Annual Synchronisation Licence

Who is the licence intended for?

The licence can be obtained either by a party creating the AV production, such as the production company, or by the AV production customer (the customer who orders an AV reproduction from a production company). The obtainer of the licence receives an agreement confirmation of the licence, including a summary of the licence’s content.

What does the licence cover?

The licence covers the incorporation of music in moving images, i.e. so-called synchronisation, in AV content produced during one year.

It covers the incorporation of music to AV content that is intended for the purposes such as

• for internal use within the company or the corporation (training or onboarding videos on the intranet or as physical copies)
• to be published on an online platform already licensed by Teosto (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)
• to be offered in a video library containing recordings of gigs and concerts or content featuring instructor-led physical exercise, for instance

What is not covered by the licence?

The licence does not cover the incorporation of music in moving images

• in TV programmes
• in feature-length films
• in advertisements
• in corporate presentations
• in documentaries intended for cinema distribution
• in trailers or programme identifiers
• if it is commissioned music

In the above-mentioned cases, the licence must be obtained from the publisher or author of the music in question.

The licence also does not cover the public performance of the music content, its transmission to the audience or the production of physical copies for sale, subject to a charge.

If the recording is performed publicly at live events or on an online platform not licensed by Teosto, a separate music performing licence is needed. The most suitable performing licence for live events is usually the Event Licence, and for online platforms the Minor Media Licence. Licences for transmission to the audience, such as TV, radio and online services, are agreed separately with the parties involved. Physical copies for sale may only be produced by obtaining a separate licence from Nordisk Copyright Bureau NCB.

PLEASE NOTE! The Synchronisation Licence can also be obtained as a supplement to the Media Licence, in which case this separate Synchronisation Licence is not required. Please note, however, that the licence for synchronisation obtained as a supplement to the Minor Media Licence is only valid for the duration of the Minor Media Licence: if you terminate the Minor Media Licence, the reproduction containing the music must be destroyed.  

This licence only covers the rights of music authors and publishers, i.e. the rights to the work. In addition to this licence, companies and corporations also need a licence to use recorded music online and on social media from the phonogram producer, i.e. the record company (the master use right). The record companies have different operating models and prices for the use of recordings, and they decide these independently.

Information about the record company that released the record can be found on the physical record cover or in Spotify’s Show credits information under Source, for example. The record company websites and contact information can be found with Google, for example.

How is the price of the licence calculated and what does it cost?

The licence has a fixed annual price based on the total amount of music included in the content produced during the year (see the price list below). At the time of obtaining the licence, the obtainer estimates the amount of music used during the year. Only sections containing copyright-protected music are included in the amount of music, not the duration of the entire content if it also includes content without any music or with non-copyright-protected music.

The obtainer of the licence does not need to report the music-related information to Teosto.

How and when is the licence paid for?

We invoice the licence price when we have processed the licence application, i.e. within 2–4 weeks of receiving the application. The price of the licence is invoiced with a single invoice based on the amount of music, as estimated at the time of obtaining the licence. No invoice refund is given even if the amount of music remains below the estimate. However, if the amount of music used during the year and reported to Teosto exceeds the estimate, we will invoice the difference between the estimate and the actual amount of music according to the price list.

How long is the licence valid for?

The Annual Synchronisation Licence is valid until further notice and its validity continues automatically each year until it is terminated.

Annual Synchronisation Licence – special terms and conditions specific to the method of use

The right to use music under the licence is governed by these special terms and conditions for individual methods of use, as laid down by Teosto, and Teosto’s General Terms and Conditions (hereinafter referred to collectively as “licence”).
Should a conflict arise between these special terms and conditions and Teosto’s General Terms and Conditions, these special terms and conditions have first priority, while Teosto’s General Terms and Conditions have second priority.

Definitions used in these special terms and conditions

Productions refer to individual audiovisual small-scale productions, such as concerts recorded on video, events, physical exercise, art projects and content produced for educational and training purposes or for the company’s own business operations.

The Nordic countries refer to Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.

Rights granted by the licence and period of validity

The licence covers the non-exclusive right to use the music represented by Teosto at any given time by recording (synchronising) the works in productions for the purpose of making them available to the audience and producing copies in the Nordic countries.

The licence covers the above-mentioned music use up to the maximum number of hours purchased by the customer.

The customer may purchase the licence for a fixed period of one year or until further notice.

Prices and invoicing

An annual lump-sum fee is paid for the licence. The fee is specified according to Teosto’s price list effective at that moment and applicable to the licence. The fee payable for the licence is invoiced in accordance with Teosto’s invoicing policy effective at that moment and applicable to the licence.

Reporting

The customer must report information about the music used in the productions, separately for each production, in accordance with Teosto’s reporting policy effective at that moment.

Other terms and conditions

The licence does not cover the right to make the productions available to the audience or to make reproductions of them (mechanisation). Licences for this must be applied for separately.

The extent of the rights granted by Teosto with the licence may vary during the period of validity of the licence. Teosto can exclude from this licence works or rights associated with them that are no longer administered by Teosto.

The licence does not cover the use of the works in advertisements, trailers, TV productions, documentaries, films, as theme music or in connection with business operations other than the company’s own business operations.

The right granted under the licence only applies to works originating from a legal source. The copies of the works referred to in the licence must therefore be legally produced and legally made available to the audience.

Teosto’s General Terms and Conditions

Music information reporting form (only in Finnish)

Send the reporting form as an email attachment to medialicensing@teosto.fi.