Terms & Conditions
By using CLEAR100 you agree to the terms below:
MUSIC CLEARANCE DEFINITIONS, ATTEMPTS, AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
1. Definition of "Attempt"
Upon a User’s formal request and payment of the applicable Single Song Clearance Fee, the Company will initiate a good faith "Attempt" to clear the requested musical composition and/or sound recording for the User’s designated project. An Attempt is defined strictly as the administrative process of identifying, contacting, and negotiating with the verified copyright owners (including but not limited to writers, publishers, performing rights organizations, and record labels) to secure the necessary sync and master use licenses.
2. Definition of Sync Licensing (Synchronization Licensing)
The process of licensing music for use in visual media such as films, television shows, commercials, trailers, video games, sports arenas, streaming content, and online videos. It gives a producer or content creator the legal right to synchronize a song with moving images. A sync license usually covers two components: a.) Synchronization License - Covers the underlying composition (songwriting and lyrics), typically controlled by the songwriter or music publisher, and b.) Master Use License - Covers the specific sound recording, typically controlled by the artist or record label.
3. Definition of Five (5) Subscription Tiers
To search the catalog, an active subscription is required. Every search and inquiry counts toward your monthly usage allowance, regardless of the outcome. Subscription plans are available on monthly, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month commitment terms. DISCLAIMER: Subscription fees and clearance fees are distinct from and do not constitute the licensing fee payable to the rights holder (licensor) for the use of a musical composition and/or master recording. Those fees are negotiated and paid separately, directly to the licensor. All payments are processed securely through Stripe. All CLEAR100 Music subscription plans — Novice, Pro-Creator, and Industry Expert — require a minimum contract term of 3, 6, or 12 months, depending on the plan selected at checkout. Subscribers are committed to their selected term and will be billed accordingly for the full duration of that term.
A La Carte – One-time “attempted” song clearance, no subscription required. This tier is for anyone seeking to clear one song for a project or for the entity that would like to give our services a “trial.” Single song clearance will include all Writer(s), Publisher(s), PRO affiliation, Label/Master Owner - All ownerships @ 100%. Upon clearance, we will provide a ‘Confirmation Letter of Use’ for your records. Single-song clearance fees are billed separately on a per-attempt basis and are not included in the cost of any subscription plan. One-time À La Carte song clearance requests and consultation bookings are non-refundable once payment has been processed, and work has commenced. If you have concerns about a completed transaction, please contact us at support@clear100music.com and we will review your request on a case-by-case basis.
Novice – “Novice” is defined as “new to clearing and licensing a musical composition for sync.” This subscription tier is ideal for independent filmmakers, YouTubers, podcasters, and TikTok creators. In this tier, you can View/Inquire up to 5 songs per month. In the event you would like to clear a song not currently in our database, the single song clearance fee is $499 per attempt. A 3-month contract is required upon registration.
Pro-Creator – This subscription tier includes all ‘Novice’ features and is geared towards Boutique ad agencies, indie game studios, sports teams, mid-tier production companies. In this tier, you can view/inquire up to 20 songs per month. In the event you want to clear a song currently not in our database, a single song clearance fee is $349 per attempt. A 6-month contract is required upon registration.
Industry Expert – This subscription tier is for high-volume projects for Major TV/film production networks, global agencies, record labels and more. In this tier, you can view/inquire up to 50 songs per month. In the event you want to clear a song currently not in our database, a single song clearance fee is $199 per attempt. A 12-month contract is required upon registration.
Entire Project Clearance – Because we specialize in clearing music for entire projects, we excited to offer this subscription tier for Major networks, global agencies, record labels, etc. in need of a Music Supervisor to work on a full-project. In this tier, a 30-minute consultation is required for a non-refundable fee of $75.00. This tier also includes all amenities in the “Industry Expert” tier with additional perks such as a dedicated sync agent, 24/7 priority help desk, Confirmations & cue sheets. There is no contract required for this subscription.
4. No Guarantee of Success
Certain compositions and masters may be deemed un-licensable due to writer, publisher, or estate restrictions. Inclusion of a song in CLEAR100 does not guarantee final clearance for every use case. CLEAR100 acts as supervisor and broker; final clearance authority rests with the rights holders.
LEGAL
FEES & Payment Disclaimer
Effective for all Clear100 subscription plans and clearance services.
Last updated: June 18, 2026
Subscription Fees
Subscription Fees, Clearance Fees, Licensing Fees, Payment Processing
| FEE TYPE | WHAT IT COVERS | BILLED BY |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription Fee | Catalog access, search, and inquiry tools | Clear100 via Stripe |
| Clearance Fee | Per-song clearance attempt and facilitation | Clear100 via Stripe |
| Licensing Fee | Rights to use a composition and/or master recording | Paid directly to licensor — separate from Clear100 |
The User explicitly acknowledges and agrees that the Company operates strictly as a clearance facilitator. The Company does not guarantee, warrant, or represent that any Attempt will result in a successful clearance, an executed license, or permission to use the song. Success depends entirely on the third-party copyright holders, who retain absolute discretion to deny licensing requests, demand prohibitive fees, or fail to respond.
5. Non-Refundability of Fees
The Single Song Clearance Fee covers the labor, research, and administrative overhead required to locate rights holders and initiate negotiations. Consequently, the Single Song Clearance Fee or Any Song Clearance Fee is 100% non-refundable once the Company begins the Attempt. The fee remains non-refundable regardless of the outcome, excluding but not limited to situations where (See Section 7.1 for refund availability):
- The rights holders reject the licensing request.
- The rights holders demand licensing fees that exceed the User's budget.
- The rights holders fail to respond within the User's required timeline.
- The song is discovered to have untraceable or highly fragmented ownership, i.e. samples
6. Fast Clearance Badges
Songs designated on the Platform with a "Fast Clearance Badge" indicate that the Company has pre-mapped the rights holders or previously cleared the track. However, this badge does not constitute a pre-approved license or a guarantee of future clearance. All requests for "Fast Clearance" tracks still constitute an Attempt and remain subject to final approval and terms dictated by the current copyright owners. If a song is in our database, and you are a subscriber, you will view all information at the click of one button. With this information, you are free to clear a song on your own or request our services to clear the musical composition and/or master on your behalf. Enjoy!
7. Indemnification and Prohibited Use
Users are strictly prohibited from synchronizing, distributing, or otherwise utilizing any song requested through the Platform until the Company delivers a confirmation of use l fully executed, written license agreement signed by all necessary rights holders. The User agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company against any and all claims of copyright infringement, statutory damages, and legal fees arising from the User's premature or unauthorized use of a song before formal clearance is completed.
Refund Exception for Completely Untraceable Ownership
7.1 Conditions for Fee Refund
Notwithstanding Sections 5.1 and 5.3 (Non-Refundability of Fees), the Company will issue a 50% refund of the Single Song Clearance Fee solely if a requested song is deemed "Completely Untraceable" or "Unlicenseable" by the Company’s internal research team. A song is defined as Completely Untraceable or Unlicenseable if, within seven (7) to fifteen (15) business days from the request submission, the Company and/or Licensors cannot identify (See Section 5.1 - 5.4) alongside:
- The identity of the current publisher(s) or administrator(s) controlling more or less than the total 100% of the composition, not withstanding, requesting MFN with Masters not recorded by notable artists, and such or MFN for entire project.
- The identity of the record label or entity controlling the master recording decline use of recording.
- Valid, operational contact information (email, phone, or physical address) for any of the primary copyright holders.
7.2 Exclusion of Rejections and Disagreements
For the avoidance of doubt, this refund exception applies strictly to an absolute lack of ownership data. This exception does not apply, and no refund will be issued, under any of the following circumstances:
- Unresponsive Owners: The rights holders are successfully identified and contacted but choose to ignore the Company’s communications.
- Fragmented Splits: The rights holders are identified, but negotiations fail because the co-owners cannot agree on licensing terms or split percentages.
- Estate/Probate Disputes: The original creator is deceased, and the rights are frozen due to active, unresolved legal disputes over the creator's estate.
- Financial Disagreement: The rights holders respond but demand a licensing fee that exceeds the budget specified by the User.
7.3 Ultimate Right of Determination
The Company reserves the sole, exclusive right to determine whether a song meets the technical threshold of being Completely Untraceable. If the Company provides the User with verified Performing Rights Organization (PRO) registration data or active publisher contact details for the track, the song is legally traceable, the refund exception is void, and the fee remains non-refundable.
8. Master Recordings: Third-Party Payments (SAG, AFTRA, AFM)
Master rights that are approved does not include any third-party payments for which you are responsible as a result of your use of the Sound Recording, including but not limited to SAG/AFTRA, AFM or other union obligations and requirements. Please note the recording industry recently entered into agreements with the AFM & SAG/AFTRA that require Licensors to invoice you for applicable reuse fees on Traditional Uses if the total master use fee is $7,500 or under. Such invoice will detail:
- the reuse fee amounts due per union (e.g. for Traditional Uses, the SAG-AFTRA and AFM fees are calculated as the greater of 7% of the sound recording use fee per union, or $165 per union); and
- the applicable amount due for Health and Retirement (e.g. the current rates are 13.5% for SAG-AFTRA and 14.09% for AFM).
Should the total sound recording fee exceed $7,500, the standard rules for both AFM & SAG/AFTRA continue to apply. For more information regarding SAG/AFTRA and AFM new-use/reuse fees, please contact SAG/AFTRA (SRLicenses@sagaftra.org) and/or the AFM (NewuseFees@sound-recording.org) directly.
9. Monthly Search Allotments
Monthly song search allotments reset at the start of each billing cycle and do not roll over. Unused searches expire at the end of each month and cannot be carried forward, transferred, or redeemed for credit.
10. Cancellation Policy
To cancel your subscription at the end of your current contract term, you must submit a written cancellation request no fewer than 14 business days prior to your renewal date. Cancellation requests must be submitted by email to: support@clear100music.com
Your cancellation request must include:
- Your full name
- Account email address
- Subscription plan name
Requests submitted after the 14-business-day window may result in your subscription renewing for an additional contract term.