Production Guide Menu

The full Warner Bros. Discovery Music Source library is available for use in most Warner Bros. Discovery projects. It is recommended and preferred that WBDMS content is used in all Warner Bros. Discovery productions.
See Page 2 below for info on Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking projects

What is the cost to use the Warner Bros. Discovery libraries?

There is no cost to use our library or our services.

How do I access the Warner Bros. Discovery libraries?

Please register for access to the Warner Bros. Discovery Music Source (WBDMS) site here: https://library.discoverymusicsource.com/register

I need help finding music. Can you help me?

Absolutely! The music team is always glad to help you source music. Our expert music supervisors can help create customized playlists for your production from our library. We can also assist with custom composition. Often at no additional cost to your project. Contact Ben_Foy@discovery.com for assistance with music supervision.

How can I commission original music composition/hire a composer for a project?

The Warner Bros. Discovery Global Music Services team is available to assist with composition on any project. We can often do this on a gratis basis with no additional costs transferred to a production.
If you’d like to engage an external composer for your project outside of the WBD music team you must ensure that Warner Bros. Discovery owns the rights to the composition(s) and is listed as Publisher on all cue sheets.
Please contact jamie_shoemaker@discovery.com for more information and a copy of the standard Discovery composer agreement.

How can I get more information about the Warner Bros. Discovery music team and resources available?

Please visit: https://www.discoverymusicsource.com/

Who do I contact for Warner Bros. Discovery music support?

For general Global Music Services (GMS) inquiries, including custom music composition contact: Jamie Shoemaker (Director, Music Operations, jamie_shoemaker@discovery.com)

For music supervision and assistance with Warner Bros. Discovery Music Source (WBDMS) content contact: Ben Foy (Music Publishing Specialist, Ben_Foy@discovery.com)

The WBD Music Source library and Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking projects.

Projects for all platforms (D+/linear/digital/etc.) originating from a U.S. Scripps linear brand (Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking) cannot use the entire WBDMS library. Projects for these brands can only use the DiscoveryClear, Voyant, Droid Mafia, Pitchwire and Riddle Music catalogs. These WBDMS catalogs are meant to supplement other external music resources and it is recommended that external music libraries are also licensed for these networks.

What other music options do we have for Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking?

Projects for all platforms (D+/linear/digital/etc.) originating from a U.S. Scripps linear brand (Magnolia, HGTV, Food Network, Travel, and Cooking) also require a direct license for performing rights in the U.S. (i.e., no royalties will be distributed in the US for music). When approaching external vendors to license music you should inform them you need a direct license as part of your agreement. They should be familiar with this request but feel free to include jamie_shoemaker@discovery.com if there are additional questions. Music rates, which should be included in your budget, are $600 per half-hour episode and $1200 per one-hour episode (these rates include the direct license). Please see the “Warner Bros Discovery Preferred Music Vendors US -External” document for a current list of approved music vendors who have agreed to predetermined rates for these projects.

Can I use commercial/popular music in my production?

The use of commercial music in Warner Bros. Discovery productions is generally not recommended and must always be approved in writing by the Warner Bros. Discovery production manager of your project. Please check with your production management contact for approval before moving forward with any requests to use commercial music in a production. The use of commercial music will involve additional licensing costs and those costs must be covered by your production budget. The use of commercial music will also likely result in the program having a restricted term and platforms.

My production management team has approved the cost and use of commercial music. What should I do next?

If your Warner Bros. Discovery production management team has approved the costs and restrictions of using commercial music in a production, you must get the proper licensing. You should not contact a music publisher or record company directly to clear music for Warner Bros. Discovery programs. Warner Bros. Discovery requires all popular music requests be represented through a professional music clearance house. If you decide to use an external resource, you must cover all costs from your production budget.

For U.S. based projects, Warner Bros. Discovery has a preferred vendor relationship with EMG http://www.clearance.com/. Please contact Mary Montes De Oca mary@clearance.com for help.
For projects outside the U.S., Warner Bros. Discovery has a preferred vendor relationship with Footprint Music https://footprintmusic.com/. Please contact Rob Kempton rob@cprmusic.com for help.
You should have all music licenses reviewed by your attorney. All music licenses should be between the publisher/record labels and the independent production company and assignable to Warner Bros. Discovery.

A musician friend/popular artist has offered “their” music “free” to our project. Can we use it?

This is generally not recommended and must always be approved in writing by the Warner Bros. Discovery production manager of your project. Unfortunately, many times when this happens the artist does not fully control the work and additional licensing must take place. Once approved by your Warner Bros. Discovery production management contact, please contact jamie_shoemaker@discovery.com to obtain the proper music license agreement.

How long does it take to clear commercial music? We’d like to use this in a project that airs tomorrow/next week etc.

Commercial music clearance depends entirely on the responsiveness and interest of the rights holders. We work with the best in the business and generally get responses quickly but are ultimately at the mercy of the owners of the music. If they’re not interested in licensing a composition and/or master on your timeline, there’s often not a lot we can do other than wait for their response.

We have a super cool idea to change the lyrics of a popular song for a project. Can we do that?

Possibly, provided that the music copyright holders agree to the lyric changes and your production management team approves the costs and potential platform/term limitations. Please contact jamie_shoemaker@discovery.com for more information about licensing a re-record with or without lyric changes.

Do you have access to a sound effects library?

Unfortunately, we do not have access to a gratis sound effects library that can be accessed by external production companies.

How Do I Submit Music Cue Sheets?

Producers are required to submit music cue sheets as part of their Program Deliverables. Once the cue sheet is approved by Warner Bros. Discovery, it will be considered “delivered” and flagged to be filed with the performing rights societies automatically upon the first airing of the program. Warner Bros. Discovery files music cue sheets with the U.S. and international performance societies regularly.

- For programs originated by Warner Bros. Discovery Networks, music cue sheets must be submitted electronically via the Soundmouse application.
- Music Cue Sheets should be submitted at the same time the Program Master is sent to WBD for QC. Note: Please ONLY upload ‘Approved’ cue sheets to the Producer’s Portal website.
- To create a Soundmouse account: Register Here
- Once you are registered, cue sheet headers for the WBD program you are working on will be available to you in your Soundmouse workspace.
- For assistance with Music Cue Sheets/Soundmouse contact: Mark Bunch (Music Cue Sheet Specialist, Mark_Bunch@discovery.com) If you have questions regarding your program deliverables, contact your Warner Bros. Discovery Production Management team.

*** For Acquisitions and license deals, please refer to your WBD Program Materials exhibit for music cue sheet filing instructions.

Please note that Digital projects are not currently reported via Soundmouse. Digital projects should be reported via the “Snap Ins, Digital and Short Form Template” document on the Producer’s Portal/DEAL and uploaded to the Producer’s Portal when complete.
More info and tutorials on cue sheets can be found here: https://www.discoverymusicsource.com/cuesheets/

LATAM and Asia

Productions for LATAM and Asia do not currently use Soundmouse.
For LATAM and Asian territories use the “LATAM_APAC Cue Sheet Template” document on the Producer’s Portal and send all cue sheets to music_cue@discovery.com

Soundmouse Helpdesk

Soundmouse operates a helpdesk to offer free online training and technical assistance to its users. Please contact them directly for all technical, system, or cue sheet header questions. If you need to report a technical issue, please send an email to Soundmouse and detail the following: the error message, browser version, time, date and process being conducted. Email: helpdesk@soundmouse.com