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 - Music Licensing -

Strumming

Okay, so you and your partner love a particular song/artist and of course you want to use it in your wedding film, then your Wedding Videographer tells you, they can't do it because they can't 'license' the song. 

We are here to break it all down + 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 can they 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. 

If you wanted to license a popular song it will cost you... A LOT!

Typically, a song written or preformed by a famous artist will start at around $20,000 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.

If not, read on...

"BUT OUR FRIENDS HAD THEIR FAVOURITE SONG ON THEIR WEDDING FILM & THEY DIDN'T PAY $20,000?"

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 5 years. Social media, in particular, Facebook and Youtube have started to crack down on the illegal use of music. You may have noticed, lot's of videos have been coming down and videographers disappearing from social media. 

A well known videographer based in Toronto (who had been using un-licensed music) had 8 years worth of wedding and commercial video's stripped from his Facebook account, along with a cease and desist letter. Since then, all of his social media accounts and website have been closed.

A client of ours recently tried to upload a family video she created with a popular song, it too was immediately removed because she does not own the license to use the song.  Some of OUR own licensed songs are removed and then have to be re-instated once we prove we own the license to use it!  The whole ordeal can get messy.  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. 

The penalties for Canadian copyright infringement range from injunctions, damages and costs through to fines in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Worse, it can carry jail time!  You can also be sued by the Music label directly!

The law is the law, we are not looking to break it!

"SO WHAT CAN WE USE?"

We use a number of incredible Music Sites for all of our films, they have an amazing range of licensed music and lots of amazing artists who make music perfect for wedding films. We believe that Music is a character in any film, and we want the Music in YOUR film to perfectly match your taste and personalities.  We will work with you to find the perfect track(s) that is going to fit the emotion, personality and ambience of your day. 

"WE DIDN'T LIKE ANY OF THE SONG FROM THESE SITES!"

When you go to see a new movie how often do you think to yourself “wow, that movie was amazing but I just 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 movie.

 

You might not listen to those particular songs while cruising down the freeway, but in the film it worked! 

This is how we create our films, we want to use music that we feel best fits you and the story of your wedding day!

We want you to watch your film and hear songs you have never heard before because 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 music score will be personal and reflect who you are!

 

Your film would not have the same emotional impact if you are using a song that you already have a memory tied to a different time in your life, or have seen in hundreds of other Wedding films.  This just makes the music less personal.

 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 otherwise you would not be here right now :)

We don't determine our success based upon the music we use, we have created a distinctive style that we hope you love!

Experience the Emotion with us!

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