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To use commercial music in a wedding film you sell or post, you generally need a licence covering that use, and a record of it. Social platforms set their own rules. A clean recording of the band or DJ can make a fine soundtrack if they agree. Rules vary by country, so check with the rights bodies or a lawyer.
The track you choose shapes a wedding film more than almost any other decision in the edit. It also raises questions about rights that are easy to put off until a couple ask for their favourite song or a platform mutes your video. This article gives practical orientation on music for wedding films. It isn’t legal advice, and the rules vary by country and by platform. For the rest of the edit, see the complete guide to the wedding highlight film.
Why do you need a licence to use music in a wedding film?
A commercial recording usually carries two sets of rights. One covers the composition, meaning the melody and lyrics, which belongs to the songwriters and their publishers. The other covers the sound recording itself, which belongs to the record label or whoever owns the recording, and the performers have rights too. Putting a song in a film you sell, or posting that film publicly, generally needs permission for that use.
Buying a download or paying for a streaming service covers personal listening. It does not cover using the song in a film you are paid to make. When a couple ask for a particular chart song, explain this plainly. Ask what they love about it (the tempo, the mood, a lyric) and look for a licensed track with the same qualities.
Where do licensed tracks come from?
Licensed music for wedding films usually comes from music libraries that sell licences for use in films, or directly from artists and composers who license their own work. Whichever you use, read the licence before you build a film around the track, and check:
- which uses it covers, such as client films, your own website, social platforms and paid advertising
- whether it covers one film or everything you make during a period of time
- whether films you have already delivered stay covered if you stop paying for a subscription
- whether you need to credit the artist, and how
- whether the library or artist will help you clear a claim if a platform flags your video
If the terms are unclear, ask the library or the artist before you use the track.
How should you keep licence records?
Keep a record for every film. If a platform flags a video, or a question comes up years later, you want to find the answer quickly. For each film, note:
- the track title, the artist and where you licensed it
- the licence certificate, number or receipt
- the date of the licence and what it covers
- the couple’s names, the wedding date and which film used the track
- where the film has been published
Store the record with the project and your footage backup, so it is never separated from the film it belongs to. From camera card to backup covers a backup workflow you can add it to.
Do social platforms have their own music rules?
Yes, and they change. Each platform sets its own terms, and many detect music in uploaded videos automatically. A detected track can lead to a video being muted, blocked or claimed by the rights holder. A claim can appear even on a track you have licensed, which is when your licence records matter.
A licence for a client film may not cover posting it on social platforms, so check that the use is included. Some platforms offer their own music for use inside their apps, with terms that can differ for business accounts. Read the terms for the account you actually post from. If you send couples a teaser soon after the wedding, as described in sending a teaser days after the wedding, check the music for that teaser before it goes out.
Can you use the band or DJ recorded on the day?
Music from the day itself can make a film feel like theirs and nobody else’s. Guests hear the song they danced to, played by the band the couple chose.
Getting a clean recording
A camera microphone near a speaker picks up distortion, crowd noise and the echo of the room. A clean feed from the band’s or DJ’s sound desk sounds far better. Ask the band or DJ in advance whether they can give you a spare output from the desk, and ask the venue whether there are rules about connecting to its sound system. Recording vows, speeches and the band has more on the practical side.
Asking permission
The band’s performance is their work, so ask whether they are happy for it to be recorded and used in the film, and tell them where the film will be shown. A cover version is still someone else’s composition, so check what you may do with it before you share the film publicly. A DJ usually plays commercial recordings, so a recording of a DJ set contains the same songs and recordings you would otherwise need to license.
What is acceptable in a film delivered privately to the couple may differ from what you can post on your website or social accounts. Check both uses before you rely on the recording.
How do you choose tempo and mood?
Start with the style of the film. A cinematic film suits a track that starts quietly and builds. A documentary film needs music that sits comfortably under natural sound. An upbeat film wants a lively track with a clear beat.
- Tempo. Slower tracks, with fewer beats per minute (BPM), suit the opening, the ceremony and the portraits, and faster ones suit the party. A longer film can change track at the reception to lift the energy.
- Space for words. Instrumental tracks, or tracks with long instrumental passages, leave room for vows and speeches. Sung lyrics compete with spoken lines.
- Shape. Look for a quiet opening and a clear build, so the film can start gently and rise with the music.
- Length. A track rarely matches your film’s length exactly. Shorten or extend it by cutting on bar lines so the join is hard to hear, and end on the track’s natural ending where you can.
- Meaning. Ask the couple about songs that matter to them. If one can’t be licensed, find a track with the same feel.
Cutting a wedding film to the beat explains how tempo, bars and phrases shape the edit.
Where can UK photographers check the rules?
Music rights vary by country, by platform and by how a film is used. In the UK, PRS for Music represents songwriters, composers and music publishers, and PPL represents record companies and performers for recorded music. Check with them about what your business needs, or ask a lawyer who works with music rights. Outside the UK, look for the equivalent rights organisations in your country.