The most common disappointment in wedding videography has nothing to do with cameras. It is the moment a couple learns that the song they walked down the aisle to cannot be the soundtrack of their film. Here is why, and what the alternative is.
Two copyrights, not one
Every commercial song has at least two owners: the publisher, who owns the composition, and the record label, who owns the recording. To put a song in a film you need a synchronisation licence from the first and a master-use licence from the second. For a chart song those licences are negotiated individually, often run to four or five figures, and are frequently refused for private films altogether. The fee would be more than the wedding film itself.
What happens if you use it anyway
Some videographers do. The film gets uploaded, YouTube or Instagram or Vimeo runs it through content identification, and the film is muted, taken down or has adverts placed on it by the rights holder. A film you paid for that you cannot share is not much of a film. The videographer is also liable, which is why insurers ask about it.
What a production library is
Production music libraries employ composers and bands to write and record music specifically for use in films. A subscription or a per-track licence gives the filmmaker the right to use the track in your wedding film, including your personal copies and your social media posts. The catalogues are enormous and include acoustic songs, orchestral pieces, modern pop with vocals and instrumental versions of almost every mood. We send two or three options before we cut and you choose.
What about the music that was actually playing?
This is where it gets more nuanced. When the DJ plays your first-dance song and we film it, the song is incidental to the footage: it was playing in the room. For the full-length documentary edit of the first dance we keep that live audio, because it is what happened. For the highlights film, which is a new creative work set to music, we cut to a licensed track and may drop a few seconds of the live song underneath the dance itself.
What you can do
Tell us the songs you love. We listen for the tempo, the instrument, the mood and the vocal, and find a licensed track that does the same job. Couples are almost always surprised at how close we get, and never surprised by a takedown notice.
The short version
Licensed music is not a limitation we impose; it is the only way to give you a film you can keep and share. Any videographer who promises otherwise is promising something they cannot deliver.