Licensing Basics
Using a Licensed Song in Your Music Video and on Social Media
By the Starchild Music team · October 10, 2026 · 6 min read
The short answer
A license to record and release a song covers your audio. Pairing the song with picture, as in a music video or lyric video, is a synchronization use, which is traditionally a separate right granted by the songwriter or publisher. Starchild licenses cover using your recording of the song in your own music video and lyric video; with a license from anywhere else, check that the terms mention video before you shoot. Credit the writers in your descriptions, and don't enroll a non-exclusively licensed song in YouTube Content ID.
Your single is out, and now you want the video: a full music video, a lyric video, a run of short clips for TikTok and Reels. Video is where a lot of new listeners will meet the song, so it's worth getting the rights right before you spend money on a shoot.
The short version is that audio rights and video rights are traditionally separate. Here's what that means for a licensed song and what to check first.
Audio rights and video rights are different rights
ASCAP describes a mechanical right as the right to record and distribute a song without visual images. A synchronization, or sync, right covers using a recording of a song in audiovisual form, and ASCAP lists a music video as an example alongside films, TV shows and commercials.
The Harry Fox Agency, which licenses cover recordings, says it does not issue sync licenses at all, and that you need one if you plan to use music with visual media such as films, TV, videos, websites and video games. For those, it directs people to contact the publisher.
So a license that covers recording and releasing your version doesn't automatically cover putting that song in a video. The terms of your specific license decide it. That's true whether the video cost thousands to shoot or was filmed on your phone in an afternoon, because the right depends on the use, and a budget doesn't change it.
Check your license before you shoot
Pull up your license and look for language about video, audiovisual use, or synchronization. On Starchild, every license covers using your recording of the song in your own music video, including lyric videos and visualizers. Your license certificate shows the license you hold, and you can confirm it at starchild.music/verify. With a license from anywhere else, if video isn't clearly covered, ask before you book a director.
Get the answer in writing and save it with your license. A music video can stay online for years, and a written confirmation made before the shoot is far easier to rely on than a memory of a conversation. Run through these questions as you read:
- Does the license mention music videos, lyric videos or visualizers?
- Does it allow posting on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and other social platforms?
- Does it cover paid advertising, or only organic posts?
- Are there territory limits?
- If you hold an exclusive term, what happens to your video when the term ends?
Lyric videos, visualizers and short clips
A lyric video or a looping visualizer is still the song paired with picture, so treat it the same way as a full music video when you check your terms. Lyric videos also display the writer's words on screen, which is one more reason to show the credit clearly.
Short clips work a little differently in practice. When you distribute your release to social platforms through your distributor, your recording can become available in those platforms' music libraries. TuneCore, for example, says its TikTok distribution takes about five business days after approval and asks you to add contributors so they're credited when your songs are played. Clips you make using that library audio follow the platform's own music terms.
Posting your own clips is also different from fans using your sound. Once your release is in a platform's library, other people can use it in their videos under that platform's terms, and that's usually exactly what you want from a single. Make sure your distributor has the writers listed correctly so those uses are credited to the right people.
Ads and brand deals are a separate conversation
Boosting your own release post is one thing. Putting the song in a sponsored video for a brand, or in an ad for a product, is a commercial sync use, and that's the kind of use publishers traditionally license separately and price differently.
If a brand wants to use your recording, confirm in writing that your license covers that use, or contact the writer or publisher for a separate agreement. This is a good moment to involve a music attorney, especially if the deal includes fees, usage periods or multiple countries. Our guide to what sync licensing is explains the basics.
Content ID and non-exclusive songs
YouTube's Content ID matches uploaded videos against reference files from copyright owners, then blocks, monetizes or tracks the matching videos. YouTube says it's available to owners who hold exclusive rights to a substantial body of original material.
Many distributors exclude covers and non-exclusively licensed material from their Content ID programs. iMusician, for instance, lists tracks based on non-exclusive content and cover versions among the material that isn't eligible. If you licensed a song non-exclusively, other artists may record it too, and a Content ID claim on your version could misfire against them or against the writer. Leave Content ID switched off for that release unless your distributor confirms it's eligible.
An exclusive license on Starchild takes the song off the marketplace for your term, which helps your video campaign stand alone. It doesn't transfer the composition to you, so check Content ID eligibility with your distributor either way.
If one of your own videos receives a claim, look at who filed it before you react. Claims can come from a distributor, a publisher or another rights holder. Keep your license certificate handy so you can show you're licensed if you need to respond.
Credit the writer on screen and in descriptions
- Add 'Written by' followed by the writers' names to every video description.
- Name yourself as the performing artist and list your producer and director credits separately.
- Include the credit in the end card of a music video.
- On lyric videos, put the credit on screen near the start or end.
- Use the same spelling you used with your distributor.