Methodology
The xSV™ Framework
xSV™ (Expected Sync Value) is our proprietary valuation framework. It establishes what a license for a specific use of music would have cost, grounded in real-world licensing benchmarks.
Why xSV™ Exists
For decades, sync licensing has operated without a consistent, independent method for determining the value of music used without a license. When disputes arise (and they increasingly do, especially around social media usage) the question shifts from whether music was used to what that use would have cost.
Rights holders, brands and their legal teams need a defensible answer to that question, and so do the courts that decide these matters. Not a guess. A range, with every step of the reasoning written down and grounded in how the sync licensing market works.
That is what xSV™ provides. Developed by two experts with 20+ years each in sync licensing and informed by 100+ cases assessed, it translates complex market dynamics into clear, defensible numbers.
Artist and Song, Valued Separately
Every xSV™ valuation looks at the artist and at the specific recording separately. Not every song by an artist carries the same sync value, and the valuation reflects that.
What xSV™ Factors In
Each valuation draws on multiple data layers. No single factor determines the outcome.
Historical Sync Benchmarks
Real-world licensing fees from comparable deals, informed by 20+ years of direct sync licensing practice.
Market Data
Public data on the artist and the recording, read in the context of their genre.
Territory, Duration and Media
Where, for how long and in which media the music was used. Each of these changes the value.
Cultural Weight
Some tracks transcend their metrics; iconic status, cultural moments, emotional resonance. The model recognizes context that pure data cannot capture.
How a Valuation Works
Scope Confirmation
We define the exact parameters: which track, which usage, which territories, which media type, which duration. Every valuation is scoped before it begins.
Data Collection
We gather market data on the artist and the recording and assess it with the xSV™ framework.
Valuation Matrix
The outcome is a range rather than a single number, for master and publishing separately.
Expert Review & Context Layer
Every output is reviewed by our team. We apply professional judgment shaped by decades of sync practice, accounting for market nuance, cultural context, and factors that algorithms alone cannot assess.
Report Delivery
The final deliverable, whether a one-page Valuation Matrix or a comprehensive Sync Valuation Report, is structured to withstand legal scrutiny and support settlement negotiations.
Built for Scrutiny
xSV™ was designed from the ground up for adversarial environments. Every number in a Sync Valuation Report can be traced back to its source data, methodology, and reasoning. This matters because every valuation will be challenged.
When the methodology is transparent and the data can be checked, both sides can work from the same facts. That is what helps a matter resolve. The framework produces accurate numbers, not convenient ones. A valuation can come in lower than a client hoped, or higher. We report it either way. That independence is what makes it credible.
See xSV™ in Action
Request a demo valuation report to see how xSV™ translates real market data into defensible sync licensing valuations.