Pro Tips
Is your music “Sync Friendly”, and does it even matter?

In the world of music synchronization (sync), the term “Sync Friendly” is often used to describe music that’s considered easy to integrate into audiovisual projects, particularly advertising. But as the industry evolves, is this notion still relevant? Let’s take a closer look at what “Sync Friendly” means, its foundations, and whether it’s becoming an obsolete term in today’s fast-changing landscape.
What does “sync friendly” mean?
At its core, “Sync Friendly” refers to music that has strong potential for placement in audiovisual works, particularly advertising. These tracks typically possess the qualities that make them suitable for pairing with visuals: they’re memorable, easy to listen to, and enrich the overall narrative and emotional impact of the project.
However, it’s important to clarify that the concept of “Sync Friendly” largely pertains to advertising. When it comes to other forms of media, such as films and television series, there is no strict definition of “sync-friendly” tracks since the story and setting dictate the type of music required. For example, a film set in 1980s Romania will need music that would’ve been popular in Romania during that time period—regardless of if the track fits the typical “sync-friendly” mold.
So let’s take a closer look at the role music plays in advertising and if sync friendly tracks are still all that relevant.
The need for sync friendly music in advertising
In advertising, music plays a pivotal role in enhancing a brand’s message. Advertisers often rely on specific genres or emotions that align with their campaign goals. For this reason, “Sync Friendly” tracks tend to fall into certain stylistic or emotional categories that are highly sought after by agencies and brands.
Here are some examples of music types frequently considered to be “sync friendly” in the world of advertising:
- Girl Power: Energetic, empowering tracks that often feature female vocals.
- Feel-Good and Uplifting: Folk/pop songs with catchy melodies and often with choral elements that evoke a sense of unity and joy.
- Retro-Futuristic: Music that blends nostalgic elements with modern production, creating a bridge between the past and present.
These categories work because they serve as emotional amplifiers, elevating the themes or values a brand wants to communicate.
The problem with sync friendly music
Given that sync-friendly tracks are especially sought after in advertising, it’s easy to see why music supervisors often ask rights holders to send over their sync-friendly music first.
However, this approach has its drawbacks. By prioritizing tracks that fit a certain mold, music supervisors may be overlooking rare gems, unique tracks that, though unconventional, may ultimately have a greater emotional impact than their more obvious “sync friendly” counterparts. Indeed, the most memorable musical choices are oftentimes the most surprising. The question therefore becomes: how to make room for unconventional music when searching for sync friendly tracks?
Sync in the age of AI, a new era
The rise of AI music analyzers in music supervision is changing the way music is discovered and selected for sync opportunities. AI music analyzers like the one developed by Bridge.audio, can now analyze music and tag it with extreme precision by genre, mood, instrument type, BPM, vocal type, lyrical content and more. This enables music supervisors to search for music by precise tags, rather than simply relying on the “sync friendly” label, thus allowing them to find a variety of compelling music options that meet the needs of the audiovisual projects in question.
On the Bridge Sync Hub, music supervisors can use the power of an AI music analyzer to search for the music they need within a catalog of over 100k tracks, including music from Velvetica Publishing, Tôt ou Tard, and 200 other labels and publishers. Supervisors can either search by a specific set of tags, or filter the catalog to show only tracks tagged as “sync friendly”, thus ensuring they’ll find a track that suits their needs whether or not it fits the traditional sync friendly mold.
Find out how Bridge AI music analyzer compares to others on the market.
Conclusion
“Sync Friendly” music remains relevant, particularly in the advertising world. But as AI music analyzers continue to evolve, the need to focus solely on sync friendly tracks will diminish. Indeed, AI music analyzers will be able to tag and categorize music with precision, allowing music supervisors to focus on finding tracks that offer a fresh, unique perspective, whether they fit neatly into the “sync friendly” mold or not.
In this new era, the possibilities for music synchronization are expanding, and the lines between sync friendly and more unusual tracks are blurring. This shift holds exciting potential for the world of sync, leading to richer and more varied music choices in audiovisual works.