Sync licensing pitch: what to timestamp before you send

Flat illustration of a lyric sheet, a monitor showing a song waveform and scales of justice, with a teal timestamp badge

Before you pitch a track for sync, timestamp the exact files in the pitch. TimeBinder® makes a fingerprint in your browser. The files stay on your device. You get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate that shows each exact file existed no later than a recorded time. It does not show who wrote the song, who owns the publishing, or that a supervisor must clear it. Free to start. For cue deliveries after you are on a job, see music cue records for composers.

Table of Contents

The routine: timestamp before you send the pitch

  1. Assemble the pitch pack: master, instrumental or TV mix, lyric sheet, and one-sheet or metadata PDF.
  2. Optional. Confirm hashes with the free SHA-256 hash checker.
  3. Timestamp the pack in TimeBinder (up to 10 files, or one zip). Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required.
  4. Save the Proof of Time Certificate with the pack.
  5. Then send to the supervisor, library or agency.
  6. If they ask for a shorter edit or a new mix, timestamp that version before you send it.

What supervisors usually receive

  • A clean master and often an instrumental.
  • Lyrics and writer credits.
  • A short one-sheet: title, length, mood, links.
  • Sometimes stems for editing.

Date the files you actually attach, not a later re-export. See protect your music before sending and how to timestamp a file.

Writers, publishers and splits

If more than one writer is on the song, fill a split sheet before the pitch and timestamp that PDF with the audio. Clearances later turn on who owns what. A timestamp dates the files; the split records the shares.

What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t

A TimeBind shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time. It does not show authorship, ownership or copyright, and it does not clear a sync licence. Keep your publishing paperwork and any library agreement. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Should I timestamp before sending to a sync library?

    Yes. Timestamp the exact master and paperwork you deliver, then send.

  2. Does the library’s ingest date count?

    It shows when that library received the file. It does not date what you had before you sent it.

  3. What about a pitch playlist link?

    Timestamp the audio files behind the link, not only a screenshot of the playlist.

  4. Can I put master, instrumental and lyrics in one TimeBind?

    Yes, up to 10 files.

  5. What does it cost?

    Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, from US$5; ASAP is US$15. See plans and pricing

Timestamp your sync pitch free

Show that this exact file existed no later than a recorded time. Files stay on your device. Get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate. Free to start. Open TimeBinder

Related: YouTube’s Replace song AI tracks: what creators should keep before swapping a claimed song.