Big Sync Music

Big Sync Music is a global music licensing and creative music solutions company founded in 2013 and headquartered in London. The company was the first full-service music agency to work directly with brands, unifying the music and talent acquisition process into a single service. With offices in 11 territories and a network of local, regional, and global music contacts, Big Sync Music consolidates music purchasing power for global brands and passes the volume savings on to clients. The company serves brands, advertising agencies, production companies, and social media influencers with music licensing, custom music creation, and strategic music consulting.

How Big Sync Music Works

Big Sync Music operates on a brand-first model. Unlike traditional sync licensing agencies that pitch artist catalogs to music supervisors, Big Sync works directly with brands to manage their entire music strategy. The company consolidates a brand's music purchasing across all campaigns, regions, and media types into a single relationship.

The company offers six core services:

1. Music review: Evaluating a brand's current music usage and identifying opportunities for improvement or cost savings.
2. Music strategy: Developing long-term music strategies aligned with brand identity, target audience, and marketing KPIs.
3. Music validation: Using real-time data analytics to validate music choices against brand KPIs and audience response metrics.
4. Licensing consolidation: Leveraging the company's consolidated buying power (they buy more music than anyone in the industry, according to their own claims) to negotiate better rates for brands.
5. Custom music creation: Producing original music tailored to brand briefs when licensing existing tracks is not the right fit.
6. Talent acquisition: Connecting brands with artists, composers, and influencers for campaigns, events, and partnerships.

The company's 11-office global footprint means a brand running a campaign across multiple territories can license music through a single point of contact rather than negotiating separate deals in each region.

Who Big Sync Music Is For

Big Sync Music serves three main client types:

For brands: If you are a global brand spending significant budget on music licensing across multiple markets, Big Sync consolidates that spending and provides strategic oversight. The company claims its consolidated buying power results in lower per-use costs for brands.

For advertising agencies: Agencies that need music for client campaigns can use Big Sync as a one-stop partner for licensing, custom music, and clearance. This is particularly useful for agencies running multi-territory campaigns where local music rights vary.

For artists and composers: Big Sync Music is a potential client rather than a representative. If you are an artist or composer with music that fits brand campaigns, Big Sync may license your tracks or commission custom work. The company does not accept unsolicited submissions in the traditional sync agency model, but artists can reach out with portfolios and sync-ready catalogs.

Real-World Example

A global consumer brand launches a multi-region advertising campaign spanning TV, digital, social media, and in-store audio. The brand needs different music for each territory to match local cultural preferences while maintaining a consistent brand identity.

Without Big Sync: The brand's agency negotiates separate licenses in 10 territories with 10 different publishers and labels. The process takes 8 weeks and costs 40% more than necessary due to lack of leverage.

With Big Sync: The brand contracts Big Sync to handle all music licensing globally. Big Sync uses its consolidated buying power to negotiate volume rates, validates music choices against audience data, and delivers cleared tracks for all 10 territories through a single point of contact. The process takes 3 weeks and costs 25% less.

For a custom music project, Big Sync commissions a composer to create an original brand anthem. The composer receives a production fee and retains performance royalties through their PRO when the music airs on broadcast television.

Key Benefits

• Consolidated buying power: Big Sync claims to buy more music than anyone in the industry. This volume leverage translates to lower licensing costs for brand clients.
• Global footprint: Offices in 11 territories mean brands can run multi-region campaigns without managing multiple vendor relationships.
• Data-driven validation: The company uses real-time data analytics to validate music choices against brand KPIs, taking guesswork out of music selection.
• Full-service model: From strategy through licensing, custom creation, and talent acquisition, brands get everything from one partner.
• Brand-first approach: Unlike sync agencies that represent artists, Big Sync represents brands. This means the company negotiates on the brand's behalf, not the artist's.
• 25+ years of team experience: The Big Sync team brings over 25 years of experience partnering with global brands for music licensing.

Potential Drawbacks and Things to Consider

For artists and composers:

• Not a traditional sync agency: Big Sync does not represent artists for sync placements. The company works for brands, not artists. If you want someone actively pitching your catalog to supervisors, look at Crucial Music or Bodega Sync instead.
• No open submission process: There is no public application portal for artists. You need to reach out directly with a professional portfolio and sync-ready catalog.
• Brand-driven deals: When Big Sync licenses your music, the negotiation is from the brand's perspective. The company may push for lower fees to benefit the brand client. Use our sync licensing fee calculator to know your minimum acceptable rate before entering negotiations.
• Custom music is work-for-hire: If Big Sync commissions you to create custom music for a brand, the deal is likely work-for-hire. Read the contract carefully to understand what rights you retain. See our guide on music licensing agreements for red flags to watch for.

For brands:

• Minimum spend threshold: Big Sync's consolidated buying model makes sense for brands with significant music licensing budgets. Small brands with occasional one-off licenses may not benefit from the full-service model.
• Less direct artist relationships: Working through a consolidated agency means less direct contact with artists. Brands that value direct artist relationships for authentic partnerships may find the intermediary model limiting.

Related Resources

• How to License Music for Commercials and Ads - Ad placement strategies and fee structures
• Music Licensing Agreements: Types, Terms, and Red Flags - What to watch for before signing any sync deal
• Sync Licensing Companies vs Music Libraries - Understanding different licensing models
• Sync Licensing Fee Calculator - Estimate your placement earnings
• Big Sync Music Official Website - Services, offices, and contact information