The Reviving Power Of Sync Placements

Tunefind is well versed in the power that a synch placement can have on not only the project or song in question, but the music world as a whole. Season 4 of Stranger Things has reminded the world what a great synch placement can do for a project and how the music in movies, TV, and video games can be one of the best forms of music discovery. 

The concept of sync is rooted in the licensing required to legally use a song in a movie, TV show, video game, and more. A license for synchronization is put in place to ensure payment to copyright owners when their music is used. Often the word synchronization will be shortened to sync, and that’s where we get the term sync placement. It’s a technical term for when a song gets used or featured in a project like a movie or TV show. 

Oftentimes when a popular TV show has a popular sync placement, you can see it trending on Tunefind’s trending chart. Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ has had a wild ride to the top the charts after its prominent and plot-driven placement in this season of Stranger Things. ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ was Tunefind’s Top TV Song on June 8, 2022 along with the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s May Top TV Song chart. ‘Running Up That Hill’ was first released in August 1985 as the lead single from Bush’s fifth studio album, Hounds Of Love. Upon its initial release the song reached the top 30 of Billboard’s Hot 100 and marked Kate’s first top 40 hit in the U.S.

This phenomenon isn’t exactly a new trend and popular syncs have been sending songs to the top of charts for many decades. Take for example, ‘Twist and Shout’ by The Beatles. The song was covered and released by The Beatles in 1964 (U.S. single version). The song was a chart topper when it was released but just like any trend, the songs popularity eventually leveled off. That is until 1986 when it was placed in John Hughes classic teen comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. After ‘Twist and Shout’ was used in an iconic scene involving the titular character, The Beatles track reentered the music charts and even climbed back to the top 20 in the U.S.

Recently a trailer for The Batman featured a reimagined trailerization of Nirvana’s ‘Something in the Way’ by composer Bryce Miller. The acoustic rock song was originally released in 1991 on Nirvana’s second album Nevermind. However, this particular song was never on the bands consistent setlist and was less popular than some other Nirvana tracks. The popular trailer and the songs placement in the full length feature is credited for sending  ‘Something in the Way’ onto Billboard’s charts for the first time back in August of 2020 and then again on Billboard’s Hot 100 this past March. 

Tunefind’s artist spotlight shined bright on Engelbert Humperdinck this spring after his song ‘A Man Without Love’ was placed in the popular Marvel series Moon Knight. ‘A Man Without Love’ was originally released back in 1968 and at that time it reached No. 19 on Billboard’s Hot 100. After the songs placement in Moon Knight, the track was No.1 on Billboard’s April Top TV chart. 

This kind of sync magic is not exactly a science but there are some shared factors with these examples. The song always has staying power in its own right, the project it’s placed in often has a large fanbase, and the song is usually placed in a pivotal scene or moment. These kind of syncs wouldn’t be possible without music supervisors. You can head here to find ways to support our music supervisors and the amazing work they do for the industry and for the projects we fall in love with everyday. Follow Tunefind News for more information on syncs, trending songs, and more!

 

 More

〉Full list of songs featured in the Stranger Things soundtrack

〉Full list of songs featured in the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off soundtrack

〉Full list of songs featured in The Batman soundtrack

〉Full list of songs featured in the Moon Knight soundtrack

〉Popular songs on Tunefind