Free Tool
Add the placements you land in a year and see what they realistically pay up front, plus which ones keep paying royalties. The ranges come from real 2026 deals, not a survey.
These ranges reflect the catalogs and deals of Marc Aaron Jacobs, a composer for advertising, theatrical trailers and TV, and the music publisher behind Tonal Chaos Trailers. Each range is explained in the sync licensing rates guide. Ranges, not quotes: real fees move with term, territory, how prominent the use is, and the size of the production.
| Placement | Upfront fee | Backend royalties |
|---|---|---|
| Major studio trailer | $5,000 to $50,000 or more | International cinema plays only, none in the US |
| Indie trailer | $1,000 to $5,000 | International cinema plays only, none in the US |
| Network TV, featured use | $1,500 to $10,000 per episode | $500 to $2,000 or more per quarter, for years |
| Network TV, background use | $500 to $2,500 | Smaller, still paid quarterly |
| Streaming TV (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Apple TV+) | $1,000 to $5,000 | Limited |
| National broadcast commercial | $10,000 to $100,000 or more | Performance royalties every time it airs |
| Regional commercial | $2,000 to $15,000 | Usually none |
| Digital and social media ad | $500 to $5,000 | None |
| Indie film | $0 to $2,000 | Only if it airs on broadcast |
| Video game, mid-tier | $2,000 to $15,000 | None |
| Curated production music libraries | $100 to $2,000 per placement | Yes, when it airs and the cue sheet is filed |
| Royalty-free and subscription libraries | $0 to $50 per license, at volume | Rarely |
It depends almost entirely on the project. A digital or social ad pays about $500 to $5,000, streaming TV about $1,000 to $5,000, featured use on network TV $1,500 to $10,000 per episode, and a major studio trailer $5,000 to $50,000 or more. National broadcast commercials sit at the top, at $10,000 to $100,000 or more.
Some do. Broadcast TV placements earn performance royalties through your PRO once a cue sheet is filed, and featured network use can pay $500 to $2,000 or more per quarter for years. National broadcast commercials earn performance royalties every time they air: submit the ad codes to your PRO through Vivvix and it pays off the codes and the airings. The per-play rate is lower than for TV shows, but a national campaign airs a lot and it adds up. Trailers pay no backend in the US, only on international cinema screenings, and streaming pays limited backend compared with broadcast.
They come from Marc Aaron Jacobs, a composer for advertising, theatrical trailers and TV, and the music publisher behind Tonal Chaos Trailers. The ranges reflect his own catalogs and the deals that cross his desk, not a survey. Real fees move with term, territory, how prominent the use is, and the size of the production, so treat every result as a range, not a quote.
Per placement, national broadcast commercials and major studio trailers pay the most. Over a career, volume usually matters more: twenty placements at $2,500 each equal one $50,000 placement, and broadcast placements keep paying royalties long after the fee.
Build a deeper catalog of placeable cues, file your cue sheets so broadcast royalties actually reach you, keep alternate mixes and stems ready, and pitch consistently. Knowing which supervisors actually play your tracks tells you where to follow up, which is what DropCue share analytics are for.