The Rights Workshop

The Rights Workshop is a San Francisco-based music supervision, licensing, and creative clearance company founded in 2002 by Brooke Wentz, a Billboard Award-winning producer and former ESPN music department head. The company secures rights and permissions for music and visual elements in films, television shows, streaming media, corporate events, and performing arts projects, handling everything from single-track clearances to full music supervision for feature films.

How The Rights Workshop Works

The Rights Workshop operates as a service-based music supervision and clearance agency. Unlike production music libraries or sync licensing platforms that sell pre-cleared tracks, The Rights Workshop handles the legal and creative process of securing permissions for specific music used in specific projects.

Core Services

1. Music supervision: The team helps producers select the right music for their projects, considering budget, creative direction, and licensing feasibility. A music supervisor acts as the bridge between the creative team and the rights holders.
2. Rights clearance: The company contacts publishers, record labels, and artists to negotiate and secure sync licenses (for the composition) and master use licenses (for the recording). Every clearance involves identifying who owns what, contacting them, negotiating a fee, and executing the paperwork.
3. Creative clearance: Beyond music, The Rights Workshop clears rights for visual elements including footage, photographs, artwork, and other copyrighted material that appears on screen.
4. Talent negotiation: The company negotiates with artists, managers, and agents for on-camera appearances, live performances, and custom recordings.
5. Publishing administration: For clients who need ongoing management of their music publishing rights, The Rights Workshop provides administration services including royalty collection and catalog management.

The Clearance Process

When a production company hires The Rights Workshop, the process typically follows these steps:

1. Spotting session: The music supervisor reviews the project with the director or producer to identify where music is needed and what type of music fits each scene.
2. Research and identification: For each desired track, the team identifies the composition owner (publisher) and the master recording owner (label or artist). Some tracks involve multiple publishers and co-writers, each of whom must approve the use.
3. Quote requests: The team sends quote requests to all rights holders, specifying the media type, territory, term, and usage context.
4. Negotiation: Rights holders respond with fees. The Rights Workshop negotiates to fit the project budget while meeting the rights holders' requirements.
5. Licensing: Once fees are agreed, the team executes license agreements, collects signatures, and ensures all paperwork is complete before the music is used.
6. Cuesheet delivery: The team prepares and delivers cuesheets for PRO reporting, ensuring composers and publishers receive performance royalties when the content airs.

Real-World Example

An independent filmmaker wants to use three songs in a documentary that will stream on a major platform. Song A is a well-known pop hit from the 1980s. Song B is an obscure jazz recording from a defunct label. Song C is an original composition by a living artist who self-publishes.

The Rights Workshop takes on the clearance project. For Song A, they contact the major publisher (who controls the composition) and the major label (who controls the master recording). The publisher quotes $15,000 for a 3-year worldwide streaming license. The label quotes $10,000. The filmmaker's total music budget is $40,000. The Rights Workshop negotiates the publisher down to $10,000 and the label down to $7,500, bringing Song A's total to $17,500.

For Song B, the team researches the defunct label's catalog and discovers the masters were acquired by another label. They track down the composition owner, who turns out to be the artist's estate. The estate agrees to $2,000 for the composition. The label that now owns the masters quotes $3,000. Total for Song B: $5,000.

For Song C, the team contacts the artist directly. The artist agrees to $1,500 for both the composition and master, since they own both. Total for Song C: $1,500.

Grand total for all three clearances: $24,000. The Rights Workshop charges a project fee of $8,000 for the supervision and clearance work. The filmmaker's total music cost comes to $32,000, under the $40,000 budget.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

The Rights Workshop is not a platform where artists submit music for placement. It is a service company that production teams hire to clear rights. However, understanding how music supervision companies work is essential for any artist who wants their music placed in film or television.

Key takeaways for independent artists:

• Music supervisors are your gatekeepers: Supervisors like The Rights Workshop are the people who find and license your music for film and TV. Building relationships with supervisors is one of the most effective ways to get placements. Read our guide to how to get your first sync license for outreach strategies.
• Own your rights: When a supervisor can clear both your composition and your master in one call, you become a one-stop clearance opportunity. This makes your music more attractive than tracks that require chasing multiple rights holders. Use a split sheet to document ownership with collaborators.
• Have instrumentals ready: Supervisors frequently need instrumental versions for scenes with dialogue. If you cannot deliver an instrumental, the supervisor may pass on your track.
• Register with a PRO: When your music airs on broadcast television or in theaters, you earn performance royalties through your PRO. The Rights Workshop files cuesheets, but you must be registered with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or another PRO to receive payment.
• Understand clearance complexity: If your music involves co-writers, samples, or third-party publishers, clearance becomes more complicated and more expensive. Simpler rights structures lead to faster, cheaper placements. Learn more about rights management in our guide to music licensing agreements.

The Rights Workshop was founded by Brooke Wentz, who previously ran ESPN's music department and holds degrees from Barnard College and Columbia Business School. The team also includes Maryam Battaglia, a music licensing consultant with law firm and Live Nation experience. The company is based at 230 California Street, Suite 602, San Francisco, CA 94111.

Use our sync licensing fee calculator to estimate potential earnings from film and television placements.

Related Resources

• How to Get Your First Sync License - Step-by-step guide to the sync licensing process
• Sync Licensing for Independent Musicians - Complete guide to getting placements
• Music Licensing Agreements: Types, Terms, and Red Flags - What to watch for in sync deals
• Sync License Glossary Definition - Core sync licensing terminology
• Music Supervisor Glossary Definition - What a music supervisor does
• The Rights Workshop Official Website - Services, team, and contact information