Copyright Issues: CCLI, OneLicense.net and more

Copyright is one of the most puzzling aspects of the job to many church musicians. Knowing what is and what is not legal can keep you and your church out of legal trouble.

Caveat: This article is not professional legal advice, but is intended to help you find the right resources in the copyright arena.

Music for Congregational Use

Copyright Licensing Organizations
The two copyright licensing organizations that cover the most publishers of church music for congregational use are CCLI and OneLicense.net. Notice the qualifier in the preceding sentence: FOR CONGREGATIONAL USE. These organizations can only legally allow you to reproduce music (melody line and words, OR words only) from their member publishers that is to be sung by your congregation. They cannot give you the right to reproduce choir or keyboard music, for example. Each of these licensing organizations has lists on their websites of which publishers are currently members.

Both CCLI and OneLicense.net operate on an annual membership fee for churches which is determined on a sliding scale according to congregation size.

How do I report my copyright usage, and how often?
The reporting mechanism for both organizations is via their websites. CCLI will notify member churches when they are expected to report for a specified period of time, usually a 6 month period. OneLicense.net requires weekly reporting.

Music for Other Uses

As stipulated above, copyright licensing organizations such as CCLI and OneLicense.net can not grant permission to reproduce music for uses other than congregational singing or recording in a service context. In order to gain permission for other uses, you must contact the copyright owner directly.

What about reproducing music that is out of print?
If the music is still under copyright (currently defined as life of the composer plus 75 years beyond), you still need permission to reproduce it. Contact the copyright owner or their designee.

What if my choir wants to record a CD of choir favorites?
A licensing organization called the Harry Fox Agency handles many recording licensing requests. For less than 2500 copies, you can in many cases get permission by paying using a credit card on their website. For more copies, they will issue licenses for each song at the standard "mechanical rate", meaning x cents per song per CD pressed.

What are copyright administrators?
These are companies that administer copyrights for the publishers for requests other than congregational use. Examples are Music Services and the Copyright Company. However, some publishers administer copyright requests directly. Look on their websites for contact information and copyright request policies.

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