What does a music supervisor do in advertising?
Daan Koekelkoren — producer and founder of Studio ZK. Has been making music and sound for campaigns, brands and cultural institutions in Amsterdam since 2016.
Sometimes the right music for an ad already exists. Then the work is not composing but finding the song, getting permission to use it, and doing that before the budget and the air date run out. That is music supervision.
What does a music supervisor do?
A music supervisor finds an existing song that fits the ad and arranges the permission to use it. That means two licences: a sync licence for the composition, from the publisher, and a master licence for the recording, from the label. The supervisor negotiates both within the budget, media, territory and duration of the campaign.
The two licences behind one song
| Licence | Covers | Comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Sync licence | The composition: melody, lyrics, harmony | The publisher (or the songwriter, if unpublished) |
| Master licence | That specific recording | The label or whoever owns the recording |
Without both, the song cannot be used as it is. If the master licence is the problem, a rerecording removes it: a new recording that the brand owns. The sync licence on the composition still applies then. More in music licensing 101.
What the work looks like
- Brief: the edit, the feeling, the budget, the media, the countries, the airing period.
- Search: a shortlist of songs that fit the picture and that are realistically clearable within budget.
- Clearance: finding the rights holders, requesting quotes, negotiating terms.
- Fallback: if the first choice is too expensive or refused, an alternative, a rerecording or a custom track in the same direction.
- Edit and mix: cutting the song to the lengths and mixing it with the voice-over to the delivery specifications.
When a known song is not the right choice
A well-known song brings recognition, but the recognition belongs to the song, not to the brand. For a single launch that can be exactly right. For a brand that wants to be recognised across campaigns, a piece the brand owns works harder; see stock music or custom music and what music for an ad costs.
Music supervision at Studio ZK
We use our musical knowledge to match the right song to the message, and we can rerecord or compose the alternative in the same studio if clearance does not work out. That keeps the fallback in the same hands as the search. → Music for advertising