Church Healthcheck
This healthcheck is designed to help your church understand where you are using copyright works in your services and activities, and when licensing may be required.
As you review the questions, please consider all areas of church life, including youth & children's ministry, mid-week groups and clubs, and third-parties using your premises.
Does your church, or anyone using your facilities...
Licence to consider: Church Copyright Licence™
Permission is required when the words of copyrighted hymns and worship songs are reproduced in service/song sheets, on OHP acetates, or using a computer projection system. CCLI's Church Copyright Licence provides comprehensive coverage for more than 600,000 songs.
Licences to consider: CCLI Streaming Licence™ or CCLI Streaming Plus Licence™
CCLI's streaming licences extend the cover of the Church Copyright Licence to include online worship. While the Streaming Licence permits you to stream your musicians playing live, the Streaming Plus Licence enables you to also use authorised song recordings (artist tracks, backing tracks, and multitracks) during your streams.
Licences to consider: CCLI Music Reproduction Licence™ and CLA Church Licence
The CCLI Music Reproduction Licence permits you to photocopy, scan, and file-share pages from authorised songbooks and music publications, while the CLA Church Licence permits you to copy and share content from non-music publications, such as study guides, children's activity sheets, magazines & journals, bibles, and books.
Learn more about the CCLI Music Reproduction Licence or CLA Church Licence.
As YouTube doesn’t own the videos uploaded to its platform, it's terms restrict them to private viewing only without the permission of the copyright owner(s).
CCLI's Church Video Licence provides the required permission for authorised film content, provided you are showing it from an official source, such as the studio's official channel. You may also be able to obtain direct permission to use official lyric videos from the artists and song publishers own channels. For all other video content on YouTube, or any other video-sharing platform, CCLI recommends that you only show it if you are sure they have been uploaded with the copyright owner's permission, and you have the owner's explicit permission to show it in public.
Learn more about showing videos from YouTube.
Licences to consider: Church Video Licence™ and PRS for Music Church Licence
The Church Video Licence permits you to show a vast range of film scenes during services. The licence also permits you to show films in all areas of your ministry, including film nights, youth & children's work, and events, if your venue is covered by a PRS for Music licence. The Church Video Licence is required, alongside a TV Licence, and PRS for Music and PPL licences to show TV programmes, though exceptions exist for some live sport and historic events.
Learn more about showing films and TV in church.
Licences to consider: PRS for Music Church Licence and PPL Church Licence
The PRS for Music Church Licence is required when live music is performed on your premises outside of worship services. If recorded music is played on your premises, you'll need both the PRS for Music Church Licence and the PPL Church Licence, as each licence covers different rights within a recorded work. Both licences will cover third-parties using your facilities, and can cover separate church halls under certain conditions.
Learn more about the PRS for Music Church Licence and PPL Church Licences.
CCLI recommends that you never use any creative works that may be under copyright, unless you have the permission of the owner. This would include images, music, videos, articles, or text found on the internet. A copyright owner has both a moral and economic right over their work, meaning if you use or make changes to it without their consent, they have a right to charge you.
If in doubt, CCLI is here to help.