Record labels sued the producer of The Ellen Degeneres Show for not securing licenses to play recorded music during dance segments on the show. According to court pleadings the production company has used over 1000 sound recordings without payment of the appropriate master use synchronization fee.

This master use license is granted by the record label when a recording is played, not when there is a live performance by the band/artist. The fees for such a "master use" is typically the same amount that would be paid to the publisher/songwriter for the musical composition synchronization rights.