Official Sail documents for standardized music synchronization licensing.
MusicAtlas introduced the Sail, the Simple Agreement for Instant License, as a standard form for limited-use music synchronization licensing.
Music licensing often falls into one of two extremes. At one end are fully negotiated commercial sync licenses designed for major productions, advertising campaigns, broadcast distribution, and large-scale commercial exploitation. At the other are royalty-free music libraries designed for speed and simplicity.
Many real-world projects fall somewhere in between. Filmmakers, creators, agencies, brands, artists, labels, publishers, and rights holders frequently encounter situations where both sides are willing to proceed, but documenting the permission can require disproportionate time, legal expense, or negotiation relative to the scope of the project.
The Sail was created to provide a simple, standardized framework for these common limited-use licensing scenarios. It is intended to make it easier for producers and music rights holders to document permitted use, fees, credit, ownership boundaries, and restrictions while preserving clear escalation paths for broader commercial distribution, broadcast, advertising, soundtrack, or large-scale commercial exploitation.
The Sail has two fundamental features that are important for lightweight music licensing:
It gives producers and rights holders a standard starting point for many common limited-use projects, including film festivals, screenings, online video, social media, portfolios, pitch materials, crowdfunding materials, internal presentations, and other non-broadcast uses.
As a flexible, one-document agreement with limited business terms to negotiate, the Sail can reduce legal friction and help more real music compete with the speed and simplicity of production libraries and royalty-free music.
Whether you are using the Sail for the first time or are already familiar with music licensing, we recommend reviewing the Sail User Guide. The guide explains when the Sail may be appropriate, when a different license may be needed, how master and publishing rights work, how paid promotion caps operate, and common examples of limited-use licensing scenarios.
While the Sail may not be suitable for all licensing situations, the terms are intended to be balanced, taking into account both producers’ and rights holders’ interests. There is a trade-off between simplicity and comprehensiveness, so while not every edge case is addressed, we believe the Sail covers many of the most common issues that arise in lightweight synchronization and media licensing workflows.
The Sail was developed by MusicAtlas through real-world licensing discussions involving filmmakers, agencies, artists, labels, publishers, rights holders, licensing professionals, and music copyright counsel.
MusicAtlas does not assume responsibility for the contents of, or the consequences of using, any version of the Sail or any other document found on this page. These documents are provided as general frameworks and do not constitute legal advice. Before using any form, parties should consult a lawyer qualified in the relevant jurisdiction.