Sometimes yes, but only for a narrow, written license on a project with no real music budget, such as a student film, a nonprofit piece or an unfunded festival short. A free (gratis) license waives the fee for one specific use. It does not transfer ownership, and it should not cover anything the filmmaker might do later if the film grows.
The practical answer: say yes when the project genuinely has no money and the trade is worth something to you (a credit, a relationship, a reel item), and limit the license to festival use with a pre-agreed upgrade fee if the film gets distribution. Say no to brands, ads and monetized commercial channels, because those productions budget for music. Either way, put it in writing before the film is locked.
| Project | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Student film | Yes, narrowly | No budget, low risk, and student directors and editors become working professionals |
| Nonprofit or charity piece | Often yes | Goodwill and a credit, as long as it is not a paid ad campaign |
| Unfunded festival short | Yes, with an upgrade clause | If it gets picked up, you are paid then, not never |
| Indie feature with financing | Ask for a fee | A funded production has a music line, even a small one |
| Monetized YouTube channel or podcast | Ask for a fee | Your song helps someone earn revenue |
| Brand, ad or branded content | No | Ad sync usually pays the highest fees; free sets a bad precedent for your catalog |
A useful test: is anyone on the project being paid? If the crew, the actors or the agency are getting paid, the music can be too. A modest fee, even a few hundred dollars, is a fair ask on a small funded project, and the way sync fees and royalties work explains why the upfront fee matters.
A gratis license is a trade, so be specific about your side of it. The things worth asking for cost the filmmaker almost nothing:
A one-page license letter is enough for a student or festival project. It should name:
Do you control the song? If the song is signed to a library or a publisher, you may not have the right to license it at all, even for free. Exclusive deals in particular usually take that right away, which is covered in exclusive versus non-exclusive library deals. If it is a cover, you do not control the composition, so see cover songs and sync.
Is the song in a content identification system? If your distributor or a library has registered the recording for automatic copyright claims on video platforms, the filmmaker's upload may get claimed. Tell them, and arrange to clear their video in advance.
Is it registered with your PRO? If the film airs on TV, royalties can only reach you if the song is registered. See registering with a PRO before pitching.
A short, friendly reply works: thank them, say you do not license this song for free for that kind of use, quote a modest fee, and offer a different track from your catalog that you are happy to license on gratis terms. Many writers keep a handful of songs set aside for exactly these requests, which protects the songs they actively pitch to supervisors and still lets them help emerging filmmakers.
This is general information, not legal advice. For anything beyond a simple festival license, or if a distributor sends you its own paperwork, ask a music attorney to review it.
Pitchkit does not write license agreements. It helps when a filmmaker describes a scene and asks what you have: paste their description as a brief, and it ranks your own catalog by tempo, key, energy, mood, genre and lyrics, then copies the best fits into a folder with clean artist and title filenames. That makes it quick to offer an alternative song instead of a flat no. It runs on your Mac and your files are never uploaded.
Related reading: how to read a sync brief, and pitch email templates for replying to filmmakers and supervisors.
No. A gratis license waives the fee for one specific use. You still own the song and the master, you can license it to anyone else, and the license only covers the production, term, territory and media written into it. Anything outside that scope still needs a new license.
Possibly. If the film airs on TV or is publicly performed in a way your PRO tracks, performance royalties can still be paid, provided the production files a cue sheet and your song is registered. Festival screenings and online-only releases often generate little or nothing, so treat royalties as a bonus, not the reason to say yes.
A clear on-screen credit with your artist name and song title, a narrow scope such as festival use only, a written upgrade fee if the film gets distribution, a copy of the final film, and a cue sheet filing if it ever airs. Those cost the filmmaker little and protect you if the project grows.
Generally no. Advertising, branded content and monetized commercial channels have music budgets, and a free license there undercuts the market rate for your own catalog. Free licenses make the most sense for student, nonprofit and unfunded independent projects.
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