Define scope before price
- Term — single campaign, 1 year, perpetual?
- Territory — domestic, regional, global?
- Media — broadcast, digital, in-store, live, all?
- Exclusivity — category-exclusive vs. non-exclusive?
- Edits — is the brand allowed to re-edit or remix?
License vs. work-for-hire
A license keeps the master and publishing with the artist. Work-for-hire transfers ownership to the brand. Most artists should refuse work-for-hire on existing catalogue and reserve it only for purpose-built mnemonics priced as such.
Fee components
- Sync fee (license to use the recording)
- Master use fee (paid to the master owner)
- Publishing fee (paid to publisher/songwriter)
- Most-favored-nations clause balancing both sides
- Renewal options pre-negotiated at the deal stage
When the deal is a sonic system
If the brand wants a full audio identity — mnemonic, theme, UX sounds, live cues — price it as a system build with annual maintenance, not a one-time license. The brand needs you to evolve the system over years; price for the relationship, not the deliverable.