Music Video Production Companies Settle the Rights and the Release Before the Shoot

Updated November 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team

Every song carries two copyrights, and a music video uses both. The U.S. Copyright Office treats the musical composition and the sound recording as separate works with their own authors, and YouTube’s Content ID can match a new upload against recordings already in its database. Music video production companies that settle those questions first protect the release day: who owns the song, who owns the recording, and who manages Content ID for it. Then comes the video itself, a treatment, locations and crew booked per project, performance and story shots, and an edit cut to the master audio. Progression’s team is based in New York and produces music videos for artists and labels across the US.

A premiere claimed by the artist’s own recording

A hypothetical independent singer uploaded her new video to her channel for a premiere. Her recording was already registered with Content ID through her distributor, and the upload was matched.

The claim followed the owner’s settings. In the second release the distributor was told about the channel and the video before premiere day. Nothing was stolen. The systems were simply not told.

Why would an artist’s own upload be matched?

Because Content ID matches an upload against files that owners have submitted, and it scans every upload automatically.

What music video production companies settle before the shoot

The sheet below lists what is settled before a camera rolls. Each line has a reason and a person who signs off.

Shooting to the master recording

The shoot is played back to the master recording, so every take lines up with the audio the edit will use. A change to the mix after the shoot can move every cut.

The treatment before the locations

A treatment says what the video is about and what it looks like. Locations are chosen to serve it, never the other way around.

• List every writer, producer and performer in the credits.
• Ask who manages Content ID before the upload.
• Send the master audio before the treatment is final.
• Plan the clean and vertical versions at the treatment.

Two copyrights in every song

The U.S. Copyright Office, in Circular 56A, says sound recordings and musical compositions are considered two separate works for copyright purposes. A copyright in a sound recording is not the same as, or a substitute for, copyright in the underlying musical composition.

An original track written and recorded by the artist may still have co-writers, a producer or a label holding parts of the rights, so the sheet lists each. Covers and samples need permission from the owners of what is used. Questions about specific rights go to the artist’s counsel or the label, and this page is not legal advice.

Does the video need its own permission?

Ask your counsel or label. The sheet exists so the question is asked before the shoot, not after the upload.

Content ID and the release day

Some copyright owners use Content ID, YouTube’s automated content identification system. Using a database of audio and visual files submitted by copyright owners, it identifies matches, and every uploaded video is scanned automatically.

A match gets a Content ID claim. Depending on the owner’s settings, the claim blocks the video from being viewed, monetizes it by running ads and sometimes sharing revenue with the uploader, or tracks its viewership statistics. Any of these actions can differ by country or region.

• Find out who manages Content ID for the recording.
• Give that person the release date and the channel before the premiere.
• Keep the credits with the master audio.
• Do not assume a claim will or will not happen.

Can a claim be avoided completely?

No promise can be made either way. What helps is that the right people know the video is coming.

A music video making company for independent artists

A music video making company serves an independent artist best by spending the budget on a few things done well. One location used well, performance coverage first and story shots second will usually go further than a long shot list.

• Choose one strong location.
• Shoot performance coverage first.
• Add story shots second.
• Set the budget in the written proposal.

The artist’s brand and site matter too. See musician branding agency and musician website design.

How many locations does a video need?

One is enough for many videos. A second location is worth adding only when it changes the story.

Music video companies working with labels and managers

A music videos company working with a label or a manager agrees approvals first. One named person on each side signs off, and the label’s delivery specs are settled before the shoot.

• Name one approver on each side.
• Agree delivery specs before the shoot.
• Plan alternate versions at the treatment: a clean edit and a vertical cut.
• Keep one file of credits for every version.

Press for the release is covered on music PR agency.

What is a clean edit?

A version cut for outlets that want no explicit content. It is planned before the shoot so scenes are covered.

Music video agencies, producers and directors: who does what

Music video agencies bring several roles together, and the roles are easier to see apart. The producer runs budget, schedule and bookings, the director runs the creative, and the editor cuts to the master.

Progression produces and arranges crews per project. Directors are named in the written proposal for your project.

Do we need a separate director?

Often yes. The proposal says who directs and who produces.

How a music video is quoted

Music videos are quoted per treatment, after scope. The price is set in the written proposal and is subject to change. Music videos production companies price on the same six factors.

• Ask what the quote assumes about days and locations.
• Ask which versions are included.
• Ask how a change to the master audio is handled.
• Ask who owns the final files.

Why is there no price list?

Because two videos of the same length can be very different jobs. A figure published without a treatment would be a guess.

What to send with the track

Seven things shape the treatment, and sending them early shortens the planning.

• The master audio.
• Songwriter and recording credits.
• Any samples.
• Who manages Content ID.
• References you like.
• The release date and channel.
• A budget range, if known.

What if the track is not finished?

A rough mix helps for the treatment. The edit waits for the final master.

From track to release files

The sequence is short, and the first two steps decide how calm the release day is.

Which step is most often skipped?

The heads up before the premiere. It costs one message.

Performance coverage and story shots

Performance coverage is the safe backbone of a music video. Story shots add meaning and take more planning, so they come second.

• Shoot multiple takes of the full performance.
• Plan story shots as short scenes.
• Capture inserts that cover edit points.
• Shoot to the master recording.

A video with a strong performance cut can carry a few story shots. A video made only of story shots has little to fall back on.

Do artists need to lip sync?

They perform to the master playback so the edit lines up with the audio.

Alternate versions: full, clean and vertical

Every version a release needs is planned at the treatment, because a version added after the shoot has to be built from footage that was never framed for it. The table lists the common ones and who asks for them.

• Decide the versions before locations are booked.
• Shoot inserts that cover edit points in every version.
• Frame the main subject inside the vertical safe area.
• Name each file by version and outlet.

Planning versions up front costs a few minutes at the treatment and saves a reshoot later. The label’s delivery specs usually decide which versions are needed.

Can a vertical cut be made from a wide video?

Only if the original framing left room for it. That is why vertical safe areas are drawn at the treatment.

Release files and the premiere date

The edit ends with the files each outlet takes and a premiere date everyone knows. Release files are named by version and outlet.

• Name files by version and outlet.
• Confirm each outlet’s specs before export.
• Send the credits with the files.
• Share the premiere date with whoever manages Content ID.

A premiere date shared early is a date that survives.

How early should the date be shared?

As soon as it is set, and again a few days before.

Frequently asked questions