Wedding video music

[KingVidiot]

I'm considering trying my hand at doing some wedding videos for friends as a starter (I know, the horrors of wedding videography), and see what happens from there. Various posts of late have made me think of an interesting question.

What's the deal with all of these wedding videographers that use original copyrighted songs in the videos that they sell to their clients?

Although you could argue that it's for private use (or at least private exhibition), they are obviously making money off of someone else's work. Is this actionable offense ever pursued much in the legal system? Do the unlawful users get turned-in often? If so, then why is it still rampant? Obviously some of these videos are bound to be seen by the wrong person and trouble could ensue. The use of such music on these website demo reels is so blatant, I'm surprised that so many people stay in business.

It's obviously unethical, but what are the penalties? I'm not a big fan of most cover music, but at least it could be legal to use if purchased or authorized.

[Mino]

I get all fuzzy on this question. In my view, the video you produce will never be resold, you are providing a service for your client that will not make it into mass production...It's a one off. In my experience with weddings, the bride and or groom choose the music that will score the video and even provide the cd's. How any of this process could end up profiting the music industry if they clamped down on it is beyond me. At the reception, there will be music flying in evry direction with no fee going to the artist or industry why should that same music not be captured as part of the moment even is infused artificially in an effort to produce a one off historical capture of the moment? If it is a video of two famous celebs tying the knot with a definate eye toward mass production and profit by pimping the moment on DVD then hell yes, fees should apply. I just don't agree with the idea of evry little incedent of "we want cash because you played our song" out there. You make a film for the fastival, you don't pay for the music rights. The film gets picked up and distributed....You pay for the music. I'm afraid that's the way I view it. No disrespect here but I think the term unethical here is senseless brough beating by the industry. My 02

[Kyle Stebbins]

bravo, Mino. I don't know much on the subject however it seems ethical that you are virtually safe when it is just a wedding video with the audience being limited to the couple, the couple's family and friends and a couple dvxusers ;)

i'll wait for more people to comment on here, though.

[Mino]

I also don't know a lot about the industy of wedding video. I've shot a few as a freelance camera but never asked a lot of questions because I don't see it as anything more than a way to make cash with my camera. I would think though that there would be something like a society of wedding videographers that one could belong to and as a member of such a group perhaps there would be a percentage fee of work produced or an anual fee one could pay to the industry that would (Ahem) find it's way to the artists allowing one to use any commercially produced music in a wedding production. I would view this sort of scheme as acceptable were I producing a lot of wedding packages. In my dream world, I would just love to sidestep the INDUSTRY and be able to call the artist direct and say..."Hey, this is mino, I'm producing a wedding video for three grand and I would like to include your track in the score, How much?" In the real world however it is not my belief that the average artist gets his dues with any sense of dignity and I'll be damned if I'm gonna put up all that cash so some lawyer can take home the best looking girl at the cocktail party!
I'll admit this comment is sliced and diced to fit my agenda, but I don't believe it's too far off the mark.


Oh!...I almost forgot the obligatory…Hope this helps:)

[bewillia]

just so you know, most major labels have people that hand this kind of thing. you can purchase the rights to use a song for a wedding video for a reasonable price in most cases.

but who would want to do that?

[Mino]

Good to know...How about a festival entry, any people designated to handling that at reasonable rates?

[KingVidiot]

Hell, then it sounds like fair game to me. If a whole industry can exist that way, then why not join 'em.

By the way, I've never believed that the artist gets a fair shake in the music business, but they do sign contracts and the company can use its muscle when it deems it necessary. I would be more concerned with the company pursuit angle. Just like the music in these demo reels of sold projects, if you post a "Wind beneath my wings" mp3 on your website, you will eventually be served a cease and desist order, unless it's you doing a bad cover of it (actually when it comes to that song I'm probably being redundant, but I digress).

I guess this just doesn't happen with wedding videos. Talk about a free ride...

[ProjX v2.0]

Ha, "free ride"

I challenge you to do wedding videos for a year and when you have that conversation with your clients about why you're using crap royalty free music instead of the music they want, be sure to record it for us. I wonder if after taking your lumps you'd still feel like it's a "free ride".

Right now, there is no viable legal way to buy rights to use mainstream music for such small productions.

Until there is, you either do or you don't. Your call.

I wonder if Cary Sherman worries about music rights when he sees a videographer at a friend or relative's wedding?

[KingVidiot]

Ha, "free ride"

I challenge you to do wedding videos for a year and when you have that conversation with your clients about why you're using crap royalty free music instead of the music they want, be sure to record it for us. I wonder if after taking your lumps you'd still feel like it's a "free ride".

Right now, there is no viable legal way to buy rights to use mainstream music for such small productions.

Until there is, you either do or you don't. Your call.



Well, it is a free ride since you're "borrowing" the music, but I see your point about the difficulty in ironing-out royalties and companies probably not caring about limited use of the stuff. I'm not worried about "taking lumps" from clients, since I wouldn't depend on the small income from those jobs.

Obviously people don't want to use royalty free music, but is interesting that if you sell a video to someone containing a band's music without permission it's "okay", but it's illegal if you personally sell mp3's or copied CD's of the same songs. You're still selling the music as part of the package.

Personally, I would like to use the real music if I didn't have the time to make some of it myself and because people would ask for it, but I wondered about getting into legal problems.

Thanks for the feedback.