# Music Licensing: Sync, Master & Mechanical Rights > A plain-English guide to music licensing (sync, master, mechanical, and performance rights) covering the two copyrights in every song and who grants each license. Guide | Author: Lidiia Levitska | Source: Intellectual Property Law (outsideipcounsel.com) Canonical: https://outsideipcounsel.com/guides/music-licensing-sync-master/
**Quick answer:** Every recorded song is **two copyrights**, not one: the **musical composition** (the written song, owned by the songwriter and publisher) and the **sound recording / master** (the specific recording you hear, owned by the artist and label). To use a real recording in a video you almost always need **two licenses**: a **sync license** (for the composition) **and** a **master use license** (for the recording). Other uses trigger other licenses: **mechanical** (reproducing the composition as audio) and **public performance** (playing it publicly, handled by PROs like ASCAP/BMI/SESAC). Match the license to both the *right* and the *use*. This is general education, not legal advice.
You want to drop a song into a YouTube video, a short film, a podcast, or a product. The music itself is easy to find. The hard part is that one familiar track is actually **two separate pieces of property**, owned by **different people**, each requiring its **own permission**. Almost every music licensing mistake traces back to clearing one copyright and forgetting the other. Here is how music licensing (sync, master, and mechanical rights) actually works, in plain English. ## The two copyrights inside every song This is the foundation, and it is the part most people get wrong. According to the U.S. Copyright Office (see its [circular on musical compositions and sound recordings](https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ56a.pdf)), a recorded song you stream can contain **two separate, independently owned copyrights**: - **The musical composition (the "song" itself):** the underlying melody, harmony, and lyrics (the thing a songwriter writes on paper or in a session). This is typically owned by the **songwriter(s) and their music publisher**. - **The sound recording (the "master"):** the *specific recorded performance* you actually hear (one artist's take, in one studio, with that production and mix). This is typically owned by the **recording artist and/or their record label**. The Copyright Office is explicit that these are different things: Circular 56A says a copyright in a sound recording "is not the same as, or a substitute for, copyright in the underlying musical composition," and its companion [circular on sound recordings](https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ56.pdf) (Circular 56) adds that the copyright in a sound recording "covers the recording itself. It does not cover the music, lyrics, words, or other underlying content embodied in that recording." They are usually owned and licensed **separately**, often by completely different companies. The publisher controls the composition; the label controls the master. **One can say yes while the other says no.** A quick test to feel the difference: a **cover version** is a brand-new recording of the same composition. The cover is its own master, but the song underneath still belongs to the original songwriter, which is why licensing a cover gets you nothing toward the *original* famous recording. ## The four license types and who grants each Because there are two copyrights, and music gets *used* in different ways, the industry has four core license types. Each one covers a specific right for a specific kind of use. ### 1. Synchronization ("sync") license: the composition, paired with visuals A **sync license** gives you the right to synchronize a **musical composition** in time with visual media: a film, TV episode, commercial, video game, YouTube video, or social post. It covers the *song*, not the recording. You get a sync license from whoever controls the composition: the **music publisher** (and any co-writers' publishers). Sync fees are **freely negotiated**; there is no government rate. ### 2. Master use license: the specific recording, paired with visuals A **master use license** gives you the right to use a **particular sound recording** in your project. If you want the actual recording everyone knows, you need this from whoever owns the master: usually the **record label** (sometimes an independent artist). Like sync, master fees are **freely negotiated**. To put a real recording in a video, you need **both** a sync license (composition) **and** a master use license (recording). ### 3. Mechanical license: reproducing the composition as audio A **mechanical license** covers **reproducing and distributing a composition** in audio-only form: pressing CDs or vinyl, selling downloads, or releasing a cover song on streaming. The name dates to 1909 and player pianos. Crucially, U.S. law makes this a **compulsory license** under **[Section 115](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/115)**: once a song has been released, anyone can record and distribute their own version at a **government-set statutory rate** without the songwriter's individual sign-off, as long as they follow the rules and pay. For digital uses (downloads and interactive streams), this now runs through a **blanket license** administered by the **Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC)**, which took effect January 1, 2021 (see the Copyright Office's [Music Modernization Act materials](https://www.copyright.gov/music-modernization/)). The mechanical license covers the **composition only**, never the master and never video. ### 4. Public performance license: playing the song publicly A **public performance license** covers **performing a song publicly**: radio play, a bar or restaurant playing music, a venue, a livestream, background music in a store. For the **composition**, these are handled by **Performing Rights Organizations (PROs)**, which sell blanket licenses to businesses and pay songwriters and publishers. In the U.S. the PROs are **ASCAP, BMI, SESAC**, and GMR. (Note a quirk the Copyright Office flags: the public performance right for **sound recordings** is narrower. It applies to *digital* audio transmissions like internet and satellite radio, which is why traditional AM/FM stations don't pay the recording owner.) ## Common scenarios: which licenses you actually need - **A video, film, ad, or YouTube clip using a real song:** **sync + master use.** Two licenses, two owners (publisher + label). This is the single most common trap: people clear the recording and forget the composition, or vice versa. - **A podcast using a commercial song as a bed or theme:** typically still **sync + master use**, because a podcast with music is a synchronized use of both copyrights. Many podcasters sidestep this entirely with **royalty-free / production-music libraries** that bundle the rights into one license. - **Releasing your own cover song (audio only):** a **mechanical license** for the composition (compulsory under Section 115 / via the MLC for digital). You are making your **own** master, so no master use license is needed. But if that cover goes into a **video**, you still need a **sync license**. - **Playing music in your business, venue, or livestream:** **public performance** licenses, usually as blanket licenses from the **PROs** (and a separate one from the sound-recording side for digital streams). - **Sampling (copying actual audio from an existing recording):** a different problem with its own rules. See [music sampling & clearance](/guides/music-sampling-clearance/). ## How to actually clear music 1. **Identify both copyrights.** Find out who owns the **composition** (songwriter[s] and publisher[s]) and who owns the **master** (label or artist). Both must be cleared for an audiovisual use. 2. **Match the license to the use.** Video = sync + master. Audio-only cover = mechanical. Public playback = performance. Be precise about which *right* each use touches. 3. **Go to the right grantor.** Composition rights (sync, mechanical) come from the **publisher**; master rights come from the **label or artist**; performance rights come from a **PRO**; compulsory digital mechanicals run through the **MLC**. 4. **Get it in writing.** A license should spell out the **term, territory, media, and exclusivity**. A 30-second ad for U.S. social media is a very different grant than worldwide perpetual film rights. 5. **When in doubt, use pre-cleared music.** Production-music libraries and royalty-free catalogs bundle the rights so you sign one license instead of chasing two owners. For the broader mechanics of granting and getting rights, see [licensing your creative work](/guides/licensing-your-creative-work/). ## The cost reality There is no fixed price for the licenses you *negotiate*. **Sync and master fees vary enormously**: a stock library track may cost tens of dollars, while a recognizable hit for a national ad can run into five, six, or seven figures, split between the publisher (sync) and the label (master). Pricing turns on the song's fame, how prominently it's used, the term, the territory, and the media. The **statutory and blanket** licenses, which cover mechanicals (Section 115 / MLC) and PRO performance rights, are more predictable because the **rates are regulated or standardized**. The practical takeaway: budget for **two negotiations** on any video using a famous recording, expect the famous-song path to be the expensive one, and treat a small production-music license as the cost-control option when the exact track doesn't matter. ## The bottom line A song is two copyrights: the **composition** and the **master**. They are owned by different people and licensed separately. Sync covers the composition with visuals, master use covers the recording with visuals, mechanical covers reproducing the composition as audio, and performance covers playing it publicly. Using a real recording in a video needs **both** sync and master; the most expensive mistake is clearing one and forgetting the other. For more, see the [Entertainment & media IP pillar](/guides/entertainment-and-media-ip/), the deeper dive on [music sampling & clearance](/guides/music-sampling-clearance/), the fundamentals of [licensing your creative work](/guides/licensing-your-creative-work/), and the [music copyright analyses](/topics/copyright/). *This article is general education about how music licensing works, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship or imply licensure in any particular state. Music rights are fact-specific and the owners and rates change over time. Before clearing a song for a real project, consult an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.* ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need one license or two to use a song in my video? Usually two. A recorded song you hear is two separate copyrights: the musical composition (the written song: melody, chords, lyrics, owned by the songwriter and publisher) and the sound recording or 'master' (the specific recording, owned by the artist and label). To pair that recording with video you generally need a synchronization ('sync') license for the composition AND a master use license for the recording. If you only have one, you are still infringing the other. This is general education, not legal advice. Confirm your situation with an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction. ### What is the difference between a sync license and a mechanical license? They cover different uses of the same composition. A sync license lets you synchronize a composition in time with visual media: film, TV, ads, YouTube, social video. A mechanical license lets you reproduce and distribute a composition as audio only: pressing CDs or vinyl, selling downloads, or releasing a cover on streaming. Neither one covers the sound recording itself; to use someone else's actual recording you also need a master use license from whoever owns the master. ### Can I record my own cover of a song and release it without permission? For audio-only distribution, often yes. The law provides a compulsory mechanical license under Section 115, so you can release a cover at a set statutory rate without the songwriter's individual approval, as long as you follow the rules and pay. In the U.S. that is now administered through the Mechanical Licensing Collective for digital uses. But the compulsory license does not cover putting your cover in a video (that needs a sync license) and does not let you copy the original artist's recording (that needs a master use license).