Sell Custom String Arrangements for Proposal Videos

Sell a custom string arrangement for a proposal video as a fixed-price FanBell Creator Service. Tier the offer by instrumentation — solo, duo, or quartet — and require written confirmation that the song is public domain, royalty-free, or cleared by its rights holder before work begins. Publish one standard turnaround and one priced rush option.

Proposal planning is time-pressured: the couple already has "their song" and a date, and often a videographer or a friend filming from across the room. What they do not have is someone who can turn that song into a string arrangement for the video's soundtrack. A proposal-video arrangement request is narrow and well-defined — a good fit for a string player's page, as long as the job is scoped, priced, and licensed correctly.

What counts as a custom string arrangement for a proposal video?

A custom string arrangement for a proposal video is a made-to-order instrumental recording: one existing song rewritten for violin, cello, or a small ensemble and mixed as an audio file the couple syncs under proposal footage. A proposal-video arrangement is a file deliverable with a set turnaround, not a live appearance at the proposal itself.

The request typically names one existing song plus an instrumentation ("just cello," "violin and cello," "a quartet"), and the finished file sits under video the couple already plans to film. Media work around the engagement is normal spending: couples hired an average of 13 wedding professionals and 88% booked a photographer, according to The Knot Worldwide's 2026 Real Weddings Study of 10,474 U.S. couples married in 2025. A proposal-video arrangement differs from performing at the ceremony, covered in selling custom wedding ceremony song arrangements, and from composing something wholly original about the couple, which is wedding vow songs. It is also a different job from blending two or more existing songs into one continuous track, which is the scope covered in selling custom remixes and mashups to fans.

Can you legally arrange someone else's song for a paid proposal video?

Usually not without permission. Arranging a copyrighted song creates a derivative work, and syncing that recording to a proposal video is a separate synchronization use; both rights sit with the publisher or rights holder rather than the arranger. Private, unpublished use is not an automatic exemption, so clear the song with its rights holder or choose public-domain material.

The U.S. Copyright Office states that using another artist's musical work — including arranging it — requires a public-domain work, rights-holder permission, or a specific statutory exception (What Musicians Should Know About Copyright). The statutory mechanical license under Section 115 does not reach video at all, which is why a proposal edit needs separate clearance:

"A phonorecord does not include sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work." — U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 73B: Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Digital Phonorecords

The Section 115 statutory license, where it does apply, permits an arrangement only "to the extent necessary to conform it to the style or manner of interpretation of the performance involved" and forbids changing "the basic melody or fundamental character of the work" (U.S. Copyright Office). The Music Publishers Association states the arrangement rule for small ensembles and orchestras in the same terms:

"Whenever a copyrighted song is arranged, orchestrated, transcribed, or adapted for orchestra, the right to reproduce the copyrighted song, create the orchestral arrangement, transcription, or adaptation and the right to distribute those arrangements via sale or hire/rental vests solely with the copyright owner worldwide." — Music Publishers Association, Creating, Licensing & Distributing Authorized Orchestral Arrangements

Use the song's status, not the size of the audience, to decide whether the job can start:

U.S. works published in 1930 or earlier entered the public domain on January 1, 2026, along with sound recordings from 1925, per Duke Law's Center for the Study of the Public Domain (Public Domain Day 2026). This page is general information, not legal advice; when a request is ambiguous, point the couple to the Copyright Office resources cited above rather than guessing.

Should a proposal-video request be a Paid Private Question or a Creator Service?

Sell a proposal-video string arrangement as a Creator Service, not a Paid Private Question. A Creator Service carries the produced audio file: FanBell services deliver a written note plus up to five files, including audio and PDF (Creator Services). Paid Private Questions are a text question answered in writing, with no file attached in either direction.

A Paid Private Question still has a place on the same page — for a quick "will strings work for an EDM song?" question that does not need a full arrangement yet. The same file-based Creator Service format also fits other short commissioned instrumental work, such as pricing custom jingles for small businesses. The table below separates the two:

How do you price a proposal-video string arrangement?

Price by instrumentation and arranging hours, not a flat per-song rate. The Musicians' Union sets a general arranging minimum of £74.98 per hour, effective 10 December 2025 (MU arranging rates), so a four-to-eight-hour solo arrangement lands near £300–£600 at that floor. Quartet writing, score preparation, and rush delivery each add a separate line.

Two published rate schedules make a tier defensible. The Musicians' Union's minimum recommended rates put general arranging at £74.98 per hour and per-bar arranging for up to six players at £6.46 per bar. The same Musicians' Union schedule prices music preparation separately at £46.57 per hour, with single-stave parts at £5.21 per page — which is why a PDF score belongs in a higher tier than an MP3 alone. For a US reference point, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median hourly wage of $47.80 for musicians and singers as of May 2025 (Occupational Outlook Handbook). The Musicians' Union figures are UK union minimums for commissioned professional work, not a FanBell requirement and not a US standard; the ranges in the table below are illustrative arithmetic on those minimums, not a guarantee of what any creator can charge. For the general framework behind tiering, see how much to charge for a custom song. The same hourly-to-tier math applies to other instrumental commissions billed by length rather than by song, such as pricing game and app background loops.

FanBell Creator Services let the creator set both price and turnaround, with delivery capped at 120 hours. FanBell is free to start with no monthly fee and applies a 12% platform fee only when a fan pays (pricing), so each tier price is set gross and the 12% fee comes off the paid order.

What information do you need from the couple before starting?

Collect five things before starting: the exact song and recording version, the song's rights status, the requested instrumentation, the proposal date, and how the couple intends to use the finished file. Each answer changes scope, turnaround, or licensing risk, and asking for all five inside the service description prevents a mid-arrangement scope change after payment.

At minimum, ask for:

• Song and version — the exact recording ("the original," "the acoustic version") so the arrangement matches what the couple has in mind.
• Rights status — whether the song is public domain, royalty-free, written by the couple, or a commercial release they have cleared with the publisher.
• Instrumentation — solo, duo, or quartet, and which instruments.
• Proposal date — sets whether the standard or rush turnaround applies.
• Intended use — a private keepsake versus a public social post changes what permission the couple needs, so ask directly.

A fixed set of intake questions in the service description reduces back-and-forth after payment, and a FanBell creator can decline and refund an order that falls outside the stated scope.

How fast can you turn around a rush proposal request?

As fast as the creator commits to, up to FanBell's 120-hour (five-day) maximum delivery window on Creator Services, with no platform-imposed minimum turnaround. Proposal planning is often compressed into a few weeks, so a named rush tier at a higher price captures short-notice demand instead of renegotiating speed after payment.

Proposal demand clusters seasonally. More than one-third of U.S. wedding proposals are made between November and December, according to WeddingWire data published by The Knot Worldwide in its December 5, 2017 press release — a dated figure, but the clearest published reason to open a rush tier before the holidays rather than after. Roughly 2 million U.S. couples married in 2025, per The Knot Worldwide's 2026 Real Weddings Study released February 18, 2026, which sets the scale of the engaged audience upstream of those weddings. Keep the rush tier's scope identical to the standard tier so speed is the only variable that changes.

What else can you offer engaged couples and their circle?

Three other FanBell offers fit engaged couples and the people around them: a Personalized Shoutout congratulating the newly engaged couple, Tips from followers who enjoyed the shared clip, and Wishlist / Project Support toward gear such as a bow or a recording interface. Each of the three is a separate, clearly labeled offer, and none is required.

Wishlist / Project Support is cash contributed toward a stated goal with a visible progress bar, not a rewards-tier system and not a way to presell a specific deliverable. Keep Wishlist / Project Support separate from anything a fan pays to receive back, such as the arrangement itself. A string player's short-form recording skills also transfer to a separate, ongoing offer for the same audience: recording custom podcast intro and outro music.

How do you get a proposal-arrangement offer live?

List one Creator Service with a stated price, instrumentation options, and a published turnaround; state in the description that the couple must confirm the song's rights status when ordering; then share the link where engaged couples already find you. FanBell has no follower minimum and nothing to apply for.

Post the link where the request already surfaces — Instagram, TikTok, or a wedding-vendor directory profile — rather than waiting for someone to find it on its own.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about selling proposal-video string arrangements cover four things: whether permission is needed to arrange a couple's song, which FanBell offer type fits an audio deliverable, how fast a rush order can be delivered, and what the platform charges. Short answers with primary sources follow.

Do I need permission to arrange a couple's song for their proposal video?

Generally yes: creating a new arrangement is a right that belongs to the song's copyright owner, not the arranger, per the U.S. Copyright Office (What Musicians Should Know About Copyright). Syncing that recording to video is a further permission, because a statutory phonorecord license "does not include sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work" (Circular 73B). When in doubt, use public-domain or royalty-free material, or obtain rights-holder permission.

Should I sell this as a Paid Private Question or a Creator Service?

Use a Creator Service, since the deliverable is an audio file and optionally a PDF score — a FanBell service delivery is a written note plus up to five files. Paid Private Questions are a text question answered in writing, with no file in either direction.

How fast can I turn around a proposal request?

As fast as you commit to, up to FanBell's 120-hour maximum delivery window on Creator Service orders. Because more than one-third of U.S. proposals happen between November and December per WeddingWire data published by The Knot Worldwide in a December 5, 2017 press release, an explicit rush tier is worth listing before the holiday season.

Can I offer to perform live at the proposal instead of recording an arrangement?

Not through FanBell: there are no live calls or appointments to schedule on the platform. Everything sold through a FanBell Creator Service is a pre-recorded, asynchronous deliverable with a turnaround window, not a reserved live time slot.

What does FanBell charge for this?

FanBell is free to start with no monthly fee and takes a 12% platform fee only when a fan pays. Card processing is separate: standard US online card pricing is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge (Stripe pricing).