Key takeaways

  • "Owning a jingle" usually means owning the master recording, not necessarily the composition.
  • Sync rights for owned channels are the standard modern grant — they cover social, web, podcasts, and paid digital.
  • Terrestrial broadcast and licensing for use by third parties usually require extra clauses or fees.
  • Performance royalties may still flow to a composer registered with ASCAP or BMI even after assignment of the master.
  • Always insist on a written rights schedule before commissioning a jingle.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For specific deals, get a media lawyer to review the contract.

The four rights you should know

Master recording rights

The "master" is the specific recorded version produced for you. Owning the master means you control how that recording is used. Most modern flat-fee jingle packages assign the master to the buyer.

Composition rights

The composition is the underlying song — the melody, the lyric, the chord progression. A studio can assign the master while retaining composition rights. That is legal and not necessarily a bad deal, but it limits what you can do (you usually cannot re-record the song with another vocalist, for example, without negotiation).

Hartman Brothers assigns both master and composition rights to the buyer for the standard $2,500 package.

Sync rights

Sync rights are permission to pair music with visual content. Modern jingle packages grant perpetual sync rights for the buyer's owned channels — website, social, paid digital, podcasts, web video, YouTube uploads on your own channel.

Broadcast rights

Broadcast clearance covers terrestrial radio, broadcast TV, and (in some contracts) satellite radio. Many flat-fee packages exclude broadcast clearance from the base price and offer it as an add-on. At Hartman Brothers, broadcast clearance is a $500 add-on.

"Owned channels" — what that phrase actually covers

"Owned channels" is the standard scope grant in modern jingle contracts. It usually includes:

  • Your website and any subdomains
  • Your social accounts (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, X)
  • Your podcast feed and back catalog
  • Paid ads running on the platforms above
  • Hold music on your own phone system
  • In-office video, signage, and waiting-room loops

"Owned channels" typically does not include:

  • Terrestrial broadcast radio or TV (separate clearance)
  • Third-party podcasts, where your jingle would air outside your own feed
  • Resale or sublicensing to other brands
  • Use by a parent company or affiliate not named on the contract
Full master + perpetual owned-channel sync rights, $2,500 flat.

Broadcast clearance is a $500 add-on if you need terrestrial radio or TV.

Start your jingle - $2,500

Performance royalties: the part that surprises buyers

Even after you own the master, the composer of the jingle may still collect performance royalties if the song airs on radio or TV and the composer is registered with a performing rights organization like ASCAP or BMI. Those royalties are paid by the broadcaster, not by you — but it is worth knowing about so you can address it in the contract.

Common contract approaches:

  • Work-for-hire. The composer waives PRO registration; no royalties flow.
  • Hybrid assignment. The composer assigns master and composition but registers as composer with the PRO for performance royalties only.
  • License only. The composer retains rights and licenses the use; royalties flow.

Hartman Brothers uses a hybrid assignment by default: full master and composition to the buyer, PRO registration for performance royalties retained by the composer. Other structures are available on request.

Contract clauses to ask for

  1. Written rights schedule. A table that lists each right (master, composition, sync, broadcast) and who holds it.
  2. Perpetual term. No end date on your sync rights for owned channels.
  3. Territory. Worldwide. Avoid contracts that limit you to one country.
  4. Assignability. Permission to transfer rights if you sell the company.
  5. Indemnification. The studio warrants the work is original and indemnifies you against third-party claims.
  6. Revisions clause. Number of revisions and what counts as a revision vs a new direction.
  7. Termination conditions. What happens if either party walks away mid-project.

What "100% original" should mean

Any reputable jingle studio will warrant that the work is original and does not infringe on any third party's rights. Get that in writing. It protects you against a future claim that the melody or lyric is too similar to an existing work.

FAQ

What does "owning" a jingle actually mean?

Usually owning the master recording. Whether you also own the composition depends on the contract.

What is a sync right?

Permission to pair music with visual content. Sync rights for owned channels are the standard modern grant.

Do I need broadcast clearance?

Only if the jingle will run on terrestrial radio or broadcast TV.

Are royalties owed on a custom jingle?

Generally not for the recording you commissioned. Performance royalties may flow to a composer registered with a PRO if the song airs on broadcast. Confirm the structure in your contract.