At VUMEDIA Group we work on a large variety of creative projects which can include different types of media including audio tracks, photography images, and video footage. A topic that occasionally comes up is the customer requesting that we add media from external sources into their project. Some examples of this may be wedding videos, band performance videos, music videos, slideshows and more.
When a project is created, edited, and produced by VUMEDIA Group, all media in the project is managed by VUMEDIA Group. This includes ensuring that all audio tracks, images, and video footage is either created by VUMEDIA Group or VUMEDIA Group obtained legal permission from the copyright holder to use in project.
Typically VUMEDIA group will purchase the right to use audio tracks from the copyright owner for projects such as wedding videos, real estate virtual tours, promo videos, corporate videos, and more. These audio tracks greatly enhance the quality of the project while properly compensating the creative artist or artists who created the audio track.
On multiple occasions a client has requested that VUMEDIA Group add an audio track from a well known artist, use graphics that were produced by an unknown source, or add video footage to a project that the client had acquired from somewhere on the Internet. For each occasion VUMEDIA Group is unable to add such media to the project unless the customer is able to provide written documentation that the copyright holder has not only given the client permission to use their works, but also that the copyright holder has given the client permissions to use their work in the way in which the client wishes for VUMEDIA Group to use their work in the project, and the client is willing to sign a statement releasing VUMEDIA Group from any liability that may be incurred by the client’s inclusion of copywritten material.
There are also special use cases that frequently become a topic of discussion or source of misunderstanding between the Client and the Studio which are examined below.
When recording wedding videos the DJ frequently plays songs which are from well known artists. The DJ is able to do this in the USA because the venue, bar, or club is required to hold a public performance license with the ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC.
Although this means that the DJ is protected from copyright violations, the same cannot be said for VUMEDIA Group’s recording of the audio that accompanies filming the video during the wedding. VUMEDIA Group would need to obtain a license from the copyright holders of every audio track that was recorded during the wedding in order to use that audio in the final wedding video project. Needless to say, this would be cost prohibitive due to the fact that licensing fees for those audio tracks from those well known artists can easily exceed $150,000.00.
Instead what VUMEDIA Group does is purchases the rights to use audio tracks from lesser known artists for each wedding video project. This ensures copyright compliance while still ensuring a high quality product for the wedding video client.
VUMEDIA Group does not film band performance videos unless the band is performing original audio tracks due to potential copyright legal issues. There is a legal grey area in the interpretation of the copyright law when it comes to filming band performances as they perform to well known artists songs. However, the legal risk to the Studio that performs such a recording outweighs the benefits of creating such a recording.
If the band being filmed does in fact own the copyright to the songs they are singing, VUMEDIA Group can create a band performance video for the client.
All music video artists must own full copyrights to all audio that is used in their music video. Music video artists are solely responsible for any audio that they provide to the Studio and must sign a release stating that they own or have obtained permission to use all audio that will be played in their music video.
Birthdays, parties, and other types of events fall under similar restrictions as the ones that apply to Wedding Video projects. Any captured audio that was copywritten by the original artist(s) cannot be used in the final product and will be replaced where possible with an audio track to which VUMEDIA Group and/or the Client has full permission from the copyright owner to use in the project.
