1.2 – Student episode: El Kirkwood on sync licensing (with Danny West)

How Songs Make Money is a podcast series about music rights and the income streams associated with songwriting and composition, hosted by Dr Ellis Jones, Lecturer in Music and Management at the University of Leeds.

This week's episode is produced by El Kirkwood, a recent graduate of our Music Management MA course. El explores the world of sync licensing, reflecting on the economic value of sync deals, the question of how much ‘exposure’ through sync placements is really worth, and the challenges facing smaller independent artists in securing rewarding placements. The episode draws on an interview with Danny West, who at the time was working for a Leeds-based music organisation called Come Play With Me. This episode was recorded in April 2024, and since then Danny has moved to a new role as Producer at Universal Production Music UK.

El is also the creator of b!tch zine, and bassist in the Leeds-based punk band Helle. You can find out more about those projects here:

https://www.instagram.com/bitchzine/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/hellebandofficial/?hl=en

--

All views expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers, and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Leeds, the School of Music, or any other organisation. Nothing in this podcast should be interpreted as business or legal advice.

How Songs Make Money is created and assembled by Ellis Jones, with contributions from students on the University of Leeds, Music Management MA course. This series is edited by Nikolai Klimanski. Our theme music is also written and produced by Nik Klimanski, and is included with permission. This series of How Songs Make Money is supported by ‘Research Boost’ funding from the Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute, and enabled by Digital Education Service’s Podcasting Pilot. Special thanks to Sam Wyman for their support, as well as to Angela Hulme, Mia Windsor, Liev Cherry, and Michelle Schneider.