A music supervisor, as described by Berklee College of Music (n.d.), is a job within the film, television and media industry, specifically linked to the selecting and licensing of pre-existing songs and recordings used within visual media, such as film, television, video games and advertising. The ability to select the ‘perfect’ song is essentially a required ability for these professionals. They may select music that accurately represents the emotion behind a scene, or find work-arounds to ensure practical and profitable licensing of specific music that the director has requested. 

Generally, being a music supervisor requires you to arrange agreements with licensing representatives, record labels, music publishers, and sometimes even the artist or musician themselves. Typically, when these deals are successful, both parties profit, as the negotiations will often involve royalties for the artist and/or label. Furthermore, depending on the role within that specific film or project, the music supervisor is often asked to not only pick and authorise the use of the music, but to create the musical credits for the production, maintain cue sheets and assist with spotting sessions. When songs are unavailable for use, negotiations about cover versions begin, with the music supervisor overseeing almost the entire process, including selecting, booking and contracting the chosen talent, booking the recording studio, and overseeing recording sessions.

Since music supervision has only recently become an established and known career, due to the evolution of the film and television industry, a degree is not a requirement for this job role. Many specifically have backgrounds in music production, business and technology. According to UCAS (n.d.) though there is no specific music supervisor degree, there are plenty of courses with modules in music licensing, copyright, contracts and intellectual property, such as Music Management BA (Hons) at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and Music Business BA (Hons) at the Academy of Contemporary Music. These modules are incredibly relevant to the music supervisor career.

Generally speaking, music supervisors tend to be musicians themselves, have many connections within the industry, and must be very knowledgeable on the topics of music management and licensing. According to the Guild of Music Supervisors (n.d.), “The Music Supervisor provides professional quality service that combines creative, technical and management expertise with relevant proven experience. This specialized combination of diversified knowledge and unique skills is integrated into all stages of development, pre-production, production, post-production, delivery and strategic marketing of the project with regard to all music related elements.” This clearly suggests that the priority of a music supervisor is not their qualifications, but their abilities.

Many begin their careers in the industry as music assistants, licensing coordinators or production assistants before progressing towards becoming music supervisors. It’s clear that industry experience and valuable skills are far more relevant than official accreditations.

According to the Guild of Music Supervisors (n.d.), it’s incredibly important to be able to not only have the natural ability for finding the right music, but to have strong communication skills, in order to liaise professionally across various areas of the industry, and have accurate knowledge on costs in order to maintain a realistic budget, staying organised to ensure all copyright and licensing is correct and ready in time for the film/project release, and even the ability to determine the viability of any music related ancillary product, such as the soundtrack and internet downloads. 

Berklee College of Music (n.d.) states that music supervisors must maintain an array of both professional and interpersonal skills, including but not limited to: an encyclopedic knowledge of  music, a moderate to extensive knowledge of film, an in-depth understanding of music licensing laws, strong communication skills in order to create and maintain connections in the music recording and publishing industries, negotiation, sticking to deadlines, and the ability to correctly and accurately carry out research.

When asked what makes a successful music supervisor in an interview titled ‘The Role of a Music Supervisor’ (Bailie, 2020), Ed Baile, director/music supervisor at Leland Music, said “creativity, expertise, collaboration, communication, persistence. When you’re in the thick of it on a number of productions you need some serious time management skills too.” 

A huge part of music supervision is sync licensing. According to the article ‘How Sync Licensing Works’ (Horus Music, 2025), Sync licensing, short for synchronisation licensing, is the process of getting permission to use a piece of music alongside visual media, whether that’s commercial, video game, film, documentary or TV series. When your song is synched to video, it must be licensed from the rights holders. This includes the master rights – the actual recording, which is typically owned by a label or artist, the sync rights, which are normally linked to publishing, and the composition and lyrics, usually owned by the songwriter or publisher. To legally use a track in any form of media, these rights must be cleared, often requiring separate agreements. A sync license is a legal agreement created to allow someone (such as a filmmaker, brand or producer) to use music belonging to someone else in their content. These agreements outline where and how the music will be used, the duration of the usage, the media type (TV, online, theatrical release), the territory (e.g. UK only or global) and the payment terms and royalty splits. 

It’s important to differentiate between music publishing and music licensing when talking about music supervision. According to the article ‘Understanding Music Copyrights and Licenses’ (Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, n.d.), music publishing is essentially the management and promotion of a song’s copyright. The pure creation of a song makes it automatically copyrighted as a form of intellectual property, and gives the owner exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute and perform the song. The role of a music publisher is, in short, to manage and promote a song’s copyright. Music licensing is the process through which the songwriter or their publisher grants permission for their music to be used by others. This includes film and TV. When a song is licensed, as we know, the rightsholder typically receives payment for granting this permission, which can vary depending on the nature of the use and popularity of the song, as well as other factors. Music supervisors must fully understand both of these in order to complete their duties.

In terms of royalties, the most relevant to music supervision is sync royalties. According to the article ‘Understanding Music Royalties’ (Los Angeles Film School, n.d.), these are royalties that artists earn when their music is licensed for use in visual media. These royalties often include an upfront fee in addition to ongoing payments, making them a valuable income stream for many artists. 

According to the article ‘How To Become a Music Supervisor’ (Mike Turner, CareersinFilm.com, 2024), generally, the annual salary of a Music Supervisor is somewhere between $44,000 to $65,000 (£33,447.36 to £49,410.87). Supervisors will earn more on higher budget productions with larger film companies, and less on smaller films and projects. Most music supervisors will be working on multiple projects at once to ensure a steady and profitable income each year.

Due to the fact that music supervisors are often on a contractual or freelance basis, their notability relies not only on their creative and technical skills, but also their ability to promote themselves. Digital portfolios and personal branding are incredibly valuable to the individual. 

In the article ‘A Short Guide to Working With Music Supervisors and Composers’, (Angela Penhaligon, Film Hub South West, n.d.) it is stated that most jobs as a music supervisor come from word of mouth and recommendations from within the industry.

Furthermore, in the article ‘How to Become a Music Supervisor: a Step-by-Step Guide’, (Ilaria G, 2024) it’s stated that the entertainment industry as a whole thrives on networking. It’s important that up and coming music supervisors attend industry events, join professional associations and make their presence known on social media platforms dedicated to music and film. Having strong relationships with composers, directors, and producers can open many doors to opportunities. The author also states that it’s important to build your portfolio and begin compiling your work, be it licensing deals you’ve negotiated, or productions you’ve contributed to.

‘The Role of a Music Supervisor’ (Ed Bailie, 2020) suggests that there is a strong element of pressure placed upon the shoulders of a music supervisor; especially when there is legacy involved. His company, Leland Music has worked on the John Lewis Christmas adverts for over a decade, and he states that the annual press and social media anticipation over who the cover artist is and what the song will be can add a lot of weight to the job, as one can imagine.

The length of a deadline and the stress that therefore comes from that varies heavily depending on the project. For example, in ‘Master of None: Music supervisor Zach Cowie shares his soundtrack secrets’ (BBC News, 2017), Cowie states that for series 1, he was brought into the project ‘Master of None’ just after the scripts were written, but since series 2, he’s began working before the scripts were even written, since music plays such a key part in this series. His role on this specific show tends to continue right up until the footage is finished, through into post-production. Sometimes work will continue after the release of a film, to oversee the distribution of any music related ancillary product, such as the release of the soundtrack on streaming services and the production of physical media such as vinyl records and CDs.

In terms of progression, it can be incredibly difficult to progress within the industry. According to ‘How to Become a Music Supervisor’ (Mike Turner, Careers in Film, 2024) “Companies are run by a main Music Supervisor who gets enough work that they can’t do it all themselves [and they] will hire people to help them facilitate working on multiple projects. At the end of the day, it’s the veteran Music Supervisor whose name is on it, even if other people did most of the work finding the songs.” Turner states, the most logical progression route for a music supervisor is to get an apprenticeship with a well known music supervisor, and work your way up to assistant, then coordinator, and finally music supervisor, but of course this takes time, effort and dedication, and even then may be a struggle. 

There are only truly 4 major film companies nowadays that create movies in the $100M+ range, and to become a music supervisor for any of these is essentially impossible without being in a collaborative team of at least 20 or so people, making it very difficult to establish a name for yourself.

In conclusion, a music supervisor is in charge of discovering, selecting, and licensing music in film, television, and visual media. Music supervisors must have an eclectic taste, with an encyclopedic knowledge of tracks and genres, as well as a powerful understanding of emotion, specifically through their preferred media which they choose to work on. The key skills to be a music supervisor, from what I’ve discovered, includes determination and dedication in order to promote oneself and progress within the industry, as well as negotiation and industry knowledge to ensure a smooth licensing process, and finally, a love and passion for music and visual media.

Bailie, E. (2020) The Role of a Music Supervisor [Interview] Leeds Conservatoire, 5 November 2020. Available at: https://www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/about-us/progression-portal/musicians-survival-guide-articles/the-role-of-a-music-supervisor/ 

Berklee College of Music (n.d.) Music Supervisor Career Description. Available at: https://www.berklee.edu/careers/roles/music-supervisor-filmtv (Accessed: 28 October 2025).

Cowie, Z. (2017) [Interview] Master of None: Music supervisor Zach Cowie shares his soundtrack secrets. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40302439 

Guild of Music Supervisors (n.d.) What is a Music Supervisor? Available at: https://www.guildofmusicsupervisors.com/what-is-a-music-supervisor (Accessed: 28 October 2025).

Horus Music (2025) How Sync Licensing Works. Available at: https://www.horusmusic.global/news/how-sync-licensing-works 

Ilaria G (2024) How to Become a Music Supervisor: A Step-by-Step Guide. Music Jobs UK. Available at: https://www.music-jobs.com/uk/article/news/how-to-become-a-music-supervisor-a-step-by-step-guide 

Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (n.d.) Understanding Music Copyrights and Licenses. Available at: https://www.icmp.ac.uk/blog/understanding-music-copyrights-and-licenses (Accessed: 28 October 2025).

Los Angeles Film School (n.d.) Understanding Music Royalties. Available at: https://www.lafilm.edu/blog/understanding-music-royalties (Accessed: 28 October 2025).

Mike Turner, Careers in Film (2024) Music Supervisor. Available at: https://www.careersinfilm.com/music-supervisor 

Penhaligon, A. (n.d.) A Short Guide to Working With Music Supervisors and Composers. Film Hub South West. Available at: https://watershed.co.uk/filmhub/guides_resources/a-short-guide-to-music-licensing-with-prsformusic/ (Accessed: 28 October 2025).UCAS (n.d.) Music Management BA (Hons). Available at: https://www.ucas.com (Accessed: 28 October 2025).