a $10K placement to an emerging artist for a Netflix show. More on this in a minute.

Sync licensing is one of those hidden corners of the music industry that not too many people talk about. Everyone is so obsessed with Spotify and TikTok and Instagram and ticket sales. When, literally one sync placement can pay your entire year's salary. That's a hell of a lot of streams!

Now, back in 2010 when I got my song on One Tree Hill, I did it by tweeting it to Lindsay.
This is not possible anymore. Artists are much more savvy and understand that music supervisors are the ones who hold the keys to the sync licensing kingdom. So they flood their inboxes with pleas to listen to their music.

Now, even if you get the perfect pitch down to the perfect music supervisor for the perfect show where your music would fit just perfectly, don't expect a listen, let alone a reply.

Why? Well, because for one, they don't know you. But, more so, they've been burned too many times by well-intentioned, but ignorant artists.

Artists just don't understand how sync rights work. They think because they released the song on Spotify that they have the rights to get it synced. They may not. Or they think because they co-wrote it with a friend, they have the rights. They may not. Or they think because they bought their beat (production) off of BeatStars and chopped it up to shit, they have the rights. They probably do not. Or they think, they think, they think, but they don't KNOW. And if the music supervisor can't be 10000% sure that the song they are placing in the episode won't get the network SUED, they won't place it. Because then they'll be out of a job!

So, music supervisors RARELY accept music from artists directly anymore.

So, how do you get your music in TV shows and movies?

Sync agents!

What are sync agents? Sync agents are the people who are the go between. Sometimes they work at sync licensing companies. Sometimes they work alone.

Sync agents have the relationships with all the music supervisors. And they have their trust. Music supervisors don't have to worry that sync agents will send them music that isn't cleared. Sync agents know how to make sure everything is completely cleared. Sync agents usually operate as "one stops." Meaning, they rep indie artists, clear all the rights to the music, and can offer it, completely cleared, to the music supervisor. So the music supervisor only has to make one stop. (Not, like 12 stops, calling around to the various publishers and record labels).

Music supervisors LOVE working with sync agents, because they have music that is great and cleared.

So, how do you get signed with one of these sync agents? And who are they?

Vo Williams is a hip hop artist who has had over 3,000 sync placements of just his own music. You may remember him from the New Music Business episode. The Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Tampa Bay Lightning used Vo's music for their team's theme songs in the last few years - and ALL THREE went on to win their respective championships. Coincidence? Well, the Lakers are using him now!

I was so impressed with him on my podcast with his generosity at sharing his knowledge that I asked him to teach a course on sync licensing for Ari's Take Academy.

So that’s why we launched Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV, and Video Games.

Not only does he teach our students everything they need to know about the sync licensing world. He also, of course, teaches them how to get signed to agents.

But something we're doing in this course, that no other education institution is doing. We have showcases with top-tier sync agencies in the world. ATA students are able to submit their music (which they have honed and created based on Vo's incredible guidance) to sync agents that Ari's Take Academy has partnered with.

To date, we have gotten over 200 of our students signed to sync agencies.

Enrollment is open for Ari's Take Academy Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games until October h. Enroll here.

~Ari

 

Here are what some of our students are saying:

"I landed my first official sync placement on Netflix’s Hype House, and I largely have ATA’s Advanced Sync Strategies course to thank in getting me this far. Enrolling in this course was a real investment in myself. Not only is Vo’s class structure informative and easy to follow, but the members of the online community are actively engaged, curious, and supportive. Getting my music on TV seemed like a far-off dream at first. Now I’m confident that I have the skills and support to accomplish landing more placements.." - Tim Stout

"This course is one of the best investments I’ve made in my career as an artist. Vo's hands-on guidance in addition to the vital information in the course landed me a deal with a major sync agency. This course really puts you in the shoes of a sync agent (or music library/supervisor) and will equip you with all the tools you need to land a deal or placement." - Janelle De La Rosa

"I went to Full Sail, and this course got me further ahead in one day than two years there. Vo pinpointed everything I needed to do that I wasn't doing. I included contracts and had all of the split sheets together with the music and BOOM! My first pitch landed in a library for sync with Universal Production Music UK just by following the course. Well worth it, for real." - Menice New Era

"Before I got into the course with Vo and Ari, I was pretty certain that I had my sync strategy down, because I was doing fairly well with the licensing and getting placements. When I enrolled in the course, I was genuinely surprised at how much I didn't know. Since enrolling in the course, I have landed several four-figure placements, made relationships and made new music to be published and repped by other agencies and libraries. The course has already paid for itself four times over! Whether or not you’re looking for sync, I recommend this course to anyone because it's an extremely lucrative way to make money in music." - Kolby Knickerbocker

“Thank you to the Ari's Take Academy team for helping us to land our first sync deal for Last Motion Picture! The course, community and ongoing long-term support alone is worth every penny, but the CATA submission also gave us the opportunity to get a direct introduction with a trusted agency who prioritizes developing their artists' careers. Joining ATA has been incredibly valuable and is hands down one of the best decisions I've made.” - Andy Doonan

"Vo is one of the best teachers I have ever had. Having access to his mind and support has been huge for me in finding a sync agent, which I was able to do. The world of sync has always been confusing to me, but knowing that I have a team of other musicians and Vo to help guide me in the process gives me the confidence and knowledge I need to have a successful sync career." - Lillian Frances

"ATA really helped us get a feel for what makes a song "sync-able," and through CATA we landed a sync deal with a couple of our songs. Having access to world-class sync agencies is an incredible opportunity. Also, Vo's experience and knowledge can not be overstated. If you have any specific questions about business/sync/deals/strategies, just jump on his monthly zoom call and ask away. We've gotten a lot out of it and are looking forward to even more!" - CAZA

Enroll in ATA's Advanced Sync Strategies here before October 25th.

No your distributor is not paying you all your money

By now, you've probably heard about the fraudster who stole $10 million (from real musicians) by flooding DSPs (streaming services) with AI generated "songs." Our friend of the pod, Billboard journalist Kristen Robinson has been doing some great reporting on it. 

Kristen also uncovered how other fraudsters stole $23 million from unclaimed YouTube royalties, which we discussed on the podcast.

Recently, I’ve been sharing a lot about scammers who convince musicians to pay for “REAL ORGANIC STREAMS” from “REAL PLAYLISTS WITH REAL LISTENERS, NO BOTS.” Nine times out of ten, these are scams. These playlists are often botted, which can get your music banned from your distributor and DSPs.

Long story short, there are always people looking to manipulate the system for their own gain, scamming naive musicians in the process. Bad actors in the music industry aren’t new. Hell, major labels in the past so blatantly ripped off their artists that all three majors have since waived unrecouped “debts” from artists signed before 2000 as a sort of mea culpa. Better late than never, I guess.

There will always be people out there looking to take advantage of artists. Artists are easy targets. All they gotta do is flatter them a bit and wave some perceived success in front of them. Or simply rip them off and blatantly steal from them. The music industry is so damn complicated (by design!) that unless you understand this stuff or have a high-priced attorney by your side, it’s easy to get taken advantage of. 

Nothing boils my blood more than seeing artists get ripped off. That’s why I’ve spent the last 12 years helping artists arm themselves with knowledge - so they can not only protect themselves from these vultures, but also thrive in this ever-changing industry.

Spotify recently reported that 20,500 artists earned at least $50,000 in 2023 just from Spotify royalties. But many of these artists likely didn’t see all of that money. 

Why? Well, streaming services don’t pay artists directly. There is an endless array of collection agencies and orgs that these DSPs pay. And then those agencies are supposed to pay the artists. And no, it's not just your distributor btw!

Some of this money goes into a “black box,” and if the artists aren’t found, it’s redistributed based on market share, mostly going to the majors. 

So, of course, it’s to the major labels (and publishers’) benefit to complicate this system so much, confuse and blind indie artists so much that these artists just throw their arms up and say “this shit’s too complicated, I don’t wanna deal with it,” and give up. So then the majors get to keep a bigger piece of the pie. 

So how can you protect yourself to make sure that you are getting all of the royalties you’re owed?

You gotta educate yourself!

One step you can take right now is to search the MLC’s database (theMLC.com, Public Search) to see if your songs are properly registered. If they aren’t listed, they haven’t been registered properly. If they're listed, but without a payee, then you're not getting paid all of your royalties. 

But unfortunately, even this database doesn’t reveal everywhere your songs need to be registered. 

That’s why I created the Ari’s Take Academy course Registration, Royalties, and Release + Streaming Growth. It’s designed to help you navigate this complex web of royalties and registrations. 

You could hire an attorney at $400/hr to help you track all of this down and get you properly set up (will be about 10 hours of initial work + 2 hours/month of maintenance). You could hire a marketing agency at $3K/month (4 month minimum) to help you run your socials and ads. And then hire a PR company at $3,500/month (4 month minimum), to get you press. Both with no guarantees of any kind of success. 

Or you could learn how to do all of this on your own in this course.

Arm yourself with knowledge. Have the peace of mind that you are collecting 100% of your royalties wherever they exist, from every collection organization around the world. 

Remember, many organizations hold your money for only about three years before redistributing it to the majors. So there is a ticking clock on all of this.

In this course, I’ll show you how to release your music properly, implement the best marketing strategies of the moment, how to get press without a publicist, grow your streams, and most importantly, collect the royalties owed to you.

Join us. Enrollment closes October 25th. 

More info, and enrollment info here. 

~Ari

PS if you have any questions, just hit reply.

 

What some of our students are saying: 

“ATA transformed my confidence as an artist.” - Barrett Crake

“I tell every musician who's got the work ethic to check out ATA. It's been a real eye-opener, offering tons of info on how to get stuff done yourself.” - Robbie Cook

“Ari’s Take Academy is worth every penny. One of the best music courses I've taken...that's after a bachelors and masters in music, plus many more dollars on other music courses!” - Meerenai Shim

“Taking the ATA course was one of the best decisions I have made in my music career. Like many other artists, I was flying blind, full of self doubt and alone. Here I learned how to hone my process and craft through the help of the ATA team and the community. But more importantly, I learned that there is a place for everyone's music. To stay true to what you want to create as an artist and stick it out because it is a long road. ATA operates on the idea of abundance vs scarcity. When we win, we win together and for that- I am eternally grateful.” - Jason Slack

“I have loved being a part of ATA! As an indie artist, it's hard to wear all the hats of being a creator that writes, produces, performs AND takes on the business aspect of music. RRR is super straightforward and easy to understand; ATA's a fun environment to learn helpful ways to succeed in the music business, whatever that may mean for you!” - Kenna Childs

“I would highly recommend this program as well as all of the other programs. It's a really quality organization and it's an absolute resource for an upcoming musician like myself, or at any level that you might want to gain some additional knowledge. They've been extremely hands-on so far and his team are extremely hands-on throughout the process.  I would highly recommend this program as well as all of the other programs. It's a really quality organization and it's an absolute resource for an upcoming musician like myself, or at any level that you might want to gain some additional knowledge.” -Ross Newhouse

Join us: https://aristakeacademy.com 

Redefining the Future of Hip-Hop and Music Management Consulting

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