So…what is micro-sync? 

Just as the use of a song can generate different kinds of mechanical and performance royalties so does synchronization depending on how the music is used in connection to the visual. These micro-syncs generate both performance and mechanical royalties. A micro-sync is a license for music to be used in tandem with audiovisual works across many uses rather than one license per use, such as those found on Youtube and other video streaming sites. A Youtube uploader can not monetize a video that contains content (like music) that the uploader does not own. They must get permission from the copyright holder to use any music on YouTube. 

Since the volume of videos uploaded to a platform like Youtube is so massive it is next to impossible for publishers or labels track the amount of license requests that would come in for all the videos using their content. Instead, YouTube signs agreements through their Content ID System with publishers and labels, which then grant the platform the right to host videos using their entire catalogs. In exchange, rights holders can monetize and collect royalties generated by the videos that use their music. Sometimes a micro-sync license will include a blanket fee, meaning the licensee pays a flat fee for the use of a work or catalog of works. Therefore, thought youtube’ s Content ID System.

Micro-Sync Royalties

Your performance royalties are tracked, collected, and paid through your affiliated collection society such as a PRO like ASCAP or BMI in the US or a CMO such as GEMA in Germany or SACEM in France. The mechanical royalties you earn are tracked by organizations that administer mechanical licenses, such as Mechanical Rights Organizations (MRO) like the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) in the US, or by CMOs and paid out by your publisher or by a publishing administrator like Songtrust.