Sep 8, 2026 · 3 min read · By Jarl Hector
Trailer Music Licensing: Sync, Mechanical and Performance Rights
How sync, mechanical and performance rights fit into music licensing for film, game and streaming-series trailers.
Music gives a trailer its pace, personality and emotional pull. Licensing connects that creative choice to the places the campaign will reach, from cinema screens to social feeds.
For film, game and streaming-series trailers, the key distinction is between permission to use music in the production and the rights involved when audiences hear it.
Sync, mechanical and master rights
A sync licence allows a musical composition to be combined with moving images. It is central to using a song in a trailer.
Mechanical rights concern reproduction of the composition. Reproduction and sync permissions may be combined in an audiovisual agreement, but a mechanical licence for an audio release alone does not clear a trailer.
A master-use licence covers the particular recording. Permission to use the recording is separate from permission to use the underlying song.
The agreed scope matters across all of these permissions. Media, territories, duration and paid advertising should reflect the campaign's release plan. Our music licensing guide explains the song and recording sides in more detail.
Performance rights and platform licensing
Performance rights concern playing or communicating music to the public, including through screenings, broadcasts and streams.
These rights are often handled through separate agreements held by platforms, broadcasters or cinemas. For uses covered by those agreements, the outlet handles the relevant performance licensing and payments.
For example, GEMA explains that YouTube pays the licence fees under their agreement. Commercial video producers still need to secure the necessary sync and recording permissions.
This is why performance rights can sit outside a trailer's music licence. Coverage depends on the music, territory and type of use, so the distribution plan remains the useful starting point.
What platform disputes tell us
The relationship between music and distribution occasionally makes headlines. In 2024, The Guardian reported on Universal's agreement with TikTok following a dispute that had led to music being removed.
Universal's announcement confirmed the return of its recording and publishing catalogues, with improved compensation and protections around AI. The dispute concerned broader platform licensing, rather than performance rights alone.
For marketing teams, it illustrates that catalogue availability also depends on agreements between platforms and rights holders. Clearing a song for a campaign and keeping it available on a service involve different relationships.
Planning music for a trailer campaign
The most useful music brief includes both the creative ambition and the intended release. A reveal trailer, television spot and paid social edit may share a track while requiring different permissions.
At Clear Music, we bring music supervision and music clearance into the same conversation, helping teams find music that works for the film and secure it for the campaign.
