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Music licensing

Types

Types of music licenses we can assist in clearing/securing for you:

  • Master-Use License: Grants the licensee the right to use a recording of an underlying composition for audio/visual projects, like film, TV, and commercials, among others.
  • Synchronization License: The Sync License grants the licensee the right to use an underlying composition in audio/visual projects like film, TV, and commercials, among others.
  • Mechanical License for the USA and Canada: Grants the licensee the right to reproduce an underlying composition for the purpose of phonographic sales (ie downloads, CDs, vinyl, etc.)
  • Print License: Gives you the right to print lyrics or notes in a book, magazine, ebook or other publication.
  • Grand Performance License: Gives you the right to perform a song for the public as part of a play, musical or other live performance.

Request a license

The best way to request a license is to go directly to the page of the song you're looking for and choose Request a synchronization license. It guarantees a fast processing and avoids your request ending up in the spam folder. However, you can also e-mail us at info@secondhandsongs.com.

Recent

Consult the list of compositions that have been licensed with the help of SecondHandSongs. And here are a few detailed examples of licenses we helped to clear and secure:

Testimonials

  • Robert Emmons (Owner San Francisco Mercantile): After spending hours online trying to research music copyrights and the process of how to get permission to use a specific song, I finally found SecondHandSongs. Their licensing partners quickly found the owner of the copyright I needed and negotiated a license for our use of the music. They responded quickly and professionally and saved my company valuable time. SecondHandSongs will be who I reach out to in the future for any music rights questions and licensing needs.
  • Abner Benaim (Award-winning director at Apertura Films): I wrote a message online saying I was having a difficult time getting a very famous song on budget, and that our deadline was NOW! By the end of the day, the license was guaranteed, and the next day I already had my paperwork in order.
  • Ben Haven Taylor (Director of "In The Off Season"): The sync licensing team at SecondHandSongs not only delivered licenses and masters quickly and efficiently, but also excelled as creative consultants in the complex process of music supervision. They are a joy to work with and will always be my first port of call while looking for music and rights in the future.
  • Jeff Denton (Writer and Producer of "The Toybox"): During pre-production, I searched the internet and found the perfect song that my production team and me wanted to use as the theme that ran throughout our movie. We discovered it on a public domain website but couldn't find a second resource anywhere that could confirm that it was actually in the public domain. Six months later, and having exhausted BMI, ASCAP, and every other musical data base I could come up with, I was referred to SecondHandSongs. They found the song, identified its public domain status and master-rights owner, and had it licensed to me within days. What I was most impressed and appreciative of, was that it was all done during a holiday week. Many thanks!
  • Nicolás Combarro (Director of "The Shadow Line"): I used SecondHandSongs to clear the rights for a very important song in my film. Not only were they extremely attentive to my needs, but they were also able to successfully navigate a very complicated sync licensing copyright within my budget and just in time.

Disclaimer

Please note that we are in no way affiliated with any of the copyright holders of songs listed, but work with our clients as a third-party licensing agent to seek out appropriate parties and negotiate favorable terms within your budget and timeframe.

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