Copyright Licensing Information

This page records information about copyright related to the music ministry at Mount Calvary.

Background Information

Anytime a copyrighted work of music is played or performed at an event at Mount Calvary, the requirements of the copyright law must be observed. 

• Many songs that we use are no longer under copyright. We can use them freely without restriction.

• To determine whether a song is under copyright, see the following: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-duration.html 

Religious service exemption: As a church, we have certain rights under copyright fair use guidelines. The religious service exemption allows us to perform copyrighted works live in our services without obtaining permission from the copyright holder. However, this right does not allow us to display the lyrics or stream the performance on the internet. It also does not allow us to play recorded performances of these works. Therefore, since most of our services involve one or more of these elements, the religious service exemption does not generally cover our usage needs.

Obtaining Permission

We have two avenues to obtain permission to use copyrighted music: 1) permission from the copyright holder and 2) CCLI license.

Several publishers have given us blanket permission to use their music in our services. See our list.

CCLI License

Mount Calvary pays an annual license fee to the CCLI organization for two separate licenses: their "Church Copyright License" and their "Streaming License".  The Copyright License gives us the rights to

• Enter and store song lyrics on a computer for projection during a service

• Print song lyrics in bulletins and programs for the purpose of congregational singing

• Make audio-visual recordings of services and distribute a limited number of recordings to church members

The Streaming License gives us the right to stream services containing live performances of copyrighted works on the Internet. 

One challenge with using CCLI permissions is that some copyrighted works are covered by both the CCLI Copyright License and the Streaming License (so we can both stream the song and display the lyrics), while others are covered by just one of the two licenses. For example, a work that is covered by the Streaming License but not the Copyright License could be performed on livestream, but we could not display the lyrics. A work that is covered by the Copyright License but not the Streaming License can be performed with the text displayed on the screen, but the performance could not be streamed on the Internet.

To determine if we can use a copyrighted work under the terms of the CCLI license, we must use this procedure for services that we stream on the Internet:

1. Determine if the publisher of the work is covered by the CCLI Streaming License. To do that, use the search box on the Copyright Owners Lists page here: https://ccli.com/us/en/copyright-owners-lists 
   
   If the publisher appears in the search box, we can perform the work in our service, because the Streaming License covers all works by publishers registered in the CCLI streaming publisher database. If the publisher does not appear, we cannot use the work in a service that we stream on the Internet unless we obtain specific permission from the publisher.

2. Next, determine whether the text is under copyright. Many copyrighted choral numbers and instrumental arrangements use texts that are no longer under copyright. If that is the case, we can display the words on the screen without using the CCLI Copyright License.
   
   If the text is under copyright, then check the Copyright Owners Lists page  (Copyright License option) to see if the copyright holder of the text is covered. If so, then the CCLI Copyright License allows us to display the text on the screen. If the song is not listed, then the song is not covered by the CCLI Copyright License, and if we wish to display the text, we must obtain specific permission from the publisher to do so.

The CCLI license covers religious services, including weddings and funerals.  However, the CCLI license does not cover performances at non-service events such as homeschool programs. Also, the CCLI license covers only live performances, not the use of recorded music. For those types of uses, we must obtain specific permission from the copyright holder.

Using copyrighted works not covered by CCLI: When performing works that are copyrighted by individuals and organizations not covered by CCLI, or using works by copyright holders in CCLI's catalog at non-service events, we must obtain specific permission from the copyright holder to do things such as displaying or printing lyrics, or streaming a live performance.

CCLI Reporting Process

Every two years, we have a 6-month reporting period where we must report our usage of songs to CCLI. CCLI sends us a notification prior to the start of the reporting period.

• Use the CCLI online reporting form (ccli.com/reporting) to report each time we use a song whose copyright is held by a publisher in the CCLI Authorized Catalog. 

• To report a song, we search by song title and the last name of the composer/arranger (ex. "Abide with Me Sprunger"), or by CCLI song number (if we know that). There are four numbers to report for each song:

  • Digital: Enter "1" if the text of the arrangement/song was displayed on the auditorium screen.

  • Record/Stream: Enter "1" if the song/arrangement was streamed over the internet.

  • Print: Enter the number of copies, if the song was included in the worship guide or otherwise distributed in printed form.

  • Translate: 0 (Not applicable)

• Not in the CCLI database: If a search for the song in the CCLI database with the name of the arranger/composer fails to find a match, the song has not yet been registered in the CCLI database. CCLI has instructed us that we do not need to report our use of songs that are not listed in their database, as long as we have determined that our usage of the song is allowed using the above procedure.

• Arrangements of copyrighted works: To report an arrangement of a work that is still under copyright (ex. a Forrest setting of How Great Thou Art), do not use the arranger name in the search. Instead, use the composer's name. The report should be for the originally copyrighted work, since it is still under copyright.

• Works no longer under copyright: The CCLI database includes several works no longer under copyright (ex. hymns published before 1920). We do not need to report those songs (unless we used an arrangement that is under copyright).