DRAFT, pending counsel review. This document is an internal draft prepared on 2026-04-26 by the engineering team. It has NOT been reviewed by external legal counsel. Do not rely on it for legal advice. Effective date is a placeholder pending sign-off. Apostle Pty Ltd makes no representation that this draft satisfies any specific jurisdictional requirement until counsel-reviewed.

Music Synchronisation and Master-Use Clearance (Template)

Revision date: 2026-04-26 (draft v0.1.0) Audience: Filmmakers clearing music cues for Titles licensed to PYLON Companion document: /legal/filmmaker-distribution-agreement

How to use this template

Every music cue used in a Title licensed to PYLON requires two clearances:

1. Synchronisation licence, from the publisher (or the composer/songwriter directly if self-published), authorising the synchronisation of the musical composition with the visual element of the Title.

2. Master-use licence, from the record label (or the recording artist directly if self-released), authorising the use of the specific sound recording (the "master") in the Title.

If the same person controls both rights (e.g. a self-published, self-released indie composer), a single combined licence on this template is sufficient, strike the inapplicable preamble.

For library / production-music cues with a "blanket" licence (e.g. Artlist, Musicbed, Epidemic Sound, Soundstripe, AudioJungle), keep the platform's licence certificate on file and reference it in Schedule A below; the platform certificate replaces the per-cue clearance, provided it covers SVOD streaming and clip use ≤ 30 seconds and worldwide territory.

For public-domain cues (e.g. classical works whose composer died more than 70 years ago), a master clearance is still required for any specific recording that is itself in copyright (most recordings of classical works).

Clearance agreement

This Music Clearance ("Clearance") is granted by:

• Licensor: [Licensor Legal Name], of [Licensor Address] (the "Licensor"), being [the publisher of the composition / the master-rights holder of the sound recording / both, as identified below];

to:

• Licensee: [Creator Legal Name], of [Creator Address] (the "Filmmaker" or "Licensee"),

with the express right of onward sub-licence to:

• Distributor: Apostle Pty Ltd ([ACN: TBD]; [ABN: TBD]), and any successor in interest of the PYLON streaming service operated at https://pylon.video ("PYLON" or the "Distributor").

1. The cue and the work

This Clearance covers:

• The musical composition / song: [Title of composition], written by [Composer / Songwriter], published by [Publisher], identified by ISWC [ISWC number, if known] (the "Composition").

• The sound recording (master): [Recording artist], [Recording title], released [release date], on [label], identified by ISRC [ISRC number, if known] (the "Master").

• The Filmmaker's audiovisual work: [Title of the film] (the "Work").

The specific use within the Work is described in Schedule A.

2. Grant of synchronisation licence (publisher / composer side)

If the Licensor controls the Composition (or its share), the Licensor grants to the Licensee a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual licence to:

• (a) synchronise the Composition with the visual element of the Work as described in Schedule A;
• (b) reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, transmit, stream, and create marketing-clip derivatives of the Work containing the Composition for SVOD streaming, FAST distribution, marketing clips ≤ 30 seconds, festival use, theatrical exhibition, physical media, and any other use the Filmmaker is authorised to make of the Work.

The Licensee may sub-licence the synchronisation right to PYLON for all PYLON-authorised distribution (clause 4 of the Filmmaker Distribution Agreement).

3. Grant of master-use licence (label / artist side)

If the Licensor controls the Master (or its share), the Licensor grants to the Licensee a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual licence to:

• (a) embed the Master in the Work as described in Schedule A;
• (b) reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, transmit, stream, and create marketing-clip derivatives of the Work containing the Master for SVOD streaming, FAST distribution, marketing clips ≤ 30 seconds, festival use, theatrical exhibition, physical media, and any other use the Filmmaker is authorised to make of the Work.

The Licensee may sub-licence the master-use right to PYLON for all PYLON-authorised distribution (clause 4 of the Filmmaker Distribution Agreement).

4. Performance-rights organisation (PRO) carve-out

The Licensor's grant under sections 2 and 3 does not include the performance right administered by:

• ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC in the United States;
• APRA AMCOS in Australia and New Zealand;
• PRS for Music / PPL in the United Kingdom;
• SACEM in France;
• GEMA in Germany;
• AMRA, BMG, or another international PRO administrator.

PYLON, as the public performance / streaming platform, is responsible for clearing the public performance right with the relevant PRO under its own blanket licence(s) at the platform level. The Licensor's performance-royalty share for the public-performance right is collected through the Licensor's PRO membership in the ordinary course.

The Licensee shall provide PYLON with a cue sheet for every Title containing licensed music, identifying:

• composition title, composer / songwriter, publisher, ISWC, ISRC, duration of use, type of use (background / featured / opening / closing / source).

PYLON's cue-sheet upload tool is at /studio/upload/cue-sheet.

5. Term, territory, and media

The Licensor expressly acknowledges that the Licensee's grant to PYLON is non-exclusive, worldwide, and includes both SVOD and FAST distribution.

6. Compensation

The Licensee pays the Licensor the compensation specified in Schedule A as a one-time, fully-paid, all-in fee, fully and finally satisfying any synchronisation fee or master-use fee otherwise payable for the use of the cue in the Work.

The fee specified in Schedule A:

• (a) is fully paid on signature, unless otherwise specified;
• (b) is not subject to recoupment, royalty share, or future participation in the Work's earnings;
• (c) does not include the public performance royalty (which is collected separately through the Licensor's PRO).

If the parties have agreed a most-favoured-nations ("MFN") rate, the specific MFN clause is captured in Schedule A.

7. Licensor's representations and warranties

The Licensor represents and warrants:

7.1 Authority

The Licensor has the full power and authority to grant the rights granted in this Clearance, has obtained any required consent of co-writers, co-publishers, or co-rights holders, and has cleared any sample / interpolation in the Composition or the Master.

7.2 No infringement

To the best of the Licensor's knowledge, neither the Composition nor the Master infringes any third-party intellectual-property right.

7.3 No exclusive sync conflict

The Licensor has not granted any third party an exclusive synchronisation licence that would prevent the grant in this Clearance.

7.4 Cooperation on PRO registration

The Licensor shall cooperate in good faith with the Licensee and PYLON on PRO cue-sheet registration and on any audit by the Licensee or PYLON's external rights-administration adviser.

8. Indemnity

The Licensor indemnifies the Licensee and PYLON against any third-party claim arising from breach of any representation in section 7. The Licensee in turn indemnifies the Licensor against any claim arising from the Licensee's modification of the cue beyond the scope authorised in Schedule A (e.g. unauthorised re-mixing or re-arrangement).

8A. Pass-through to PYLON; Filmmaker bears liability

The Licensee (Filmmaker) passes through to PYLON the entirety of the synchronisation and master-use rights granted under sections 2 and 3, on the same terms and for the same scope of use, for the purpose of PYLON distributing the Work.

In the event that any clearance, licence, or right granted under this Clearance is later found to be defective, missing, revoked, narrower in scope than represented, or otherwise insufficient for PYLON's distribution of the Work (including, without limitation, any challenge to chain-of-title, any undisclosed sample or interpolation, any defective master-side clearance, or any AI-generated component not disclosed under section 13), the Filmmaker (and not PYLON) bears full liability to PYLON, the Licensor, and any third party. The Licensor's indemnity to the Filmmaker and PYLON under section 8 remains available, but does not relieve the Filmmaker of its responsibility to PYLON. This allocation operates in addition to, and is enforced through, clauses 12, 14.1, and 14.1A of the Filmmaker Distribution Agreement.

9. Termination for breach

This Clearance may be terminated by:

• the Licensor if the Licensee fails to pay the agreed fee within the timeframe in Schedule A and fails to cure within 30 days of written notice; or
• the Licensee if the Licensor breaches its representations in section 7 in a manner that prevents continued use of the cue.

On termination, the Licensee shall (and shall procure that PYLON shall):

• cease using the cue in any new reproduction or distribution of the Work; and
• replace the cue with an alternative in any future master delivered to PYLON.

PYLON's obligation on Licensor-side breach is to take down the affected version of the Work from active distribution within 30 days of receiving notice and a replacement master. The Filmmaker shall deliver a replacement master within that 30-day window.

10. Sample / interpolation disclosure

If the Composition or Master contains a sample or interpolation of another work, the Licensor shall identify the sampled / interpolated work in Schedule A.5 and confirm that all required clearances for that sample / interpolation have been obtained. The Licensor's indemnity in section 8 extends to any such sample / interpolation.

11. Production music / library cues

If the cue is sourced from a production-music library under a blanket subscription (Artlist, Musicbed, Epidemic Sound, Soundstripe, etc.), the parties may dispense with this template and instead rely on the library's licence certificate, provided that the certificate expressly covers:

• (a) SVOD streaming;
• (b) FAST / ad-supported streaming distribution;
• (c) clip use ≤ 30 seconds for marketing;
• (d) worldwide territory; and
• (e) perpetual term.

The Licensee shall maintain the certificate on file and reference it in PYLON's cue sheet for the Title.

12. Public-domain works

If the Composition is in the public domain (e.g. a classical work whose composer died more than 70 years ago, or a folk song with no identified composer), no synchronisation licence is required for the Composition. However, the Master (the specific recording) is typically in copyright unless it is itself a public-domain recording. A master-use licence is required for any copyright-protected recording.

If the Filmmaker has self-recorded a public-domain Composition, the Filmmaker is the master-rights holder and no separate master licence is required.

13. AI-generated music

If the cue was generated using an AI tool (e.g. Suno, Udio, AIVA, Soundraw, Loudly):

• the Filmmaker shall identify the tool, the generation date, and the account/user under whom the cue was generated, in Schedule A.6 below;
• the Filmmaker shall confirm that the tool's terms of service grant the Filmmaker commercial-use rights to the generated cue, including streaming distribution; and
• the Filmmaker indemnifies PYLON against any claim that the AI-generated cue infringes a third-party work or that the tool's terms did not in fact authorise the use.

This section 13 reflects the unsettled state of the law on AI-generated music and is provided for transparency. Counsel review in 2026–27 may revise this section.

14. Governing law and dispute resolution

This Clearance is governed by:

• (a) the law of the Licensor's country of residence (the "Licensor's Home Law"); or
• (b) where the Licensor's Home Law is not workable for cross-border enforcement, the laws of New South Wales, Australia, as a fallback.

[FOUNDER REVIEW · 2026-04-26] This template uses the subject's / licensor's residence as primary choice of law because the agreement is between the third party and the Creator (PYLON is a beneficiary, not a primary party). Counsel may prefer to standardise to NSW Australia for enforceability, verify before issuing the template to filmmakers.

Disputes may be brought in:

• the courts of the Licensor's residence (where the Licensor is the initiating party); or
• the courts of New South Wales, Australia (where the Filmmaker or PYLON is the initiating party), subject to applicable consumer-protection forum requirements in the Licensor's jurisdiction.

15. Signature

Signed for the Licensor:

  Name (printed):     ___________________________________

  Title / capacity:   ___________________________________
                      (e.g. composer / publisher / label
                       authorised representative)

  Date:               ___________________________________

  Signature:          ___________________________________


Signed for the Licensee (Filmmaker):

  Name (printed):     ___________________________________

  Title / capacity:   ___________________________________

  Date:               ___________________________________

  Signature:          ___________________________________

Schedule A, Cue details and fee

A.1 Cue summary

A.2 Fee

A.3 Specific scenes covered

A.4 PRO information

A.5 Sample / interpolation disclosure

If the Composition or Master samples or interpolates another work, identify it here and confirm separate clearance.

A.6 AI-generated music disclosure (if applicable)

Contact

• Filmmaker: [Creator Legal Name], [Filmmaker email]
• PYLON / Distributor: [email protected]
• PYLON cue-sheet upload: /studio/upload/cue-sheet

Version history