Production & assets
Custom Music
Custom music is original music produced specifically for one brand, product or project, rather than selected from an existing catalogue.
In practice
Custom production offers exact fit — tempo, length, mood, sonic identity — at the price of budget and time, typically weeks and four figures upwards. A catalogue buyout offers immediacy and certainty: you hear the finished track, you know the price, and exclusivity is achieved by removing it from sale. Many brands mix both: custom for the flagship asset, buyouts for everything around it.
Real questions
Is custom music always exclusive?
Not automatically. Exclusivity has to be written into the contract, together with the rights transfer.
How long does custom music take?
Two to six weeks is typical, including briefing and revision rounds.
Is a buyout cheaper than custom production?
Usually, because production costs are already amortised across the catalogue. The trade-off is that you choose from what exists.
Custom does not automatically mean owned
Some custom-music providers deliver a bespoke track under a standard licence. Check whether the agreement assigns rights or merely permits use.
Related terms
Own the track instead of renting it
Sonify Music sells exclusive buyouts of catalogue tracks: one payment, full ownership, the track removed from sale and a named certificate of ownership.