Okay, so you and your bae love the song 'Thinking Out Loud' by Ed Sheeran and of course you want to use it in your wedding film then your videographer tells you they can't license the song...

WE ARE HERE TO BREAK IT ALL DOWN AND HELP SHINE SOME LIGHT ON THE LAWS OF MUSIC COPYRIGHT

One of the first questions a couple will ask their videographer is about the music used in their film and if they can use their favourite song. The answer is “No” and here is why... any track/song that you do not personally own the rights to you can not use unless you gain permission from the rights holder (who owns the copyright), this is called licensing. Typically, a recording label will own the rights to any song that has been recorded and played on the radio at any point in time.

If you wanted to license a popular song it will cost you... ALOT! Typically, a song written or preformed by a famous artist will start at around $15,000 for one use. If you fall into a category of clients who can afford that price tag we can absolutely point you in the direction of the relevant record label to get the ball rolling.

"BUT OUR FRIENDS HAD THEIR FAVOURITE SONG AND THEY DIDN'T PAY $15,000?"

The risk of being sued for a copyright violation has driven more than a few people out of the wedding videography market over the last 6 years. Social media, in particular, Facebook, Youtube and Vimeo have started cracking down on illegal use of music. You may have noticed, lot's of videos have been coming down from social media and many videographers disappearing all together. 

A well known videographer based in Melbourne, Australia (who had been using un-licensed music) had 7 years worth of wedding and commercial video's stripped from their Facebook account, along with a cease and desist letter. Since then, all of their social media accounts have been closed and his website has been deactivated.

A client of ours tried to upload her hen's weekend video using a popular song by Beyonce. It too was immediately removed because she does not have the license to use the song. This will also be the case for your film, the second you load a video with unlicensed music it will be removed, this means you will not be able to share your wedding film with your loved ones. In this day and age, we haven't meet with any couples who don't want to share their wedding film. 

The penalties for Australian copyright infringement range from injunctions, damages and costs through to fines of up to $60,000 for individuals and up to $302,000 for businesses. It can also carry 5 years imprisonment per offence. The law is the law, we are not looking to break it!

"SO WHAT CAN WE USE?"

We use Musicbed exclusively for all of our films, they have the largest range of licensed music in the world and lots of amazing artists who make music perfect for wedding films. We will work with you to find a track that is going to fit the emotion, personality and ambience of your day. We have a great form called 'Film Selections' that you will have access to about one month prior to your wedding where you can choose your favourite tracks.

"WE AREN’T FAMILIAR WITH ANY OF THE SONGs ON MUSICBED!"

Let me ask you this, when you go to see a movie how often do you think “that movie was awesome but I hated the soundtrack”? You don’t because the music fits the film perfectly. The soundtrack was created to enhance the vibe and emotion of the story. You might not listen to those songs while driving down the freeway, but in the film it worked! 

This is how we create our films, we want to use a track that fits you and your story!

We want you to watch your film and hear songs you have never heard before. From that day forward, every time you hear that song it will take you back to your wedding day as you relive the emotion though our film. Your film would not have the same emotional impact if you are using a song that you already have a memory tied to of from a different time in your life.

 If you look through our films, they all have licensed music and all of our films still have the same emotional impact and story telling. We don't determine our success based upon the music we use, we have created a distinctive style that we hope you love!

x The Wildwood Team