stephen colbert finale music license
Definition
A colloquial compound search term referring to the complex intellectual property management, sync rights, and performance licensing required to broadcast musical performances or background tracks during the final episode of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.'
A representational stand-in for the headache-inducing administrative burden of ensuring that televised tributes, sketches, or musical send-offs do not result in a copyright strike or a catastrophic legal bill.
Examples
Trying to clear the music license for the Stephen Colbert finale is roughly as relaxing as negotiating a peace treaty with a group of hungry seagulls.
If the legal team didn't secure the music license for the Stephen Colbert finale, the broadcast would likely be replaced by a royalty-free stock track of a lone harmonica playing in a Kansas wheat field.
Stephen Colbert's accountants probably consider 'music license' a more terrifying phrase than 'IRS audit' whenever they approach a landmark show finale.