The Role of a Publishing Synchronisation Manager

A Publishing Synchronisation Manager plays a critical role within a music publishing company.
Their main responsibility is to find, negotiate, and manage opportunities for songs within their publisher’s roster to be used in visual media. This includes film, television, commercials, video games and online videos.
It is called ‘synchronisation’ or ‘sync’ because the music is synchronised to visuals.

Key Tasks

A Sync Manager identifies potential opportunities for synchronisation by maintaining relationships with music supervisors, ad agencies, film and TV production companies and game developers.
They present and pitch music to these contacts, ensuring that the music aligns with the visuals and the emotional tone of the project.
Once a song is chosen for a project, the Sync Manager negotiates the sync license. This is the agreement that allows the music to be used, and it lays out the terms, conditions and royalties involved.
A Sync Manager must also coordinate with songwriters and artists, ensuring they understand the nature of the usage and obtain their approval when needed.

Effective sync licensing can provide substantial financial benefits for songwriters and artists, as they will receive royalties each time the visual media is played.
It can also help to increase exposure to new audiences, particularly if the song is used in a popular film, TV show or commercial.
Key to this role is having a deep understanding of the music within the company’s catalogue, and being able to effectively match it to a client’s requirements.

Publishing Synchronisation Manager (Sync Manager): A professional within a music publishing company who identifies and manages opportunities for songs to be used in visual media.
Sync License: A legal agreement that allows a piece of music to be synchronised with visual media.
Music Supervisor: A professional who selects and secures the rights to music used in film, television, advertisements and other visual media.
Royalties: Recurring payments made by one party (the licensee) to the songwriter or artist (the licensor/copyright owner) for the right to use their music.