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Now on to our guide to creating covers for Sync…
One of the best and most productive things an artist, a sync agent, music house or library can do to make their roster of song more licensable is to create a few, great reimagined covers of popular, well-known songs, especially if they are easily clearable.
After all, a good cover combines the best of both worlds – a song that is already iconic, loved and know by millions as well as instantly recognizable, while at the same time, reimagined in a way that makes it uniquely suited for the feeling of a particular project.
Today we’re going to quickly cover some tips for creating great cover songs for sync, some of the things you need to do from a legal and preparation standpoint to make sure the song is clearable, some creative principals for covers, and ways you can promote your cover to decision makers. Let’s get started.
- Choose a group of 3-5 songs that are well-known and iconic that you would like to cover. Start off by thinking about songs that you really vibe with and have a wide appeal. They can be from any time period, but the ones with the most appeal for projects typically are from the 80s, 90s and 00s.
- Find out if the song is licensable for sync. This is a super important point. While you can, through a compulsory license, cover any song and then distribute it for streaming purposes on Spotify or Apple Music, for your cover to be used for a sync, the underlying composition of the song needs to be licensable specifically for sync. So how do you go about finding this out?
Here’s the steps I take:
a. Research the songwriters and publishers on https://songview.com – this is a free database run by BMI and ASCAP that has all the writer and publisher information for almost all tracks you would wish to cover.
b. Note who the publisher(s) is and get in touch. Get in touch with the publisher(s) through the contact email listed on Songview or go to the website of the publisher and find the email or submission link for licensing inquiries – there is one on the site of every major publisher.
Let the publisher know you’re planning on covering a song for sync, and if they song’s publishing is easily clearable. Also, ask them if they have a list of songs that are easily clearable that they could share with you. And, if you do end up making a cover version based on your conversation with the publisher, then send them the cover version as they can help promote it when they get inquiries for the usage of the song. Doing so can be a powerful promotional tool.
c. Look for lists of clearable songs from the publishers and use these as a guide to what covers you create. As I said above, you can ask the publishers for a guide of easily clearable songs. I’ll get you started – here’s a link to a list of easily clearable songs from the 1990s.
Taking these steps helps you to concentrate your efforts on making a cover that’s licensable, and this is crucial. - Creatively, think about how you are going to reimagine the song. When you create a cover with sync in mind, you want to focus on reimagining the original feel and tone of the song. Music supervisors love this. Make some good choices and switch things up. Here’s an example of something I would do – let’s take a song from my 90s list, “Wannabe” from the Spice Girls. I would take the original song, slow it down by about 50%, use a dark, male vocal a la Trent Reznor, create some haunting synth layers and sfxs, add some heavy drum and percussive elements while keeping the hook, lyrics and melody that are the elements people already know. You’re only limited by your imagination. And stay away from sound-alikes. No one really likes or wants them except for the times they are specifically requested, and then if you do get such a request it will likely be a custom/work for hire project, and often they are harder to clear.
- Make sure your metadata clearly notates the writers, the publishers and their respective performance rights organizations. Though it’s the responsibility of the music supervisor or licensee to clear the publishing rights of a cover when they license the master of your version, you can be of great service to them by making sure you have entered the writer and PRO information in the composer field of your metadata and the publisher and PRO information in the grouping field. This shows an added level of professionalism on your part and makes the job of the music supervisor easier. Below is an example of what your metadata should look like, and if you want more information on how to enter your metadata, get our free style guide through this link.
- Distribute your cover on streaming platforms and announce it on social media. Get it out there. Let the public know about your new cover and make it discoverable. Share it with your fans and across the Internet. The more people that stream it and are aware of it, the more chances you have to create awareness and buzz, which can be helpful for your future sync promotional efforts. And of course, if it is synced, promote that.
- Finally, create a link to your cover that allows downloading, streaming and doesn’t expire, then present your cover to your network of sync agents, music supervisors, and the social media groups you belong to. Let people in our community – the sync community – know about your cover so they can keep it in mind for future projects.
To summarize, if you create a great, reimagined cover of an iconic song, make sure it is clearable, unique and properly annotated with good metadata, you’ll have a powerful tool to introduce yourself and your music to the world of sync licensing decision makers that can help you get more chances to license your entire roster of songs.
