Campus - Sync Licensing Month - Week 3: Music Library vs Sync Agent

If you want your music on TV, film, ads, or games, you eventually bump into the same two words:

Music libraries and sync agents.

They both say they “pitch your music for sync.”

They are not the same thing.

Most artists just click “I agree” and hope for the best. That is how you end up in bad deals, missing money, or watching a song sit in someone’s catalog with zero movement.

Tomorrow night at Campus, we are going to slow this all the way down.

This Week 3 session is built to help you stop guessing and start choosing the right lane for your catalog.

What we are unpacking tomorrow

We are not doing a law school lecture. We are doing straight answers to questions creatives actually have, like:

“Should I send this song to a library or hold it for an agent?”

“If this deal is non-exclusive, why does it feel risky?”

“What does publishing admin have to do with sync money?”

“How do I know if this contract is worth locking my song up for 3 years?”

Inside the session, we will walk through:

1. Clear definitions

You will leave with simple, working definitions of:

Music libraries: what they are, how your music actually gets found inside them, and where they shine

Sync agents: how they pitch, why they are picky, and what they need from you to say yes

Publishing admin: the back-end role that decides whether you actually see the money when a placement hits

No fluff. Just clear roles so you know who does what in your career.

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2. Exclusive vs non-exclusive in real life

You see these words in almost every contract.

Tomorrow we will break down:

What you actually give up in an exclusive deal

When non-exclusive is smart and when it becomes chaos

Contract phrases that should make you slow down and ask questions

If you have ever wondered, “Am I about to lose control of this track?”, this part is for you.

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3. How libraries and agents actually move your music

On the surface, both “pitch” your songs.

In practice:

Libraries win through search, metadata, and volume

Agents win through relationships, targeted briefs, and trust

We will show you how that difference affects:

What you should send

How you should prep stems and alt versions

Which songs belong where, based on your current catalog

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4. Money, splits, and rights

You do not need to become a lawyer, but you do need to know:

Where the sync fee goes

What backend royalties are and who collects them

What it means when a library or agent asks for part of your publishing

We will walk through simple examples so you can look at an offer and tell if it is worth it for you right now.

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5. Real-world wins and warning signs

To keep it real, we will get into:

Example partnerships that paid off

Situations where creatives lost control of songs they needed for their own artist projects

The mistakes that are easy to avoid once you see them once

You will walk away with a mental checklist that makes you harder to exploit and easier to work with.

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Who this session is for

Pull up if:

You have a growing catalog and no idea where to send it

You are already in a library or working with a rep but do not fully understand your deal

You are curious about sync but want to move smart, not desperate

If you are serious about building long-term income from your music, understanding this difference is non-negotiable.

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How to get in the room

This Campus session is happening:

Tuesday, November 18 at 8:30 p.m. EST

Spots are limited so we can keep it focused and interactive.

👉 Grab your seat here: beatcave.ca/campus

(If you are already a Beatcave member, Campus is part of your experience. Check your email for access details.)

Bring:

Your questions

A list of any libraries, agents, or platforms you are already using

A rough idea of how many sync-ready tracks you have right now

We will help you map out the lane that actually fits where you are and where you are trying to go.