The big event has come and gone, and amidst the hectic bustle of all the people, wedding party, and the actual wedding, you’ve managed to capture all the happy couple’s special moments from ceremony to reception. Now, the real work of editing, revisions, and finding the right music can begin.
Finding The Right Song For Your Wedding Video
Finding the right music for your wedding video can be a painstaking process, but working with a music licensing companies like Marmoset can help speed along and simplify the process. The right music can highlight and underscore all the important moments for more emotional impact, taking the audience along with the narrative journey. It can also elevate a wedding video from ho-hum to truly special, lending a distinctive style to your project (check out a few wedding films we think are breaking the mold here).
If you’re juggling multiple projects as a wedding videographer and in a time crunch, there’s some good news! Marmoset’s search and browse platform can do all the heavy lifting when it comes to finding the perfect song. Our filters are designed to work intuitively to filter out everything you don’t want, leaving only the songs that you do. If you still need more inspiration, wedding filmmaker sister duo Elena and Sofia Costa curated a mixtape of some of their favorite songs for wedding projects.
Licensing Music For A Wedding Video
Now you’ve found the perfect song! As with any other video project (even personal projects), in order to use a particular song legally you must first purchase a music license. Whether you’re going through BMI, ASCAP, or a music licensing agency like Marmoset, the music license essentially acts as a form of permission from the copyright owner of the song, giving you legal right to use the song. Since all music is protected under copyright laws, this permission from the rights holder to use the track is important to protect you from penalties like copyright infringement, fines, or even lawsuits. Using unlicensed music can also, at the very least, cause your video to get flagged with copyright claims and removed from websites, which could lead to some very unhappy clients.
Contrary to popular belief, royalty-free does not mean free music. What “royalty-free” refers to in this case is music that is free of royalties. Traditionally, when you license a piece of music for a project, you negotiate certain terms that can include royalties, meaning that every time your film or video is broadcasted you pay a fee. Royalty-free music means you only pay the license cost upfront, but you still have to pay for the music.
When you license music for your wedding film through a music licensing company like Marmoset, you won’t have to worry about all those details. Our team negotiates on behalf of our high-quality roster of independent artists, bands and record labels to ensure that your project has the necessary coverage you need, so you can spend more time creating and less time on the legal terms!
What License Do I Need For My Wedding Video?
In order to use the song you’ve picked for your wedding video, you’ll need to purchase a Wedding license. Our Wedding music license covers the use of a single song in your video or slideshow covering the wedding day or similar event for your client (the couple). Note that this license does not cover the use of the song for promotional films or advertisements for a businesses related to weddings.
If you want to purchase a music license for promotional purposes, you’d most likely want to look at one of our Small Business licenses. Take a peek at our License Agreement here for additional info!
Does the Wedding License cover uploads of my wedding videos?
In short answer, yes. Our Wedding License covers the use of that video for your client (the couple). It also covers any uploads to social media or other websites (such as YouTube) you might want to do, as long as there is no paid ad spend behind it. For example, the Wedding License allows you to upload your wedding video to YouTube, but it does not cover the usage of that video for YouTube preroll. Similarly, you can upload it to Instagram but the license doesn’t cover paid promotion of that post. If you’re interested in using your video for paid promotion of your services as a wedding videographer, etc, you can look towards our Small Business music license.
And don’t forget — our team of music licensing experts are always standing by at the ready for any questions you might have. Reach out to us at creative@marmosetmusic.com if you need more guidance, and in the meantime you can check out our mixtape of some all time popular songs for wedding films here.