Massive Music Takes the Global Stage at IMPF’s 2025 Conference in Greece
Music Licensing with Massive Music: From Finding the Right Song to Clearance
Summary
Massive Music offers music supervision, curation, rights assessment, master coordination, and licensing and clearance support. A clear project brief helps define the services, rights and documentation needed for the intended use.
Need Music for Your Next Project?
Start with the song you want to use, or describe the mood, story and role the music should play.
Pair that creative direction with the intended media, territory, term, versions, deadline and budget so the team can assess the rights and licensing scope.
Massive Music can support these creative and licensing needs. Agree the services and responsibilities for your project with the team.
1. Licensing & Clearance Support
Massive Music offers song and copyright clearance and licensing support for advertising, film and TV, web series, reproduction and other agreed uses within its mandate. The team assesses the intended use, the relevant rights and the authority needed for each request.
For audiovisual uses, check composition permissions and, if using an existing recording, master permissions separately. A publisher's mandate does not automatically cover a recording or other owners' shares.
Music Supervision
Music supervision connects the project's creative direction with music selection and the licensing process. Agree the responsibilities, deliverables and fees for your brief with Massive Music.
How Massive Music Supports Your Project
Depending on the agreed brief, Massive Music’s support can include:
Music Supervision
Helping translate the creative needs of a project into a music direction and guiding the search for suitable songs.
Music Curation
Finding songs that fit the creative direction and project requirements.
Rights Assessment and Master Coordination
Assessing composition rights and coordinating the recording permissions needed when an existing master is used. Coordination does not mean Massive Music owns or controls the master.
Licensing Scope
Defining the intended media, territory, term, platform, exclusivity, and other relevant conditions.
Quote
Confirming proposed fees and terms for the specified rights and intended use.
Clearance & Documentation
Coordinating song and copyright clearance and the required documentation with the relevant rights holders or their authorized representatives.
2. Finding the Right Song
Start With What the Music Needs to Do
Maybe the music needs to:
- Build tension
- Create space
- Support a transition
- Make a moment more memorable
- Create emotional context
- Connect the audience with a particular memory
- Support the overall character of a campaign
How Massive Builds a Shortlist
Massive Music can curate a shortlist against your brief. Assess two sides of each candidate:
1. Creative Fit
This can include:
- Mood
- Narrative role
- Tempo
- Language
- Duration
- The overall function of the music in the scene or campaign
2. Rights Status and Outstanding Permissions
This can involve checking:
- Rights holder
- Licensing scope
- Territory
- Term
- Media
- Timing
- Available documentation
A useful shortlist shows creative fit alongside confirmed rights information and any permissions still outstanding. It is not evidence that a song is cleared.
3. How to Work With Massive
The process starts with your project brief.
You do not need to know every answer before contacting the team. But the more clearly you can describe the intended use, the easier it is to understand what needs to be considered.
What Should You Prepare?
Before submitting a licensing request, prepare:
1. Use Case
What is the project and what role will the music play?
2. Media and Versions
Identify platforms, paid or organic use, versions and cutdowns, music duration and proposed edits.
3. Territory
Where will the content be used or made available?
4. Term
How long will the music be used?
5. Production Deadline
When does the music need to be cleared and ready?
6. Budget Range
What budget range is available?
7. Song Reference
If you already have a song in mind, let the team know.
8. Creative Direction
If you do not have a specific song, explain what you need the music to do in the project.
What Happens After You Contact Massive?
Use these four stages to structure the enquiry and confirm the actual workflow with the team:
01 — Brief
Share the intended use and ask the team to confirm the scope it can assess.
If your project needs music supervision, agree the responsibilities, deliverables and fees with the team.
02 — Curation + Rights Status
If curation is included in the engagement, the team can assess candidates against the brief.
Ask for the rights status, represented shares and outstanding third-party permissions for each candidate.
03 — Quote + Scope
Once a song and intended use have been identified, define the media, territory, term, platform, exclusivity, fees and other conditions.
A quote should identify the proposed scope, exclusions, approval conditions and validity. It is not permission to use the music.
04 — Documentation
Obtain the required written permissions from the relevant rights holders or their authorized representatives.
Check that the documents cover the composition and recording as applicable, and that all conditions are met before use.
Confirm which party is responsible for each stage, including any external master or co-owner permissions.
4. Music Licensing for Your Next Project
Start Thinking About Music at the Right Stage
Begin rights discussions when the creative direction, intended use and production window are clear enough to assess.
If the first song you want is not available for the intended use, you may need time to consider alternatives, negotiate terms, check rights, or make production adjustments.
That gives your team more room to consider options without assuming that every song will automatically be available, approved, within budget, or cleared within a particular timeframe.
Remember: Catalogue Does Not Mean Automatically Cleared
A song being part of a catalogue does not automatically mean that every possible use has already been approved.
For example, a change in:
- Territory
- Term
- Media
- Platform
- Exclusivity
- Modification of the music
can change the scope of the licensing request.
Even extending a campaign or changing where the content will appear may require the licensing scope to be reviewed again.
What If You Already Have a Song in Mind?
If you already know the song you want, provide the song reference together with your project details.
Ask Massive Music whether it represents the relevant rights and can assess your request. If you need help selecting music, provide a creative brief for curation or supervision.
Planning Your Next Project?
Whether you already have a song in mind or need help finding the right one, start with a clear brief.
Open Contact Massive Music and submit a licensing enquiry using the project details above. A response, quote or catalogue suggestion is not a license; the required permissions must be agreed and documented.