C.C.L.I. for those who pick out songs at church

[eots]

Anybody choose the songs that get used at church?
I've recently moved from playing bass and not singing at all to playing acoustic guitar and leading worship due to some personnel changes and the once previous worship leader's failing health. Anyway, seems that every song we do that's not in the regular hymnal has to be recorded on the ccli website http://www.ccli.com/ . At least that's what our church subscribes to. I like to do new songs once in a while but I can take a song off utube or a CD and learn it.
Is it really that much of an issue that a song has to earn royalties by being used in a church service? Is there a time frame for songs to become public domain?

[iamlowsound]

Worship leader here (mostly bass player though). If you are paying member of CCLI all you have to do is have your CCLI number and the writing credits on the words on the screen and on any of the copies of music. I learn about 3 or 4 new songs every month (not all of them get played, we like to keep it fresh) and this is all that you have to do. If you want to look into it further, just check out the website for more information. Also, the songs that are listed on the website all have a song number, but you don't have to have that information listed on your copies.

As far as I understand it, you don't have to pay royalties if you/your church isn't making money off of it and offering/tithe doesn't count as making money. So you can learn a song off of a cd or youtube, just make sure that you give proper writing credits and whatnot. Be careful when learning something off of youtube though, because the person performing it is not always the person that wrote it. Also, if you end up playing anything that you write (which I have), you don't have to have it recorded to preserve the copyright, just register it on the CCLI website and you are set.

There are a ton of great worship resources out there, so be sure to google it. I will PM you a few sites in a day or two once I get home and can re-up my supporting membership.

lowsound

[eots]

It's my understanding that the only cost involved is a yearly membership fee but that the performing of the songs that get used each week goes toward the royalties earned by the song writer and distributed by ccli. Is that correct?
I'm all for a song writer earning his due, I guess I never realized all that's involved in the whole distribution/business part of just worshipping at church.
For that matter one doesn't actually need music to worship.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by eots

It's my understanding that the only cost involved is a yearly membership fee but that the performing of the songs that get used each week goes toward the royalties earned by the song writer and distributed by ccli. Is that correct?
I'm all for a song writer earning his due, I guess I never realized all that's involved in the whole distribution/business part of just worshipping at church.
For that matter one doesn't actually need music to worship.

That is my understanding of it as well. Most of the best worship that I have ever been in was just spontaneous. In fact I will rant about "canned" worship whenever given the chance. I'll drop you that PM in a bit.

lowsound

[mr sprocket]

There are a few threads about this at the Christian Guitar forum - http://www.christianguitar.org/forums/. If I remember correctly a Church can perform music if the words are not projected, written, or recorded via audio or tape without permission.

[basspraiser]

I am not a worship leader but am good friends with the worship leader at our church....as far as I know, Lowsound has it correct.....the church lists the CCLI reference on the written text and the license number for the church in the bulletin (I think)...be careful - it seems like the licenses vary with what is "allowed"...for example, we used to have 2-3 songs per week on the web site but that has stopped since we do not have a license for that (even though no money is being made).....I have offered to pay the "web site" license since it is not that much (I forget exactly how much) and I used to use the songs as a tool to disciple to others but the leader wants to update the web site first.....

good luck and peace!

Doug

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by basspraiser

I am not a worship leader but am good friends with the worship leader at our church....as far as I know, Lowsound has it correct.....the church lists the CCLI reference on the written text and the license number for the church in the bulletin (I think)...be careful - it seems like the licenses vary with what is "allowed"...for example, we used to have 2-3 songs per week on the web site but that has stopped since we do not have a license for that (even though no money is being made).....I have offered to pay the "web site" license since it is not that much (I forget exactly how much) and I used to use the songs as a tool to disciple to others but the leader wants to update the web site first.....

good luck and peace!

Doug

License number for the church only has to be on the screen with the words, doesn't have to be in the bulletin. For example (the formatting that we use aka the built-in formatting in the program that we use):

2007 "Hosanna" Brook Frasier
Integrity/Hilsong Used under permission CCLI # XXXXXXX

In Canada we don't have to have the song number listed on the screen, which makes it a lot simpler. The yearly fees aren't very much at all, I think we pay less than $100 a year, but I am not sure, I don't look after that part. I still remember when CCLI came to Canada in the 90's, having to write the church's number on all the overheads.

lowsound