Recently, I’ve seen more independent artists calling themselves “sync artists” on social media.

I think that’s a mistake.

When I started in sync licensing—creating music for TV and ads—I thought branding myself as a sync artist or sync producer was smart. I wanted music supervisors to recognize me when they saw my profile.

After more than 10 years in the industry, I’ve learned things have changed. The “sync artist” label can actually hurt your chances.

Here’s why.

Music supervisors, ad agencies, and film directors aren’t looking for “sync artists.” If they work on a TV show or movie, they want to impact culture. If they work with a brand, they want to connect with culture.

They’re looking for real artists who have fans and momentum in the marketplace.

Sync artists usually aren’t that. The term “sync artist” often makes people think of generic music with titles like “It’s a Great Day” and “I’m Feeling Happy.” These songs used to be in high demand, but now supervisors want something deeper.

Sure, you can still hear generic sync music in shows or commercials. But many of these are low-budget placements, often paying $250 to $500.

While there are still many opportunities for these kinds of placements, it’s hard to build a career on low-budget sync placements alone.

If you want a career in this industry—if you want to make real money—you need bigger budget placements. And supervisors with those bigger budgets want real artists they can brag about to their clients.

They want to find the Next Big Thing.

If they hear your song and then see “Sync Artist” in your bio, they may assume you’re not a “real” artist.

If I were starting today as, say, a hip-hop artist, my bio might look something like this: “EricMakesMusic – High-Energy Hip Hop that Makes you Seize the Day. Music on NBC, ESPN, Netflix & more. All songs One Stop & Easy Clear.”

The first sentence shows I’m a real artist with a clear niche. The next two sentences show my sync experience without calling myself a “sync artist.”

The last sentence is key. It uses industry terms music supervisors know. And they’ll see that I know the lingo, which shows I’m a professional with experience.

Knowing how to present yourself as someone who understands the sync business is much more important than calling yourself a “sync artist.”

One word of caution: Don’t say your music is One Stop & Easy Clear if it isn’t. If you don’t know what those words mean, then your music isn’t. Misrepresenting your music is a fast way to burn bridges in this small industry.

That’s it! I hope I’ve convinced you. If tomorrow all my followers have erased “sync artist” from their bios, I’ll consider my job done. 🙂

What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know. I read everything and try to respond to as many as I can.