Yes if the sounds are licensed loops, no if they are an uncleared sample of someone else's recording. A song built on royalty-free loops from a sample pack can usually be pitched for sync, provided the pack license allows commercial use in a new composition and you can say so when asked. A song that lifts audio from a commercial recording cannot be placed until both the master owner and the publisher have cleared it in writing.
The practical move is to sort every song in your catalog into one of four buckets before it goes into a pitch folder. It takes minutes per song, and it keeps you from sending a supervisor a track you cannot deliver on a 48 hour turnaround.
| Bucket | Example | Pitchable? | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Everything recorded or programmed by you and your co-writers | Yes | A signed split sheet |
| Licensed loops | Drum loops, sample packs, preset-driven instrument loops | Usually | The pack license or receipt on file |
| Interpolation | You replay or rewrite a melody or lyric from another song | Only once cleared | Written permission for the composition |
| Sampled recording | A few seconds lifted from a released track | Not until cleared | Written clearance of both the master and the composition |
A music supervisor on a deadline wants songs that can be cleared quickly from one contact. That is the idea behind one-stop sync licensing: one person can approve the use for both the master and the composition. A sample you do not control adds a second and third party to every clearance, and a song that needs a chase usually loses to one that does not.
Every recording has two copyrights: the master (the recorded performance, usually owned by a label or the artist) and the composition (the song itself, usually controlled by a publisher and the writers). Sampling a record means clearing both. There is no standard price. Clearances are negotiated case by case, commonly as an upfront fee plus a share of the new song's copyright or royalties, and they can be refused outright.
One trap worth knowing: a clearance you obtained for a streaming release often does not extend to sync. If the paperwork does not mention film, TV, advertising or media uses, assume the sync rights are not included and ask the rights holder to add them.
For a catalog of around 100 songs, expect roughly an hour. Most of that time goes to opening old sessions.
If you have not done the same for your credits, start with a split sheet for every song, since loops and samples are only half of what makes a song clearable.
This is general information, not legal advice. If a sample is involved, or a buyer sends you its own paperwork, ask a music attorney to review it.
Pitchkit does not detect samples, so the audit above stays your job. What it does is match a brief against whatever folder you point it at. Index a folder that holds only your CLEAR and LOOPS songs, paste the brief, and every ranked result is something you can actually deliver. It runs on your Mac and your files are never uploaded.
Related reading: catalog management for songwriters and how a sync pitch works.
Usually not. Most royalty-free loop and sample pack licenses are a one-time purchase that lets you use the sounds in new commercial compositions, and sync placements count as commercial use. Read the license for your specific pack, though, because a few restrict certain uses and almost all ban redistributing the loop on its own.
No. Length does not remove the need for clearance, and "it is only a second or two" is not a defense you can rely on. A sampled recording involves two copyrights, the master and the composition, and a sync buyer will want both cleared in writing before the song goes into a production.
That is an interpolation. You avoid the master clearance because you are not using the original recording, but you still need permission from the publisher or writers of the composition, and they will usually ask for a share of the song. Without it the song is not one-stop and most supervisors will skip it.
Not automatically. Plenty of placed music is built partly on licensed loops. The problems are rights and disclosure: some libraries and publishers restrict or require disclosure of loop use, and a supervisor on a short turnaround wants a song they can clear quickly. If your license is clean and you can say so, loops are rarely the issue.
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