Behind the Sync: Tina Mathieu Explains How Sync Licensing Deals Fuel Her Music Career

Fresh off a major sync placement in a Suave commercial that was created specifically for TikTok, singer-songwriter Tina Mathieu joined us to talk about the deal and how sync and monetization opportunities fuel her music career. 

Mathieu's positive-pop duo Real Fiction, which arrived on the scene last year, used Songtradr to place "Live It 2 The Limit" in a quick-moving Suave ad that was crafted with TikTok's high-engagement userbase in mind. 23 seconds in length, the spot staring influencer Ashley Nocera has proven decidedly popular on the short-form video-sharing app – garnering over 5.4 million views to date.  

The Los Angeles-based songwriter explains that it was the opportunity to attract the attention of visual-media professionals through Songtradr that enabled her to create Real Fiction in the first place. 

"The way Real Fiction came about, to be quite honest, it was during the quarantine [period]. My producing partner and I did a lot of songs over Zoom... I'd record the vocals in my closet and send them over to him."

“When we created the Real Fiction catalog, we did it with the intention of throwing it up on Songtradr – that was kind of the point."

"We were all feeling kind of low and sad during that time. So we really seized the opportunity to write some positive pop music for the purpose literally of putting it on Songtradr to see if we could score some placements. It's been beautiful to see that come to fruition."

This hunch about the public mood proved correct. In addition to (and possibly because of) the Suave spot, "Live It 2 The Limit" is also set to appear in an upcoming Dove advert. Mathieu emphasized the earning advantages of sync – which continued to deliver paychecks when live shows were shelved due to the pandemic – and revealed that she uploaded the Real Fiction catalog to Songtradr even before making it available on Spotify. 

"We are kind of holding onto it as a catalog, for now. That's why we don't have it on Spotify. We haven't released it officially yet because there are some deals that come through where, when you land a placement, they want to sort of be a part of that release," she explained. "We have some stuff that we keep in the pocket."

"There are so many wonderful things about Spotify, but it's not the only way to be discovered. We have it in our head like, 'Oh, if you're not on Spotify, then you're not real,'" she continued.

"The cool thing with Songtradr and other platforms is that you can actively make money off your music... No one's really making that much money having their music on Spotify."

“It's been really nice to get little chunks of money coming in through Songtradr for like ‘business overhead radio’ and ‘apps and games’ and things like that.”

Highlighting the results she's had writing for sync and her other personal projects, Mathieu also noted that authenticity is a critical ingredient in the recipe for major placements. While it can be tempting to try and follow the crowd – especially when attempting to score sync deals for social media, which is driven by trends – remaining creatively grounded is a must. 

"Aside from the positive pop and all that kind of stuff that I write for sync, I also have my own thing that I do," said the This Blue Shall Pass creator. "That kind of music for me is very different. Even though I put my heart and soul into what I write for sync – I don't write anything that doesn't feel organic – the personal project, that's my real vulnerable stuff. That's when the curtain comes down and all the wounds and the scars show." 

Interestingly, however, some of Mathieu's sync music has proven popular among listeners. In contrast, some personal projects have achieved big things in sync, underscoring the idea that genuine creative energy can be an actual prerequisite for placements.