Sync Licensing & Placement
Get Your Music in TV, Film & Ads
Submit your tracks. We pitch them to TV, film, commercial and brand clients who need music on a deadline. When your song gets placed, you keep 50% of the sync fee — and the placement keeps earning you performance royalties on top of that.
How It Works
From Your Studio to the Screen
No labels, no gatekeeping. You make the music; we put it in front of the people buying it.
Submit Your Track
Send us your finished, original songs — mixed, mastered, and ready to license. Tell us the vibe, the genre, and the mood.
We Pitch It
When a client puts out a request — a show, a film, a commercial, a brand spot — we match your track to the brief and pitch it on deadline.
You Get Placed
If they pick your song, it gets synced to the picture — authorized for that media for the life of the project.
You Get Paid
You keep 50% of the sync fee, and the placement keeps generating performance royalties through your PRO over time.
The Split
A Clean 50/50 — Plus Royalties
No upfront fees to submit. We only make money when you make money.
When your track gets placed, the sync fee — the one-time payment a company pays to use your song — is split evenly. You keep 50%. Done Deal Digital keeps 50% for doing the pitching, the deadlines, and the deal.
And the sync fee isn’t the end of it. Every placement keeps earning performance royalties — revenue paid out over time by your PRO (BMI, ASCAP, SESAC) whenever your music airs on TV, in film, or on radio. That money is yours.
You hold the writer’s share. You keep your masters. We just open the door.
Sync-Ready
What Makes a Track Placeable
These are the golden rules from our sync playbook. Follow them and your odds of getting placed go up fast.
Be 100% Original
Every lyric and melody must be your own — no interpolating, quoting, or borrowing lines you don’t own. Cleared, original work only.
Quality Over Quantity
The better the song sounds, the bigger the placement. Take the time to master your vocal recording and your mix.
Keep It Clean
No profanity, no drug or sexual references, no hate speech — unless a client specifically asks. Clean tracks fit G, PG, PG-13 and TV-MA, which means more opportunities.
No Brand or Celebrity Names
Name a brand or a famous person and the track can’t be pitched to their competitor. Stay open so we can pitch wide.
Be Specifically Vague
Be specific about the moment, vague about the personal details. “We’re partying” works — the reason why doesn’t need to be in it.
Less Is More
Your music sits behind dialogue. A track with too much going on gets passed over. Simple statements make great hooks.
Mind Your Arrangement
TV and commercial editors cut in time, not bars. Keep intros short. A strong arrangement: 1-measure lead-in, 4-bar intro, 8-bar hook, verses, bridge, outro — ending on a stinger.
Use a Stinger & a Lead-In
End on a stinger (a final reverb-tailed note that gives the song a clean ending) and open with a slide-in / lead-in sound. Editors use both to transition scenes — a great song gets skipped without them.
Be Open
Try new styles and genres. You never know where you’ll shine best — and it multiplies your chances of getting placed.
The Deadline Model
This Business Runs on the Clock
Beat the deadline. Clients work all over the world on strict timelines. If we have to chase you for your submission, nine times out of ten you’re already too late. Every request has its own deadline — and they vary.
Be prompt. We’re working on the client’s time, and the window of opportunity can be small. Turn requests around quickly and professionally.
Patience is key. Be ready to “hurry up and wait.” Once your track is in, clients are on a production schedule. Stay patient while they finish.
Grow a thick skin. Client feedback isn’t personal — it’s literally their job to find the best song. Take notes, sharpen your craft, and submit again.
What Clients Are Asking For
The Most Sought-After Themes
If you write to any of these, you’re writing toward a placement.
Know the Game
Sync Terms, Plain English
The handful of words you’ll hear when your music starts getting placed.
Sync Fee
A one-time fee a company pays to use your song in their visual media. Once it’s synced, it’s authorized for that project for the life of it.
Performance Royalties
Revenue earned over time from your music airing on TV, film and radio — paid out by your PRO (BMI, ASCAP, SESAC).
Writer’s Share
The half of royalties that goes to the writers and composers — that’s you. Both artists and producers count as writers.
Masters
The original recording of your performance. With sync licensing, you keep yours — you’re licensing use, not selling ownership.
Gratis
Latin for “free.” Some opportunities are gratis — meaning no upfront fees. Every placement still produces royalties.
Work For Hire
You’re hired as talent and the company owns the masters. You always receive the writer’s share, and in some cases 50% of the sync fee.
Ready When You Are
Submit your track. Keep your masters. Get paid on placement.
No upfront fee to submit. Send us your best original, sync-ready songs and we’ll pitch them to clients on real deadlines. You keep 50% of every sync fee, plus performance royalties for the life of the placement.
Submit Your Track →The Flagship
Get your music where no other artist's is
Done Deal Digital Distribution puts your music on the prison networks — a paying audience nobody else is reaching. You keep 100% of your per-unit royalty — the facility’s fees are paid by the buyer, not taken from your cut.
Sell Your Music in Prisons →