Avoid Unwanted Copyright Fireworks with 4th of July Celebrations

June 8, 2015

With popular summer events heating up and 4th of July celebrations just days away, music is always a key element in most church special events. It’s Hard to imagine colorful summertime programs without music, but it’s important to make sure you’re covered with the right copyright licenses, to avoid the risk of copyright infringement or any “unwanted” fireworks.

One particular event often slides under the radar when it comes to licensing for music: Patriotic 4th of July celebrations. Here are four important facts to consider:

1) Special holiday events, like your July 4th events, are not considered a religious service and therefore do not qualify under the U.S. Copyright Law Religious Service Exemption.
2) Music for Patriotic or July 4th celebrations often includes secular, or non-Christian songs that are not covered by some blanket licenses, such as CCLI.
3) It’s really quick, easy and inexpensive to get immediate performance license coverage in place to make sure you can legally play and perform songs like “Born in the USA,” “Only in America,” “Some Gave All,” “Only in America,” and “God Bless the USA.” CCS’s PERFORMmusic License offers the ONLY one-stop solution for legal performance and playing of more than 19 million songs from ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, including holiday and secular songs, for one low annual fee with NO reporting required.
4) Your church can have an even greater impact when you share your holiday programs with the world via the Internet. However, it’s important to keep in mind that licensing is required to legally stream Internet song performances of copyrighted music. CCS’s WORSHIPcast License is a blanket license that gives you a simple way to have music licensing coverage for more than 19 million songs from ASCAP, BMI and SESAC catalogs.

No matter how you and your church family celebrate the Fourth, be sure to enjoy all the music you want and have confidence that your copyright coverage is in place. We hope you will celebrate a happy and safe Fourth of July! If you need any assistance with performance licenses, just call one of our CCS reps at 1-855-876-5837.

About Christian Copyright Solutions: CCS’s quest is to help churches and ministries “do music right.”  CCS is an expert on church music copyrights and our primary focus is providing licensing and clear educational resources to churches, as well as representation, administration and advocacy for copyright owners. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only, and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel.



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