Key Metrics
8000+
unlicensed uses identified
10x
increase in licensing revenue on one song
Executive Summary
As a leading independent distributor, Symphonic saw its clients’ music fuel thousands of trends across TikTok, Instagram, and brand-driven content. But as usage surged, Symphonic discovered that brands were using its clients’ music in commercial campaigns without securing proper licenses, leaving creators exposed and costing them significant sync revenue. What should have been a natural extension of Symphonic’s success in distribution and sync quickly became an operational and financial burden. That’s when Symphonic partnered with Third Chair. Within months, Third Chair identified more than 8,000 unlicensed brand uses and created a scalable repeatable system for ongoing enforcement and revenue recovery.
Introduction
Symphonic Distribution is a leading independent music distribution and label services company with a digital-first, creator-centric mission. Founded in 2006 by former producer Jorge Brea, Symphonic has built a reputation for empowering both emerging and established artists, labels, and managers by delivering their music to over 200+ streaming and retail platforms worldwide, while offering robust tools for playlist pitching, royalty analytics, video distribution, sync licensing, and promotional support. By combining cutting-edge distribution infrastructure with a full suite of label services, Symphonic enables independent creatives to maximize reach, monetize across formats (streaming, video, physical), and grow their careers outside the constraints of traditional major-label systems.
Challenge
Symphonic Distribution had long supported its artists and labels through Bodega Sync, its in-house department for securing placements in TV, film, and advertising. But as social platforms exploded and brand-made content accelerated, a troubling pattern emerged: while a few advertisers licensed music properly, most did not. Major brands were using Symphonic clients’ music in ads, product promos, influencer campaigns, and UGC-style commercials without securing rights.
Addressing this volume of social-driven commercial use required dedicated legal focus and sustained advertiser engagement beyond Symphonic’s existing operating model. While outside law firms offered one path, their cost structure and unpredictable outcomes made large-scale enforcement difficult to justify, and building a specialized internal team would have required significant time and investment. As a result, many unauthorized uses remained unaddressed, leaving licensing revenue unrealized and increasing risk for both Symphonic and its clients.
The challenges were clear:
Tracking down all unauthorized commercial uses
Contacting advertisers and managing negotiations
Navigating complexities around IP enforcement
Solution
That’s when Symphonic Distribution partnered with Third Chair and their extensive legal network to help enforce his copyrights and recover owed revenue.
Working with Third Chair, Symphonic Distribution was able to bring a no-brainer offer to clients suffering from this problem:
Monitor social platforms and detect 8000+ brand uses of their music
Prioritize high-value opportunities from large advertisers.
Escalate claims to Third Chair’s network of exceptional attorneys to help enforce their copyrights.
Result
After several months of working together, Third Chair helped Symphonic Distribution:
Identify more than 325 unlicensed commercial uses on just 2 key clients.
Identify more than 8,000 unlicensed commercial uses across the Symphonic catalog.
Build a scalable system for ongoing enforcement and revenue collection
"Working with Third Chair has been eye-opening for us... it's been a really huge revenue stream that we're excited to build."
Jon Mizrachi
VP / Head of Sync, Bodega Sync, Symphonic Distribution
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