Which Streaming License is Right for your Church?
August 5, 2022
You have options when deciding which streaming license your church needs. Christian Copyright Solutions (CCS) and Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) both offer church streaming licenses that provide coverage for your church-owned website (churchname.com). Not sure which one is right for your church or ministry? The answers to a few key questions may help guide your licensing choice.
1. What type of performances, services, or events will you be streaming?
2. What types of songs or music will you play during the streaming session?
3. Does your church use sound recordings during your streaming service?
Performances Covered
The WORSHIPcast Streaming License covers live and archived performances of your worship services, allowing your congregation to worship whenever and wherever; it does not cover podcasting. The CCLI Streaming License allows podcasting and streaming of worship services only. So, if you plan on streaming just your worship services, the CCLI Streaming License has you covered. However, for the flexibility to engage your congregation by streaming worship services, special events, and guest performances, your church will need the WORSHIPcast License.
Songs Covered
The WORSHIPcast Streaming License covers more than 28 million secular and Christian songs across all genres, including children’s, holiday, and patriotic music from the catalogs of ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. The CCLI Streaming License covers more than 300,000 Christian songs from the CCLI catalog. If you’re planning on only streaming Christian music, and your church maintains a CCL Copyright License, the CCLI Streaming License is a great fit. If your church or ministry plans to stream any music outside the CCLI catalog, you will need a WORSHIPcast License.
Sound Recordings or Multitracks
Many churches enhance their streaming service with master recordings, backing tracks, multitracks, or stems. If this is your church, CCLI’s Streaming Plus can provide you with over 150,000 recordings that can be used anytime throughout your service stream. The WORSHIPcast Streaming License can not provide coverage for sound recordings. Licensing is available from the master recording owner.
Other Considerations
The CCLI Streaming License provides coverage to show lyrics for the songs in the CCLI catalog and to stream on social media or other third-party platforms. Unfortunately, no blanket lyric reproduction streaming license for secular music is currently available.
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Tags: ccli, CCS, streaming, streaming church music, streaming church services, streaming license, streaming worship services
Categorized in: CCLI, Streaming, streaming license, Streaming Worship
