Should You Write Songs Specifically for Sync Licensing?
It’s one of the biggest debates in the sync licensing world, and it’s a question I’ve been asked countless times over the last twenty years. Should you sit down with the specific goal of writing music for television, film, commercials, and trailers, or should you simply write the music that’s most authentic to you and hope it eventually finds its way into visual media?
The truth is, there isn’t one correct answer.
I’ve met composers who make a full-time living writing production music specifically for briefs from music libraries and publishers. I’ve also met artists who never intended to write for sync at all, yet their music has gone on to receive hundreds of placements because it connected with music supervisors looking for something authentic.
Both approaches can work.
The real question isn’t whether you should write specifically for sync. The real question is whether you understand what makes music work in sync licensing, regardless of how you choose to write it.
The Case For Writing Specifically For Sync
There’s no question that writing specifically for sync can be a very effective strategy. If your goal is to build a production music catalog or write for libraries that regularly send out briefs, tailoring your music to meet those opportunities often makes perfect sense.
For example, if a publisher is looking for upbeat indie folk songs for a travel campaign or cinematic tension cues for a true crime series, writing specifically for that opportunity dramatically increases your chances of delivering exactly what the client needs. In many cases, you’re solving a problem that’s already been identified rather than hoping someone eventually discovers a song you wrote months earlier.
Professional production music composers work this way every day. They’re often writing to detailed briefs that specify genre, mood, instrumentation, tempo, lyrical themes, production style, and even song structure because the client already knows what they’re looking for.
If your primary goal is building a production music business, learning how to write to briefs is an incredibly valuable skill. It teaches versatility, discipline, and the ability to consistently deliver music that serves a specific purpose instead of simply expressing a personal idea.
The Case For Writing As An Artist
At the same time, some of the most memorable songs ever licensed weren’t written because someone was chasing a sync placement. They were written because an artist had something genuine to say.
Think about artists like Bon Iver, The Lumineers, M83, Explosions in the Sky, The Head and the Heart, or Sleeping at Last. Their music doesn’t sound manufactured for sync licensing. It sounds authentic, emotionally honest, and unmistakably their own, which is precisely why so many music supervisors are drawn to it.
In fact, Allegra Willis Knerr, Executive Vice President of Global Sync Licensing at BMG, encourages artists to think carefully about which path they’re pursuing. If your primary focus is building an artist career, authenticity and developing your own voice often become your greatest strengths because that’s what helps supervisors and sync agents discover you in the first place.
That’s an important distinction. Music supervisors aren’t looking for generic songs that sound like everything else. They’re looking for music that feels real and is authentic.
The Problem With Chasing Trends
One mistake I see musicians make is trying to reverse-engineer whatever happens to be popular at the moment. A certain style gets licensed a few times, and suddenly hundreds of musicians begin writing nearly identical songs hoping to capture the same success.
The problem is that by the time you hear a trend, the industry has usually heard it thousands of times already. Music supervisors, publishers, and libraries are constantly searching for fresh voices, not copies of last year’s placements.
Kristoffer Roggemann of Mophonics touched on this in a Berklee interview when discussing lyrics for advertising. He explained that after years of hearing formulaic “we’re stronger together” style songs, many buyers now look for artists who communicate universal themes in more creative and authentic ways rather than relying on paint-by-numbers songwriting.
That’s a lesson that applies far beyond advertising. Authenticity almost always outlasts imitation.
The Middle Ground
Personally, I think the best approach sits somewhere in the middle.
I don’t believe you need to choose between writing authentic music and writing music that’s sync-friendly. In fact, I think some of the strongest sync songs do both exceptionally well.
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Rather than writing songs that sound like they were designed by committee, learn what music supervisors actually need. Understand concepts like emotional flexibility, edit points, dynamics, production quality, metadata, instrumental versions, and lyrical universality, then apply those principles to your own artistic voice.
In other words, don’t change who you are as a songwriter. Simply become more aware of how your music will function once it’s paired with picture.
That’s a very different mindset than trying to manufacture a placement.
Know Your Goals
One of the reasons this debate never seems to go away is because musicians often have very different career goals. Someone trying to become a successful touring artist will naturally make different creative decisions than someone building a catalog for exclusive production music libraries.
Neither path is inherently better than the other. They’re simply different businesses.
If your dream is to build an artist career while also pursuing sync opportunities, focus on writing the best, most authentic music you can create while learning what makes that music easier to license. If your goal is becoming a full-time production music composer, then learning to write efficiently for briefs becomes an essential part of your craft.
The important thing is knowing which business you’re trying to build before deciding how to approach your songwriting.
What I’ve Learned
After more than twenty years in sync licensing, I don’t think the question is, “Should you write for sync?”
I think the better question is, “Should you understand sync?”
My answer is absolutely yes.
Understanding how music supervisors think doesn’t make you less creative. Understanding what libraries need doesn’t make you less authentic. Learning why certain songs get licensed doesn’t force you to abandon your artistic identity. It simply gives you another tool.
The more you understand the business, the more intentional your creative decisions become. Sometimes you’ll write a deeply personal song that wasn’t designed for sync at all. Other times you’ll intentionally write for a brief because it represents a great opportunity. Both approaches can coexist within the same career.
Final Thoughts
Some of my favorite sync songs don’t sound like they were written for sync licensing. They sound like great songs that happened to become perfect for visual storytelling.
That’s probably the balance worth pursuing.
Write music you’re proud of. Develop your own voice. Continue growing as an artist. At the same time, invest the time to understand what makes music effective in visual media so that when the right opportunity comes along, your songs are ready for it.
In my experience, the musicians who build the most sustainable careers aren’t the ones who chase every trend or ignore sync altogether. They’re the ones who learn the business, remain authentic, and consistently create music that’s both artistically meaningful and commercially useful.
Continue Learning With The Sync Lab
Whether you’re building an artist career, writing production music, or trying to find the right balance between the two, understanding the sync licensing business can save you years of trial and error. Learning how music libraries, publishers, music supervisors, metadata, pitching, music publishing, and licensing all fit together will help you make better creative and business decisions throughout your career.
That’s exactly why we created The Sync Lab.
When you join The Sync Lab, you’ll receive free access to The Ultimate Music Licensing Guide, our comprehensive four-hour introduction to sync licensing, along with our Music Licensing Directory, featuring hundreds of music libraries, publishers, production companies, sync agencies, and other companies actively accepting music. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to expand your opportunities, these free resources will help you build a stronger foundation and move your sync licensing career forward with confidence.
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