How do you license music for a wedding or event video?

The song the couple danced to is not automatically yours to put in the film. A wedding or event video that uses recorded music needs permission from whoever owns the song and the recording, and the permission you need changes depending on whether the film goes only to the couple or onto YouTube, Instagram or your portfolio.

Why isn't the reception song automatically OK in the film?

Playing a song at a venue and fixing it into a film are different uses of copyright. Any licence a venue holds covers playing music to guests on the night. Putting a song into an edited film is synchronisation, which needs separate permission from the owners of the composition and the sound recording.

There are two ways music ends up in a wedding film. It can be captured live, like the band or the speaker system audible during speeches. Or it can be laid in during the edit, like the highlight reel cut to a favourite song. The second is plainly a soundtrack choice and needs a licence. The first is less clear than many videographers assume.

In Australia, the Copyright Act 1968 has an exception for incidental filming, but the Arts Law Centre of Australia points out that it applies to artistic works, such as a mural in the background, and not to music. A radio, band or busker audible in your footage does not fall within it. Whether a few seconds of background music is enough to infringe depends on how much is used and how, so treat it as a grey area, not a free pass.

Is a private copy for the couple different from a public upload?

Yes. A film delivered privately to the couple stays within a small circle, while a public upload reaches anyone and is scanned by automated systems. In Australia, private delivery can be covered by a collective videographer licence, but public uploads to YouTube, Instagram, Vimeo or your website need separate permission for each song.

Public platforms also bring automated matching. YouTube's Content ID scans every upload against reference files from rights holders, and a match lets the owner block the video, run ads on it, or track it. A portfolio piece that gets blocked in some countries, or earns money for someone else, is a poor showcase. Our guide to avoiding Content ID claims on YouTube covers this in more depth.

What does the APRA AMCOS videographer licence cover?

APRA AMCOS and ARIA offer a Domestic Use Video Licence for videographers filming private events such as weddings and parties. It covers music captured at the event, music added in post-production, and sharing the video with clients for their domestic use, including by private link or physical copies. It excludes public online posting.

According to the APRA AMCOS guide, the licence is priced by customers per year. At 2026 rates, a videographer with one to three customers pays A$87.52 per customer including GST, with annual tiers above that. The guide lists what is not covered, including:

• posting videos online for general public view, including social media
• uploading to social platforms even behind a private link
• filming corporate events or professional performers
• making a video for sale to the general public

It also says showing videos with music on your website to promote your work needs additional APRA AMCOS licensing, and possibly synchronisation rights from the copyright holders. For more on how these organisations fit together, see APRA AMCOS and OneMusic for creators. Check the current terms with APRA AMCOS before you rely on them.

What are your options for music you can publish?

For films you want to share publicly, you have three practical routes: production or library music, a sync licence negotiated directly with the rights holders, or a per-song licence from an independent artist through a sync platform. Whichever you choose, get the permission in writing and keep it with the project.

• Production or library music. Built for this, but read the terms closely, since subscription and royalty-free libraries differ a lot. See royalty-free vs sync licences.
• Direct licence from the rights holders. Possible for chart songs, but it can mean approaching a publisher and a label separately, and many will not quote for a single wedding film.
• Independent artists. Artists who control their own song and recording can license both in one go, often quickly.

How does this work on cadential.?

Pick the use type that matches where the film will be published. A film licence covers one video project, including streaming and non-broadcast exhibition. A social media or YouTube licence fits a highlight clip posted on those platforms. One licence covers one project and one use type, so each film needs its own.

Each song is priced individually per use type, in AUD, and the price is on the track page before checkout. For an emerging independent artist, a social media licence is typically roughly A$37 to A$67, YouTube roughly A$41 to A$73, and film roughly A$300 to A$1,500. The licence is in the name entered at checkout and cannot be handed over later, so decide who will publish the film before you buy. Licences are sync only: performance and communication rights handled by APRA AMCOS are separate. Some content categories need the artist's approval, which can take up to five business days. cadential. is pre-launch, and the catalogue opens once artists are onboarded.

What should a videographer check before delivery?

Before you hand over or publish anything, list every song in the cut, note where each one came from, and match it to a licence that covers where the film will appear. If a song has no matching licence for a public upload, replace it in the public version.

• List every song, including music captured live in the background.
• Decide the destinations: couple only, your website, YouTube, Instagram or Vimeo.
• For private delivery in Australia, check your Domestic Use Video Licence is current.
• For each public destination, hold a licence that names that use.
• Make sure the licensee named on each licence is whoever will publish.
• Save licence PDFs and numbers with the project files.
• Cut a separate public version if a song is only licensed for private use.

If you make longer films as well, these guides go further:

• How do you license a song for a film or documentary?
• How to avoid Content ID claims on YouTube

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own project, talk to a lawyer. Licence details on cadential. are set out in the licence terms.