Music Video Deliverables: What to Hand Over and Where

Producer handing over music video delivery files

Music video deliverables are the set of files and paperwork that turn a finished edit into something a platform, a distributor or an ad campaign will accept. In practice that means one clean master file, a set of platform versions cut from it, the audio and metadata that match your release, and proof that you have the rights to everything in the frame and on the soundtrack. Get these right once and the video can go to YouTube, streaming services and social ads without being re-exported in a panic.

This guide covers each deliverable in the order you will need it, with the specs we can source and the UK-specific rules that catch people out.

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TL;DR

Always keep a clean master (no text burned in, no slate, no end card) and cut every platform version from it.
For official delivery, aim for at least 1080p at 16:9, with 4K preferred, in H.264 or ProRes, and 320 kbps AAC stereo audio.
Social ads need their own versions: TikTok recommends 9:16 vertical clips of 9 to 15 seconds, and UK ad rules require them to be labelled as advertising.
A commercial recording needs both a sync licence (the composition) and a master use licence (the recording), even if the visuals are original.
Match your video metadata to your audio release, or the video will not link to your artist profile.

What counts as a music video deliverable
The master file: keep it clean
Technical specs for official delivery
Metadata and ISRC: the quiet deliverable
Social and ad cutdowns
Rights paperwork: what you must be able to show
A delivery checklist you can copy
Perspective: why we start from deliverables
Getting the package from one place
FAQ
Sources

What counts as a music video deliverable

A finished video is not one file. It is a master plus every version made from it. The master is the highest quality edit you own. The deliverables are what you actually send out: the YouTube upload, the file for a distributor, the vertical teaser, the lyric version, the subtitles.

Think of the package in five layers:

Picture: the clean master and its compressed versions.
Sound: the final mix, correctly encoded and matching your release.
Cutdowns: short vertical and square clips for social and ads.
Metadata: titles, artist names, versions and ISRC.
Paperwork: licences, credits and any contributor agreements.

Most delivery problems come from layers four and five, not from the picture. A beautiful 4K file with the wrong title string or no sync clearance is still a rejected file.

The master file: keep it clean

The single most common mistake is exporting one version with your handle, release date or song title burned in, then treating it as the master. Distributors are strict on this. A distributor’s delivery checklist warns that platforms such as VEVO and major aggregators reject files with burned-in text, black slates at the start, or end cards. So prepare a “broadcast clean” master first, then add any graphics only to your social versions.

A sensible master folder holds:

The clean master at the highest quality you have, ideally ProRes if you edited from high-quality footage.
A textless version with no titles or lower thirds anywhere.
A version with titles and credits, for your own channel if you want them.
The final stereo audio mix as a separate file.

Keep the project file too. Months later, when you need a new end title or a shorter cut for a campaign, you will be glad you can re-export rather than re-encode a compressed copy.

Technical specs for official delivery

Specs vary by recipient, so always read the destination’s own sheet. As a working baseline, Vevo’s published music video specs set out the following for official delivery:

Item	Baseline
Resolution	1920x1080 minimum, 16:9; 4K (3840x2160) preferred
Container	.mov or .mp4
Compression	H.264 or ProRes
Frame rate	23.98 fps minimum
Audio	AAC stereo, 320 kbps, 44.1 or 48 kHz
Bitrate	At least 15 to 20 Mbps for 1080p; 60 Mbps or more for 4K

If you deliver through YouTube’s music video programme, the platform publishes its own encoding specifications for music videos. Note that these apply only to partners using YouTube’s Content ID matching system, so a typical independent artist uploading to their own channel will not be held to them, though they remain a good target.

Two practical habits help. First, export from the master, not from a previous export, because every re-encode costs quality. Second, name files consistently, for example Artist_Title_Version_Resolution, so nobody downloads the wrong cut at midnight before release.

Metadata and ISRC: the quiet deliverable

Professional video distribution needs an ISRC that matches your official audio release. Distribution guidance explains that if your video’s title, artist name and version do not exactly match the audio release, the video will fail to link to your artist profile, so it will not show automatically on services such as Spotify or Apple Music.

Before you submit anything, check that these match your audio release character for character:

Artist name, including any featured artists and how they are credited.
Track title and version label, such as “Radio Edit” or “Extended”.
The ISRC for the audio.
Release date.

The same guidance notes that the video must be uploaded to your own YouTube channel before any distribution request is submitted. Plan for that in your release timeline.

Social and ad cutdowns

Social deliverables are a different job from official delivery. You are not sending a master to a gatekeeper. You are making several short, vertical, attention-grabbing pieces from the same source.

For TikTok, the ruling page the ASA published recommends 9:16 vertical video at 720x1280, lasting 9 to 15 seconds for campaigns, with ad descriptions capped at 100 characters and brand names at 40. For paid campaigns you need music from the TikTok Commercial Music Library, not simply any track you like.

A useful cutdown set from one video:

A 9 to 15 second vertical hook, using the most striking visual and the chorus or drop.
A 30 to 60 second vertical teaser for Reels and Shorts.
A square or 4:5 version for feed placements.
A still frame or short loop for the Spotify Canvas style slot or artwork animation, where your distributor supports it.

If you are planning paid reach, a step-by-step walkthrough of Facebook ads for independent musicians shows how to structure a short test campaign around exactly these cutdowns.

Label it as an ad

In the UK, paid promotion must be obviously identifiable. The ASA ruled on a case where a TikTok post used a track by major artists, and found that unclear labels such as “soundad” could be read as a misspelling of “sounded”. Under CAP Code rules 2.1, 2.3 and 2.4, use a clear marker such as #ad if you are paid to feature the music. Build the label into your caption template so it is never forgotten.

Rights paperwork: what you must be able to show

This is the deliverable people skip, and the one with legal teeth.

Using a commercially released recording in a video needs two separate permissions. GOV.UK’s guidance on music licences describes a synchronisation licence for the composition and a master use licence for the sound recording, and warns that unlicensed use can lead to infringement claims for damages. The Intellectual Property Office makes the same point in its blog on sync licences: permission to use the song is not the same as permission to use that particular recording, and you need clearance for both.

Two permissions needed for commercial music video

If you are the artist and own both your composition and your master, this is simpler: you hold the rights and can say so. If you are a label or manager, keep the chain of title in your delivery folder. If you want to use someone else’s commercial track, PRS for Music’s sync licensing page explains how to request permission from the rightsholders.

For the visuals, you need a licence that covers the use you intend. Check whether it covers commercial release, paid ads and the territories you target before you spend on promotion.

Content ID: a trap with royalty-free music

If you register content in Content ID, YouTube’s own guidance says you must hold exclusive rights in the territories where you claim ownership. Registering licensed or royalty-free library music as though it were your own is a known pitfall that can end with termination of your partnership. Only register what you exclusively own.

Musician payments and VPL

If session musicians performed on the recording, the Musicians’ Union explains that Subsequent Payments for music videos may be due where their performance features in a traditional commercial music video registered with VPL (Video Performance Limited). These payments do not generally apply to lyric videos or vertical clips. If you are a label, check your obligations with the MU before release. VPL itself licenses music videos used on TV and in public spaces, as PPL’s page on VPL explains.

A delivery checklist you can copy

Use this before any release:

Clean master exported, with no text, slate or end card.
Textless and titled versions saved separately.
Audio mix final and encoded to the destination’s spec.
Resolution, frame rate and bitrate checked against the recipient’s sheet.
Metadata matched to the audio release, including ISRC.
Video uploaded to your own YouTube channel if a distributor requires it.
Vertical and square cutdowns exported, each with captions you have checked.
Ad labelling written into every paid caption.
Sync and master clearances, or proof of ownership, filed.
Contributor and musician payment obligations noted.

Perspective: why we start from deliverables

We built our catalogue around one belief: an artist should not need a custom shoot to release a proper video. Every video on the marketplace is originally produced by professional filmmakers specifically for music. None of it is made with AI or generic stock footage. That matters for deliverables, because a real production gives you real footage to cut from.

Our approach is to treat the deliverables list as the starting point of the project, not the last step. You choose a video, add your audio and branding, export a YouTube-ready version, then generate short social clips and launch an ad campaign. When the package is planned up front, the release stops being a scramble.

The mistake we see most often is exactly the one above: branding baked into the only file anyone kept. Keep a clean version, add your name to the others, and everything downstream gets easier.

— Music

Getting the package from one place

If you want the video, the customisation and the cutdowns in one workflow, our music video catalogue lets you browse ready-to-edit, full-length videos and license them for commercial release. Membership is £19.99 per month, and recurring extra videos are £9.99 per month per video, as listed on our pricing page. You can also look at individual titles such as Ballerina to see the style of footage before you commit.

FAQ

What is the minimum resolution for an official music video?

For official delivery to a platform such as Vevo, the published baseline is 1920x1080 at 16:9, with 4K preferred. Use H.264 or ProRes in a .mov or .mp4 container. Always check the destination’s own spec sheet before you export.

Do I need two licences to use a commercial song in my video?

Yes, if the recording is commercially released. You need a sync licence for the composition and a master use licence for the recording. GOV.UK and the Intellectual Property Office both describe this split, and having one without the other does not clear the video.

Why was my video rejected for burned-in text?

Distributors and platforms such as Vevo expect a clean master with no handles, dates, titles, slates or end cards. Add graphics only to your social versions. Re-export the clean master and resubmit.

What length should a TikTok ad clip be?

TikTok recommends 9:16 vertical video at 720x1280 and 9 to 15 seconds for campaigns. For paid ads you should use music from its Commercial Music Library. In the UK the post must also be clearly labelled as advertising, for example with #ad.

Music Video Deliverables: What to Hand Over and Where