Campus: Sync Licensing Month Week 4: How to Negotiate Your Sync Deal

Live workshop: Tuesday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. EST

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Executive summary

Landing a sync is exciting. Negotiating it properly is what decides how much you actually keep, how long you give it away, and how free you are to use that song again.

This final Campus session takes you past “I am just happy to be here” and teaches you how to read the deal, ask for more, and protect your catalog without scaring off the opportunity. You will leave with a simple framework you can use on every sync offer that hits your inbox.

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Why the negotiation matters

A sync deal is not just a one-time cheque.

It decides:

Where your song can live

How long it can live there

Whether you can license it again to someone else

How performance and backend money flows back to you

How much control you keep over your own work

Most creatives treat the first offer like a take it or leave it moment. In reality, a lot of sync deals have room to move. The people on the other side expect questions. The problem is that most artists do not know what to ask for, or what is normal.

This session closes that gap.

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What we will cover

1) The bones of a sync deal

You cannot negotiate what you do not understand. We start by breaking down the core pieces of almost every sync agreement:

Rights granted: exactly what you are allowing them to do with your song

Term: how long they can use it for

Territory: which countries or regions are covered

Media: TV, film, streaming, theatrical, social, games, in-store and more

Exclusivity: whether you can license the same song elsewhere

Fees: how the upfront money is structured and when it is paid

You will see plain language examples of each, so you can read a contract and know what you are really giving up.

2) Master money versus publishing money

Sync is two sides of the same song.

Master: the recording itself. Usually controlled by the artist, label, or whoever paid for and owns the recording.

Publishing: the underlying composition. Usually controlled by writers, producers, and their publishers or admins.

We will walk through:

How splits work between master and publishing

Why “most favoured nations” language matters

Common payment structures: flat fees, split fees, step deals, buyouts

How recoupment and advances can impact what you actually see

By the end, you will be clear on where your money should come from and who else needs to agree before the deal can move.

3) Negotiation strategies that do not blow up the opportunity

You want to ask for more without being the difficult person who never gets called again.

Inside the session, we will give you scripts and approaches you can adapt, including:

How to ask clarifying questions before talking numbers

How to anchor your fee without guessing in the dark

What to trade if the budget is tight: shorter term, smaller territory, limited media

When to push for better backend instead of more upfront

How to say no with grace when a deal is not actually good for you

The goal is simple. You should sound like a professional partner, not a desperate creative or a silent one.

4) Contract red flags and how to handle them

Bad deals often look normal at first glance. The language is polite. The problems are in the details.

We will point out clauses that should make you slow down, such as:

Perpetuity usage for a low or one-time fee

Broad exclusivity that locks up a song across all media and territories

Vague language around “all media now known or hereafter devised” with no limit

Unclear royalty or backend language

One-sided indemnity or warranty clauses that put all the risk on you

No timeline for payment or reporting

You will learn how to respond, what to ask for instead, and when to loop in a lawyer or trusted advisor.

5) Why cue sheets, PRO registrations, and follow up matter

The placement is only half the story. If the paperwork is sloppy, you leave backend money on the table.

We will walk through:

What a cue sheet is and who fills it out

Why accurate writer and publisher splits are critical

How your PRO registration connects to your sync money

What to check after the spot airs or the show goes live

How to build a simple system to track placements and payments over time

This is the unglamorous side of sync that separates “I got placed once” from “I have steady backend coming in every quarter.”

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Hands-on segment: live mock negotiation

Talking about negotiation is useful. Practising it is where it sticks.

In this session, you will step into a mock negotiation with clear roles:

A creator representing their song

A licensing rep or supervisor offering terms

A third voice listening for red flags and missed opportunities

You will:

1. Review a sample brief and initial offer

2. Identify the key deal points that matter for you

3. Practise asking for changes out loud

4. See how small adjustments in language change the terms

By the end of the exercise, you will have felt what it is like to push back without burning the bridge.

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Who this session is for

This class is built for you if:

You are starting to get real sync interest and do not want to guess your way through deals

You have already signed a few licenses and are not sure if they were actually good

You manage or advise artists and need a clearer way to explain sync terms

You want to move from “happy to be picked” to “confident partner at the table”

You do not need a law degree. You do need a willingness to ask better questions.

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Pre-work before Tuesday

To get the most from this session, come prepared with:

A list of songs in your catalog that you would be comfortable licensing

Your current master and publishing splits for at least three tracks

Any past sync offers or contracts you have signed, if you have them

One bottom line you never want to cross again, based on your past experience

You will not be asked to share sensitive numbers publicly. This prep is for you, so the frameworks land on real examples, not theory.

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Sync deal negotiation checklist

Here is a simple checklist you can use on every offer after this class.

Before you say yes

Do I understand the rights I am granting in plain language

Is the term clearly defined and reasonable for the fee

Is the territory specific and aligned with the usage

Is the media list clear or is it open ended

Is the deal exclusive, and if so, in what way

Are the fees broken out between master and publishing

On the money side

Do I know how the fee compares to similar placements

Is there any mention of backend royalties or performance income

Is there “most favoured nations” language if there are multiple rightsholders

Are there clear payment timelines and reporting expectations

On the risk side

Are there clauses that hand all the risk to me

Is there any language that gives away rights in perpetuity for a low fee

Are there vague phrases that should be clarified in writing

On the admin side

Are my splits, PRO registrations, and contact details accurate

Do I know who is responsible for cue sheets

Do I have a way to track when the placement airs and when payments should show up

If you cannot check most of these boxes, you are not ready to sign. Ask more questions, get help, or walk away.

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About the instructor: Michelle Allman Esdaille

Michelle Allman Esdaille is a visionary music executive, entrepreneur, and advocate for sustainable, equity driven careers.

As Founder and CEO of The HOOK and Company, she leads The HOOK Sync Group, Sustainable Creative Living, and the Managers On Demand marketplace. She built Canada’s first Black female owned sync agency, securing placements with networks such as BET+, OWN, and Bravo, alongside independent films. She consults for Music BC’s Jumpstart program, mentors with Women In Music Canada, and has shaped national programming across Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Recognised as one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch in 2024 and author of the anthology “You Have So Much Potential,” Michelle focuses on inclusive career development and real access for underrepresented creators.

In this class, you get to learn directly from someone who negotiates these deals in the real world and has built systems to make them sustainable, not random.

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How to get in the room

This Campus session happens live on:

Tuesday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. EST

Spots are limited so the mock negotiation and Q and A stay practical.

Grab your seat at: beatcave.ca/campus

If you are already a Beatcave Elevate member, Campus is included. Check your email for access or log in to your account to confirm.

Come ready to ask questions, take notes, and leave with a negotiation playbook you can actually use.

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Bibliography

1. Campus in November: Sync Licensing Month, Beatcave blog.

2. Music Business: A Guide to Sync Deals and Licensing, Songtrust.

3. The Essential Guide to Sync Licensing Opportunities 2025, ThatPitch.

4. Mastering Music Synchronization Licensing, Sanderson Law.

5. The HOOK and Company and Michelle Allman Esdaille profiles.

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Reasoning summary

I mirrored the structure and tone of your existing Campus Sync blogs, especially Week 2 and Week 3, so this can slot directly into the Campus category without heavy edits. The focus is on outcomes your avatar cares about: control, clarity, and reliable income, not just “cool opportunities.” I built the sections backward from the “You’ll learn” bullets you provided, then layered in negotiation framing, simple scripts, and a reusable checklist so the post functions both as promo and as a mini playbook. The instructor section is based on the existing Campus November overview and your supplied bio, tightened slightly so it reads clean on the blog. The call to action matches your current funnel into beatcave.ca/campus and reinforces Elevate as the container for Campus access.

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Calibration questions

1. Do you want this written as “before the session” promo, or should we tweak a second version that reads more like a recap once the class is done.

2. Should every Campus Week blog include a formal checklist section like this going forward so we can later bundle them into a Campus Sync Playbook PDF.

3. For the negotiation content, do you want me to add specific example numbers and fee ranges for different use cases, or keep it principle based to avoid locking you into public benchmarks.