The five questions we hear the most

In the last few years, no question has been asked more than this one. Websites such as YouTube offer a world of readily-available videos on almost every conceivable topic, so it’s no wonder churches are keen to share them in services and meetings.

However, as YouTube doesn’t own the videos uploaded to its platform, it doesn’t have the rights to license them for public display. As a result, YouTube’s terms restrict videos on its site to private viewing only. This means that to legally show a video from YouTube in church, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) beforehand. Our article Showing Videos In Church provides further guidance on the different types of video available, and what to consider before showing them.

If you’re unable to obtain permission to show a video from YouTube, our advice is to find an alternative source. Wherever you get your videos, CCLI recommends you always check the terms of the site you are using, and never assume you can use a video without confirming you are allowed to show it in public.

As live streaming and on-demand webcasting of worship services becomes more common, churches ask the inevitable questions around copyright.

As always, it’s important to obtain the proper permissions for any material you wish to include.

CCLI provides a choice of two licenses as a supplement to our  Church Copyright License. The CCLI Streaming License™ permits you to include authorized worship songs played live during your online worship. The CCLI Streaming Plus License™ extends this coverage to include authorized song recordings, such as artist tracks, backing tracks, and multitracks.

These licenses cover streamed or uploaded services on your church’s website as well as social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook, and other streaming platforms.

Unfortunately, these licenses won’t stop the occasional copyright notice or strike on some popular social media channels.

As part of YouTube’s video upload process, they will ask whether your video includes copyrighted content that you don’t own. Typically, for church services that include music, the answer is yes. YouTube will then mandate that your video includes advertising, and the rightful copyright owner(s) will receive a share of that ad revenue.

Facebook’s algorithms and search bots are particularly vigilant at identifying and removing videos with potential copyright violations, even if you have a license. You may need to verify that you have the appropriate permission in place.

We trust that this has been beneficial. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help.

Part of the terms of the Church Copyright License® is that you include the copyright information on each printed or projected song copy. For a song projection with multiple slides, the information only has to appear once, and is usually placed at the beginning or end. Here is an example of the necessary information:

 “Hallelujah" words and music by John Doe
© 2018 Good Music Co.
Used by Permission. CCL License #12345

Note that the number at the bottom (#12345 in the example) should be your church’s license number, not the song’s CCLI ID number.

It's a requirement in the terms of our licenses is that your church reports your copy activity. It’s now possible to report automatically via participating church presentation and planning software. You can also report manually on our reporting website which only takes a few minutes if updated regularly. Manual reporting is done for a period of six months every two and a half years and you will be notified in advance by email and by mail when it’s your turn.

Unfortunately, due to the sheer volume of reports that we receive, CCLI cannot process reports in any other form to those above.

Why is reporting important?

Reporting enables CCLI to accurately and fairly distribute royalty revenue to the song owners, and so is a vital part of being a license holder. By reporting you are blessing the songwriters whose songs have blessed your ministry, and it can make a real difference. We often hear stories from songwriters, like this one from Jason Whitehorn:

“We had a medical bill that came at a time we had not planned for… got a sweet check in the mail that God had planned for when He helped me write a song, He helped CCLI take loving care for the administration of it… and had your churches care to sing it and report its use. I cherished that check and the provision."

This is a question we’re hearing more and more: Can I change song lyrics to fit our church’s preferences or theology? The simple answer is no—not without permission from the song owner. One of the exclusive rights of a copyright owner is over derivative works, so any changes must have the owner’s permission.

Keep in mind that you are free to arrange songs as you wish, as long as you don’t change the melody or lyrics, or the fundamental character of a song. For example, you may want to start with the chorus, or even the bridge—if that fits the flow of your worship set. That’s fine. Maybe you don’t want to sing all the verses of a song, or maybe one of the verses has lyrics that you find objectionable. Feel free to skip verses. Just don’t change the lyrics.

We never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity of some churches regarding this issue, as one of our favorite “work-arounds" we’ve heard illustrates:

 “So I am new to this whole worship leading thing and I know there’s a lot of talk on here about copyright laws and stuff. …We have a guy who plays the ram’s horn. I could have him blow it really loud every time we get to a word [I don’t feel comfortable with] and people wouldn’t be led astray. Is this ok? Like legally, I’m not breaking any laws, right?"

No, you’re not breaking any laws. But we still wouldn’t recommend it!