Beat licence matrix
Can I license this song for a TV show or a commercial?
Exclusive rights licence
On the Exclusive rights tier, licence it for tv, film or an advert is depends on the contract as these agreements are ordinarily written. Sync requires clearance from BOTH the recording and the composition. Even on an exclusive, the producer typically still controls a share of the composition, so a sync deal usually needs their signature as well as yours.
The trap
This is where 'exclusive is not ownership' becomes expensive. A sync opportunity arrives on a deadline, and discovering mid-negotiation that you cannot clear the composition alone is how placements die.
What to check in your agreement
Whether sync is granted at all, and who must sign to clear the composition.
The same question on every other tier
| Licence tier | Licence it for TV, film or an advert |
|---|---|
| Free (tagged) | Not permitted |
| Basic (MP3) | Not permitted |
| Premium (WAV) | Not permitted |
| Trackout / Stems | Not permitted |
| Unlimited lease | Depends on the contract |
What this tier is
The beat comes off the market. It does NOT mean you own it: in most exclusive agreements the producer keeps the writer's share and the publishing. Typical price: $300–2,000+.
Scope limit. This models the STANDARD form of each tier. Any individual agreement overrides it. Where a cell says 'depends', the answer is genuinely contract-specific and no general resource can resolve it.
Part of the Beat Licence Checker and
an open dataset published under CC-BY 4.0. Reuse it, including commercially, with attribution.
Last reviewed 2026-08-12.