Music Rights & Licensing Strategy
HML Studio
Strategy and execution across music rights and sync licensing.
Founded by Holly Mate-Luber · 13 years at Sony Music Publishing
Music Clearance & Licensing →
Productions, brands, agencies, music supervisors
Sync Strategy for Music Funds & Investors →
Music funds, catalog investors, acquirers
Licensing Support for Catalog Owners →
Independent labels, publishers, estates
Licensing Operations, Music Tech & AI →
Music companies, sync agencies, rights management and tech platforms
Litigation & Counsel Support →
Entertainment attorneys and law firms
Sync Guidance for Artists & Songwriters →
Artists, songwriters, producers, composers, managers
About HML Studio
HML Studio is an independent advisory practice specializing in music rights, sync licensing strategy, and clearance.Founded by Holly Mate-Luber, the studio works with clients across music, media, technology, legal, and investment sectors, providing strategic guidance and hands-on expertise in rights research, licensing, and operations.
About Holly
Holly Mate-Luber is a music rights and licensing strategist with 13 years of experience at Sony Music Publishing, the world's largest music publisher.As Director of Creative Marketing (Sync Clearance & Licensing), she oversaw sync clearance and licensing for high-profile projects across film, television, trailers, advertising, marketing campaigns, sports, and other visual media, negotiating deals that worked for rights holders and licensees alike and generated $750K–$1.5M in licensing revenue each month.Her experience includes negotiating a seven-figure license for a Super Bowl Sunday film trailer and managing sync deals for major studios, networks, and streaming platforms, including Paramount Pictures, NBC, and A24.Holly also built processes and systems to streamline licensing workflows, approvals, and contract execution.Today, through HML Studio, she advises productions, music funds, catalog owners, music companies, and counsel on music rights, sync licensing, and clearance.She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Business and Management, magna cum laude, from Berklee College of Music, where she now serves as an Alumni Mentor.Learn more about Holly at hollymateluber.com
Services
Ways to work together
Advisory sessions: focused calls on a specific question, offer, or decision, booked directly through Cal.com.
Scoped projects: clearance, copyright research, readiness assessments, diligence reviews, and written analyses, with deliverables and pricing set up front.
Ongoing, retainer & fractional support: an experienced licensing voice on your team, sized to your volume.
Music Clearance & Licensing
For filmmakers, production companies, brands, agencies, and content teams, plus music supervisors and clearance companies needing added capacity
Clearance and licensing for film, TV, trailers, and promos; advertising and marketing campaigns; sports and live event activations; and podcasts and digital content, managed precisely by someone who knows how rights holders evaluate, price, and approve requests, with obstacles identified early and requests kept moving. From a single song to a full project, or as added capacity on work already underway.
Services
Feasibility & budgeting: script and treatment review, clearance complexity, realistic music budgets including festival licenses and step deals, and alternatives when a song isn't clearable.
Rights & copyright research: ownership, administration, registration, and public domain status for each composition and master, with sources documented.
Clearance & licensing: end-to-end publishing and master-use clearance, from rights holder outreach, quotes, and negotiation through approvals, executed licenses, and tracking.
Deal strategy & license review: negotiation strategy and deal structuring, including options, most favored nation (MFN) terms, and multi-song or campaign packages, plus a second opinion on quotes, fees, and terms, including whether the license covers how the music will be used.
Cue sheets & deliverables: prepared or reviewed against cleared music, with license documentation ready for delivery.
What you can expect: a defined clearance plan for each song, budgets grounded in how rights holders actually quote, risks flagged before they reach the final cut, and complete documentation at delivery.
Clearance consultation: 60 min, $250, may be credited toward the project.Discuss a project →
Common questions →
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Sync Strategy for Music Funds & Investors
For music funds, catalog investors, and acquirers
Sync strategy, deal advisory, and partner oversight for acquired catalogs: where to focus, how to price, and how to hold sync partners to a plan. This work draws on years of pricing, negotiating, and approving sync licenses at scale, including raising deal value an average of 30% over initial offers. Pre-acquisition input is available to inform your own diligence.
Services
Catalog sync strategy: priority songs, target placement categories, and realistic revenue goals.
Deal negotiation support: sync quotes, fee benchmarks, rights packages, MFNs, and license terms.
Sync partner oversight: how admin and sync partners pitch, quote, and report on the catalog.
Team education: briefings for investment, A&R, and business affairs teams on how sync works and what drives value.
Pre-acquisition sync context: licensing history, licensability, rights complexity, approval restrictions, and copyright ownership and term research, to inform your diligence.
What you can expect: a clear sync plan for each catalog, informed pricing and negotiation decisions, and effective oversight of the partners licensing your rights.Available as project support on a live transaction, targeted expert calls, or ongoing portfolio support.
Book an advisory call (60 min, $250) →
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Licensing Support for Catalog Owners
For independent labels, publishers, estates, and artist-owned catalogs.
Sync strategy and licensing management for independent catalogs: clear priorities for the catalog, and incoming requests priced and negotiated for full value. Strategy and licensing only; I don’t pitch catalogs or take placement commissions.
Services
Catalog sync strategy: priority songs, target placement categories, and realistic revenue goals.
Licensing management: an outsourced licensing desk for incoming requests, from quote and negotiation through approval and signed license.
Pricing, terms & partner deals: fee benchmarks, MFNs, and license terms, plus review of sync agent, library, and admin agreements (industry guidance, not legal advice).
Catalog readiness & operations: metadata, splits, ownership, approval contacts, and licensing intake, CRM, and pipeline tracking, so requests close quickly and opportunities don’t slip through.
Estate & rights research: rights audits, ownership and copyright term research, and approval mapping for estates and heirs.
What you can expect: a focused sync strategy, requests handled from first quote to signed license, and rights information ready for fast approvals.Available as strategy sessions, catalog readiness projects, ongoing licensing management.
Strategy session: 60 min, $250.Discuss licensing support →
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Licensing Operations, Music Tech & AI
For music companies, sync agencies, rights management, music tech, and AI platforms
Senior licensing leadership, hands-on or advisory, without adding a full-time role: how requests move through your team, how deals are priced, and how rights questions shape product and partnership decisions.
Services
Licensing intake & workflow design: how requests are received, quoted, approved, and tracked, including CRM requirements. Custom software development stays with your engineers or vendors.
Quote & deal review: second opinions on quotes, fees, MFNs, and terms, including newer formats such as social and AI uses.
Pricing & internal policy: fee benchmarks and guidelines that keep quoting consistent across a team.
Music tech & AI advisory: rights, licensing, provenance, and AI's impact on copyright, to inform product and partnership decisions.
Ongoing & fractional support: retainer or embedded support as an experienced licensing lead, from overseeing workflow and pricing to handling quotes, negotiations, and approvals directly.
What you can expect: a licensing workflow your team can run, consistent pricing, and experienced judgment on the deals and product decisions that matter most.Available as advisory sessions, workflow assessments, or retainer and fractional support.
Advisory session: 60 min, $250.Discuss ongoing support →
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Litigation & Counsel Support
For entertainment, copyright, and music transactional counsel
Behind-the-scenes consulting and litigation support for counsel on sync licensing and music rights matters, across both publishing and master-use rights, from years inside the deals and approvals these matters turn on.
For litigation
Litigation & document support: licensing records, approval correspondence, and deal histories organized into chronologies, with support for document requests, review, and witness preparation.
Industry custom & practice: how sync deals are negotiated, approved, and documented, including approval rights, MFNs, and coordination among rights holders and licensees.
Sync fee benchmarking & licensing economics: fee ranges, comparable uses, and pricing factors to inform damages, settlement, and negotiation analysis.
Copyright & ownership research: ownership, administration, registration, and public domain research, with sources, discrepancies, and open questions documented.
For transactions & clearance
Clearance & licensing: publishing and master-side outreach, quotes, approvals, and license execution, tracked through to completion.
License & usage review: license terms reviewed against proposed or actual uses, flagging media, term, territory, renewal, extension, and publishing/master gaps for counsel.
What you can expect: clear industry context, organized records, and documented research counsel can rely on.Available as matter-specific consulting, targeted advisory calls, project-based research and clearance, or ongoing support. Non-testifying consulting; not legal advice. Subject to conflicts review.
Litigation support consultation: 60 min, $300.Discuss a matter →
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Sync Guidance for Artists & Songwriters
For artists, songwriters, producers, composers, and managers
Independent sync licensing guidance from someone who has reviewed, priced, and approved sync requests across film, TV, trailers, ads, sports, and digital content. I don't pitch, represent, or take a cut of your music. My advice is independent of placement commissions.
Services
Sync readiness: metadata, splits, ownership, approval contacts, and samples/interpolations in order, so your music can be cleared quickly when an opportunity comes in.
Sync deal & agreement review: the offer, the fee, and how, where, and for how long the music will be used, including sync agent and library agreements (industry guidance, not legal advice).
Request & approval support: responding to incoming requests and quotes, and aligning approvals among co-writers, publishers, and labels.
Catalog positioning: candid feedback on fit for sync, which opportunities are worth pursuing, and how music supervisors evaluate songs.
Rights organization: rights audits, split and ownership tracking, and guidance on getting set up with rights management platforms, so you know exactly what you control.
What you can expect: a clear read on any offer before you respond, rights and approval processes in order, and an honest view of where your music fits in sync.Available as sync deal reviews, advisory sessions, catalog readiness projects, or ongoing support. Advisory only; no placement guarantees.
Sync strategy session: 30 min, $125.Book a 15-minute consultation on one sync offer or agreement ($50) →
Discuss a catalog readiness project →
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Speaking & Curriculum Advisory
Guest lectures, workshops, and speaking engagements on sync licensing, publishing, clearance, copyright, and AI's implications for music rights, plus curriculum advisory, classroom case studies, and capstone mentorship for music business and entertainment law programs.
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Frequently asked questions
Music Clearance & Licensing
How do I license a song for my film or video?
Most uses need two licenses: a sync license for the composition from its publisher(s) and a master use license for the recording from its label. I identify every rights holder, request quotes, negotiate, and track approvals.Do brands need a license to use music in social media content?
Usually, yes. Music available to personal accounts on social platforms generally isn't cleared for branded content, so brand uses typically need licenses from the publisher and label.How much does it cost to license a song?
It depends on the specific song, along with the media, term, territory, and how it's used. I give you a realistic range before you build the budget around it.What do rights holders look for before approving a use?
The use, the fee against comparable deals, the term and territory, and any approval restrictions or most favored nation (MFN) terms.How long does clearance take?
A simple request may resolve in a few days; songs with many writers, estates, or international rights holders take longer, so starting early matters. Timelines can't be guaranteed.What if the song I want can't be cleared?
It's best to know before the edit locks. I flag clearance risk early and suggest workable alternatives.What's the difference between festival and full distribution licensing?
A festival license covers festival screenings only; wider distribution requires expanded rights. Step deals can set those future fees in advance, keeping early costs down until distribution is confirmed.
Sync Strategy for Music Funds & Investors
How can an acquired catalog earn more from sync?
By setting priority songs and placement targets, building a proactive pitch plan for your team or sync partners, tightening how requests are quoted and approved, and holding partners to that plan.Are our sync partners pitching and pricing the catalog well?
It shows in what they pitch, how they quote, and how they report. I review all three and benchmark their fees against comparable deals.Is this quote or deal term in line with the market?
Market terms depend on the song, the use, and comparable deals. I give a second opinion on fees, rights packages, MFNs, and terms before you accept or counter.Is this catalog's past sync income repeatable?
It depends on whether the income comes from many licenses or one outlier placement, and which restrictions limit future uses. I look at both.What makes certain songs hard to license?
Approval rights, complex splits, samples, and estate consents. I flag which ones affect your catalog.
Licensing Support for Catalog Owners
Why isn't our catalog getting licensed more?
Usually it’s a mix of creative fit, demand, pricing, and how easily the music clears. I look at all of it: where the catalog fits current opportunities, whether quotes are out of step with typical budgets, and whether ownership, metadata, or approvals are slowing deals down.How should we price sync requests?
Media, term, territory, platform, exclusivity, and MFNs all shape the fee, along with the song’s license history and demand. I benchmark against how rights holders actually quote.Can someone handle our incoming requests?
Yes. As an outsourced licensing desk, I handle incoming requests from quote and negotiation through approval and signed license.How do I know if a song is in the public domain?
It depends on the country, and the composition and recording are evaluated separately. I research copyright term and ownership by territory, with sources documented.
Licensing Operations, Music Tech & AI
Are we overpaying (or undercharging) for music?
It comes down to what publishers and labels actually charge for comparable uses. I benchmark your quotes and fees against them.How should we structure deals for AI, social, and other new formats?
Standard sync terms often don't fit these uses, so the first step is identifying which rights each use needs. I map those rights and where standard terms fall short.Why do our licensing requests take so long?
Usually it's intake, missing ownership data, or approval bottlenecks. A workflow review shows where requests stall.Can we hire a fractional music licensing lead?
Yes, through a retainer or fractional arrangement scoped to your volume.
Litigation & Counsel Support
What is standard industry practice for approving a sync use?
Publishers and labels typically weigh the use, fee, term, territory, and any approval rights before signing off. I document how that process works and where it diverged in your matter.What would this use typically have cost to license?
Fees for comparable songs and uses set the benchmark. I provide that fee context to inform damages or settlement analysis.Who owned or controlled this song at the time?
Ownership and administration can change over time through catalog sales, admin deals, and reversions. I research who controlled the song and when, with sources documented.Does this license actually cover the use?
It depends on whether the use falls within the licensed media, term, territory, and scope. I review the license against the actual use from a business-practice perspective.
Sync Guidance for Artists & Songwriters
How do I make my music sync-ready?
Clean metadata, agreed splits, clear ownership, and a fast way to approve requests, plus knowing how to read a creative brief and how music supervisors want to receive music.Is this sync fee fair?
It depends on the media, term, territory, and use. I compare the offer against those, and tell you what's typical and what to ask before you respond.Should I sign this sync agent or library deal?
It depends on the business terms, exclusivity, and what you're giving up. I walk through each one, as industry guidance rather than legal advice.What are music supervisors looking for?
Songs that fit the scene and the budget, and can be cleared fast. I give honest feedback on where your catalog fits.How do I avoid rights issues that block placements?
Settle splits and samples before release, and keep every co-writer and rights holder reachable.