Synchronisation (or ‘sync’) is a term used commonly in the music industry when music is combined with a form of visual media (e.g. TV shows, movies, music videos, videos of performances, animations, video games, advertisements, etc.).
There are two main ways music is synchronised:
Music recorded at the same time as video footage (eg. a recording of a live performance)
Music added to visual media in post-production (eg. music used in film, TV, advertisements and video games)
If you are synchronising copyright music with any visual media and sharing that audio-visual material with others - whether in person at an event or exhibition, streaming online, or providing copies or downloads - you will usually need permission from the copyright owner(s).
If you are from an educational institution, please see our Education Licensing page.
If your audio-visual media is for private and domestic use only, please see our Domestic Use Video Licence page.
As a general rule, sync licences are not administered by APRA AMCOS and these are administered directly by the owner(s) of the synchronisation rights in the song – such as the music publishers, songwriters, and/or record labels.
Sync licences for the musical composition are usually administered directly by a music publisher, or if the song is not published, by the songwriter(s).
Search our Song Catalogue to find the publisher or copyright owner. We also offer a premium research service for $55 (excl. GST) for up to 11 works, then $5 (excl. GST) per additional work.
Unless you are using a recording of a song that you own, you will need a licence from owner(s) of the sound recording. This may be the record company and/or artist who released the recording. Rights connected with sound recordings are often called the master rights.
If you require assistance identifying the master rights holders of a commercial sound recording, please contact ARIA.
Depending on how you are making your audio-visual media available, you may also require additional licensing from APRA AMCOS or OneMusic Australia.
Sharing and streaming online – you may need a licence from APRA AMCOS to cover the communication and reproduction of music from an online platform.
Displaying audio-visual material at an event or exhibition - you may need a licence from OneMusic Australia to cover the public performance of the music.
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