The global visual production industry (TV, film, and advertising) was valued at more than USD 98 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach more than USD 740 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 40 percent for the next seven years (Grandview Research). This growth is attributed to the exponential advancements in consumer access, distribution, and production technology. Visual media inspires us, moves us, and gives us a voice to tell our stories. We enjoy it and we are consuming it at higher and higher rates. The music used in visual media is key to increasing emotional engagement, it can lift or flatten the emotional connection people feel. With the unprecedented projected growth of visual media will come the same growth rate of music licensed for use in visual media.
SyncLodge is a highly innovative tech company focused on empowering creatives in the music and visual production industries. The award-winning SyncLodge is the first and only, all-in-one project management platform designed to centralize all the unique needs of music synchronization licensing operations. Synchronization licensing, or sync licensing, is the legal usage of music in visual productions i.e. TV, film, video games, and advertising. “We help music supervisors (the professionals who source the music and negotiate the licenses for music usage) complete more projects and transform the operational role of music supervision from frustrating manual inputs to a supervisor-centric process focused on the music. Our mission is to bring forth a level playing field for artists, a better workday for music supervisors, and to help save millions in wasted labour costs that burden the visual production industry,” says Lionel Lodge, Founder SyncLodge.
The Big Picture
SyncLodge is a suite of tools for managing all aspects of sync licensing. The whole system is the flagship product. There are dozens of components working together inside SyncLodge. Some are task management, multi project management, company, and project team management.
“We believe in the power of clarity and all our tools are designed to deliver this. We are the only IP licensing system that accesses all the world’s music and data. We are not a marketplace, we don’t curate, we are all inclusive. We have recently released SAM (Synchronization Authority Mapping) which is the first system globally to accurately map and confirm IP representation and administration authority on a global scale, according to territorial authority. PreSync is also a very innovative tool. It is a great tool for deciding on what music best suites a scene. It removes the long slow process of rendering, uploading, and then sharing a URL of a single idea. It allows all involved with the music decision making to work together, to make suggestions, and save those creative ideas,” added Mr Lodge.
Key Features
“In building SyncLodge we relied on the advice and input from over 200 industry professionals. We first sat down with them and discussed their pain points and needs. Then, during the building of SyncLodge we showed them the tools, as we progressed, and asked for their input. The system has been designed by and built for music copyright holders, music supervisors, and visual production professionals. We continue to work this way, always looking for input on how to make the system better, which tools should we build next. As the industry evolves, we are studying the changes and listening to those instigating those changes. It is a never-ending process.”
Embracing the Digital Era
SyncLodge is a very innovative technology company. The company focus on to stay on the cutting-edge of innovation. The organization has won many innovations and awards embracing technology’s potential in the services and operations. SyncLodge always evaluating and questions its perceptions, pivoting the views on what is needed and what is coming in the industry.
Overcoming the storm
“The sync licensing industry is highly complex with many levels and sectors needing to be addressed. The one question was, how does someone understand and navigate them all with clarity? It can be very confusing with relatable and reliable information that is hard to find. SyncLodge delivers clarity so the industry can function on a reliable and professional level. One of the big problems was time-drains. It can take an exhaustive amount of time to complete a licensing deal. We have built automated process that remove a lot of the time-drains and allow the deals to flow more easily.”
The Work Culture
“One of the company’s mantras is “Pulling together so we all move forward.” Another is “The power of clarity.” It is said that respect is earned. There are many levels of respect, and one great aspect of gaining respect is giving it. It is showing respect by listening, having patience with another’s understanding or lack of. We are a startup with very large long-term goals. The only way to continue advancing toward those goals is by us all pulling together. The best way, I find, to get the most out of team members is first to recognize their strengths and understand we all have our weaknesses. That is why we work as a team. We don’t shoot down ideas but we do want them to withstand scrutiny. It is a matter of acting and working with integrity for the long-term health of the company. But that is not to say we soft-glove our team members. At SyncLodge it is an energized atmosphere where personal egos are left at the door, ideas are thrown on the table and sometimes taken back off just as quickly. The ones that stick are agreed on by the team and worked on with a clear focus as to why it is important,” elaborates the founder.
The Global Effect
SyncLodge is a based on a global vision. It is a global industry which is constantly removing territorial lines. The system educates on best practices and allows professionals to work together regardless of their location. The organization is growing internationally, from Bogota to Beijing by taking small steps in a new territory, and adjusting systems to fit the professional culture. Currently, SyncLodge being used in 27 countries.
The Pillar Behind the Success
“SyncLodge was an idea that came to me in the autumn of 2017 after witnessing the struggles and frictions in the music sync licensing sector of the entertainment industry. I searched for partners, found who I think are the best at what they do, and registered SyncLodge as a corporation in January 2019.
The road that brought me to the inspiration was: In the mid-2000s, I was living off my music, enjoying my life and the world I lived in, but CD sales were dying, so I needed to find a new revenue stream to replace or at least supplement the decline in my income. A friend of my father’s suggested sync licensing my music for TV shows and films. I checked into it, attended many industry conferences, networked, and started licensing my recordings. Some independent artists and a couple of small record labels asked if I would represent them for sync placements.
The next thing I knew, I had a sync licensing agency. Through building the agency, meeting, and talking at length with many industry professionals, I saw an obvious need for a digital transformation. Many were drowning in paperwork, email ping-pongs, and phone calls and needed “digital salvation”. I could see so many points in the work processes that would benefit from innovative technology. At first, I looked for a system, a set of tools that would solve the problems I saw. I did not find one that answered the full set of workflow needs. So, together with my co-founders, we set out to build it. Now SyncLodge is empowering creatives, winning innovation awards, and growing into a globally recognized service for the industry,” added Lionel Lodge, Founder SyncLodge.
Overcoming the odds
“All challenges are significant and none are. It is a matter of perspective. At first, the big challenge was to have honest clarity about the needs of the sync sector of the industry, not just my views of what was needed. So, we talked to hundreds of industry stakeholders in many countries who gave their opinions on what was needed. Then the problem was that there was a large, diverse, spectrum of needs and perspectives. This told us that the system needed to be intrinsically versatile and cover all the ways the users preferred to work and address all their needs.
It also showed us how big the need for a digital transformation of the industry workflow was. We spent over 3 years building the system with direct input from these hundreds of industry professionals, some on a weekly, some on a monthly, some on a quarterly basis. Building, showing, feedback, building, showing, feedback. That was a tough and frustrating few years but well worth it and certainly needed. But then I believe if you are going to climb a mountain, why climb a small one?
Another challenge was and is, finding investment partners. Finding individuals and companies that want to have a positive impact on the music and visual production industries, who see the need to ensure a healthy creative future, and at the same time understand our focused sector of the industry.
Perspective is a moving/expanding focus and awareness. If it was easy to do, it would have already been done. Persistence is key. When a challenge comes, when obstacles are placed in your way, look at them as an opportunity to grow stronger, to gain perspective. I would like to quote the great Sandy Climan “Leave yourself available for the unexpected.”, and, “Be of service to others. The minute you think you are more important than others, you have failed as a human being.” I do not have any tattoos but I think if I did it would be one of the many great things Sandy Climan has said,” adds Mr Lodge.
The Future Roadmap
“We are focused on educating, empowering, and enhancing the needs of the music sync licensing industry. The visual production industry is expected to have extraordinary growth over the next seven years. The reports predict a 40 percent growth, year on year. Our mission is to support this growth and be a part of removing paint-points of this growth. We listen, we share, we collaborate, and we work very hard to deliver beyond our member’s expectations. We discuss at many industry conferences. At these conferences, we meet many people from the industry and listen to their concerns, needs, and suggestions. We teach at industry educational institutes and again listen to the concerns, needs, and suggestions. It is always a need for company, personal, and perspective growth,” concluded Mr Lodge.
