Daniel Craig as 007 — with Billie Eilish playing the tune.
Sync music licensing — the process that allows music to complement visual media, including film, commercials, television, and more —remains a viable opportunity for today’s artists. Here’s a wrap of the biggest sync deals of late.
The following was created with the support of Songtradr, part of a broader partnership focused on the sync licensing space.
From video-streaming platforms like Netflix to blockbuster movies, as well as a whole lot in between, contemporary demand for media means that world-famous artists and up-and-coming acts alike still have opportunities to get paid. The right placement can also spread a track around the world while garnering newfound fans.
Sync remains a potentially growing license for artists over the long-term, thanks partly to a surge of on-demand video content. To give fans, artists, and creative professionals alike a feel for the sync industry’s current mood and long-term direction, here’s a rundown of the sphere’s noteworthy recent deals and media placements.
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No Time to Die
Track: “No Time to Die”
Artist: Billie Eilish
Placement: Main Theme
18-year-old Billie Eilish is the youngest artist ever to create a James Bond theme song. She and Finneas, her brother and longtime collaborator, worked together to craft “No Time to Die,” which will be prominently featured in the 25th 007 film.
Unfortunately, this much-anticipated Bond entry’s release date has been pushed back to November 25th as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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Gentefied
Track: “Sabor A Mi”
Artist: Nomadsplace and Jessi Campo
Placement: Gentefied, Season 1, Episode 3: “Bad Hombres”
Netflix comedy-drama series Gentefied debuted last month, and this initial season’s third episode features a custom cover of “Sabor A Mi.”
Songtradr coordinated Nomadsplace and Jessi Campo’s cover of the track, and the director of Gentefied’s third episode, America Ferrera, enjoyed the song so much that she sent a personal note of thanks.
Additionally, Songtradr closed a sync deal for Gentefied’s second episode, “Bail Money,” which features Adee’s “World on Fire.”
In 2015, “World on Fire” was nominated for the “Best Single” award at the prestigious Scandinavian Soul Music Awards.
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Amazon’s “Life Before Alexa”
Track: “Yeah!”
Artist: Usher
Amazon’s popular “Life Before Alexa” commercial series debuted during Super Bowl LIV. Besides featuring a cameo from Ellen DeGeneres, the original commercial boasted a well-timed sync of Usher and Ludacris’s timeless “Yeah!” track.
Usher has sold approximately 75 million records to date and is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time.
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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Track: “This Feeling”
Artist: Jessie Poland
Placement: Season 4, Episode 16: “I Have a Date Tonight”
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was critically acclaimed throughout its four-season run. The final season’s 16th episode, “I Have a Date Tonight,” was directed by series star Rachel Bloom’s husband, Dan Gregor.
Jessie Poland’s “This Feeling” appeared in the episode. The 32-year-old, now known professionally as Jessica Vaughn, competed on the second season of The Voice.
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Audi’s “Let it Go”
Track: “Let it Go”
Artist: Idina Menzel (Cover Performed by Maisie Williams)
Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams made waves by covering Frozen’s “Let it Go” in an Audi commercial, which debuted at Super Bowl LIV.
Last year, Williams launched Daisie, a free-to-use networking app that connects creative professionals, including musicians, artists, filmmakers, and more.
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Macy’s “Switch it Up” Commercial
Track: Untitled—Custom-Recorded by Macy’s
Artist: N/A
It’s unclear who recorded the ultra-catchy song for Macy’s “Switch it Up” commercial, but the track seems destined to get stuck in quite a few listeners’ heads.
Moreover, it’s possible that the artist’s (or artists’) information will come to light in the near future. In the meantime, check out a repeat version of the song here.
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Fantasy Island
Track: “Shuffle Shuffle”
Artist: Madison Mars
A horror re-imagining of and prequel to the beloved 1977 television show of the same name, Fantasy Island was released in February 2020 and performed well at the box office.
Estonia’s Madison Mars, a skillful DJ, and producer, has made a name for himself as the creator of exhilarating beats and quick-moving dance tracks. Mars also hosts a popular podcast, House of Mars.
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Apple’s “AirPods Pro: Snap”
Track: “The Difference”
Artist: Flume feat. Toro y Moi
Apple’s new (extremely catchy) AirPods Pro commercial, entitled “Snap,” has been synced with “The Difference” by Flume and Toro y Moi.
This year, Flume, who is a native of Australia, saw his Hi This is Flume mixtape nominated for a “Best Dance/Electronic Album” Grammy Award.
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Polo Ralph Lauren’s “Deep Blue”
Track: “Come Fly with Me”
Artist: Ruelle
Ruelle’s new, exciting take on Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly with Me” does well to complement the breathtaking shades featured in Polo Ralph Lauren’s carefully shot “Deep Blue” advert.
Ruelle has secured an array of sync deals, with popular television shows like Dynasties and Shadowhunters featuring her tracks in their opening themes.
Whoever wrote this really ought to know for the future that it’s the songwriters, not the artist, that get credit for a composition. That’s especially true when writing for an industry audience, yes? Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen created “Come Fly With Me,” not Frank. That’s not nitpicking. That’s proper attribution. Just sayin.
:)
Sir, you know nothing about sync licensing