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For the record
Notes from the Clear Music studio - clearance, licensing and the business of music supervision.
Featured · Aug 10, 2026
The Reference Track Trap
Reference tracks are useful, but they can quickly narrow a music search. A stronger brief looks underneath the reference and identifies the feeling, musical role and creative qualities the film actually needs.
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Jul 23, 2026
Why Every Streaming Trailer Needs a Music Supervisor
A strong streaming trailer needs more than a good song. A music supervisor turns the creative direction into a clear strategy that works for the story, the edit, the budget and the wider campaign.
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Jul 17, 2026
Covers and Re-Recordings for Global Streaming Trailer Campaigns
How to create and clear covers and re-recordings for international trailer campaigns, from song choice and publishing approval to production and final delivery.
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Jul 17, 2026
Why Mother’s New KFC Campaign Is Unmissable
The ads I still remember from twenty years ago were carried by unforgettable songs and real artists. Mother’s new KFC campaign shows why that still matters, especially now.
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Jul 3, 2026
The Power of Trailerized Recordings
A trailerized recording keeps the recognition of a familiar song while rebuilding its structure, performance and production around the story, edit and emotional arc of a campaign.
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Dec 3, 2025
Music Clearance Without the Friction
The difficult part of music clearance is rarely sending the request. It is keeping the creative idea, rights holders, budget and deadline aligned until every approval is in place.
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Sep 12, 2023
The Music of Gamescom Opening Night
The Music of Gamescom Opening Night Live Now that September has started and every gamer in the world has sunken their teeth deep into either Starfield or Baldur’s Gate 3, we thought we’d take a closer look at the...
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Apr 5, 2023
Copyright Infringement in Pop Music
Copyright Infringement in Pop Music All music lovers know the feeling of déjà vu when listening to a new song - when we're absolutely sure we've heard the song before, even if we’re listening to something for the very...
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Mar 6, 2023
Famous Re-Recordings in Trailers
Re-Recording Famous Evergreen Songs for Your Entertainment Trailer Creating a buzzworthy entertainment trailer is no easy feat. One effective way to make your trailer memorable and impactful is to use a famous evergreen...
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Feb 21, 2023
Sample Interpolations
SAMPLE INTERPOLATIONS EXPLAINED Connect to your customers building on a known copyright At Clear Music, we help clients with the ins-and-outs of the music industry on a daily basis. As a music clearance company, we...
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Dec 19, 2022
Music Licensing 101
Clearing music rights can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially in today's fast-paced visual media landscape. With new music platforms emerging and an abundance of music to choose from, it can be difficult...
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Apr 11, 2022
Music Brief Essentials
How to write the perfect music brief? Writing a good music brief can be difficult. You may have the perfect idea for your project’s music in your head, but to communicate your vision to a music supervisor isn’t as easy...
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Mar 9, 2022
Old VS New Songs
Is old music ‘killing’ new music..? And if so, what does that mean for music in media and advertising? Last month, author Ted Gioia wrote a blog post titled ‘Is Old Music Killing New Music?’ in which he states that old...
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Dec 22, 2021
Powerful Trailer Music
Over the past ten years, it has become common for film- and video game trailers to be accompanied by a dramatic (or trailerized) version of a popular song. Remember the trailer for ‘The Social Network’ in 2010? That...
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Jul 28, 2021
Epic Trailer Soundtracks
Here at Clear Music we represent an ever growing catalogue of world class music curated specially for sync purposes. So whether you need epic, dramatic, tense, suspenseful or subtle; we've got your back. Our music...
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