The federal copyright law requires you to first get permission from the song owner before you can copy any song words or music. The CCLI license allows you to make copies from over 200,000 songs including today’s most popular worship songs.

By copy we mean – any duplication of song words or music…such as printing the lyrics in the bulletin or on song sheets, storing lyrics in a computer so you can project them on a screen, photocopying from a hymnal, or recording music during your service.  When recording your worship service, this also includes recording the choir, specials and offertories.

The license also covers the making of customized arrangements for congregational use when no published version is available.

Songs are to be copied for the purpose of assisting in congregational worship. It’s important to understand that the license does not cover photocopies of choir music or arrangement music. You also can not share or distribute copies with other churches or ministries; this license is intended for your own church needs.

For more information regarding the Church Copyright License please refer to the License manual located on our License Holder Support Center page.

Your ministry's current CCLI License Certificate is available for you to view and print from our website.  Please go to www.ccli.com/Support and scroll down to MY CHURCH ACCOUNT and choose LICENSE CERTIFICATE. You will need to enter your ministry's CCLI license number and the zip or postal code for the physical address. 

If you are unable to access your ministry's License Certificate through our website, please contact Customer Service at support@ccli.com, or by calling 1-800-234-2446.

The Church Copyright License only allows you to record your live worship services (audio or video), provided you record live music. Accompaniment tracks cannot be reproduced. You may charge up to $4 each ($5 in Canada) for audio cassette tapes and CDs, and up to $12 each ($15 in Canada) for videotapes and DVDs. These parameters are intended to cover the basic congregational needs of a church's recording ministry and are not designed for commercial purposes.

As part of the terms and agreement you are responsible for including the copyright information on all songs reproduced under the Church Copyright License. This includes the song title, writer credit(s), copyright notice, and your church’s CCLI license number…for example:

"Hallelujah" words and music by John Doe
©2000 Good Music Co.
CCLI License # 0000

Currently, you can find your CCLI License Number on your License Certificate.
In a printed format, for example a bulletin insert, songsheet or transparency, just include the copyright information at the top or bottom of the page. In computer projections, there are several ways that lyrics are shown. Whether you show your lyrics a few lines at a time or you show the full song on the screen, it’s important that you include the copyright information at least one time for each song.

In order to record a song for rehearsal purposes, you would need to contact the song's copyright owner for permission. The CCLI license only covers the permission to record during your live worship service. The CCLI license permits the church to record their live worship services under these guidelines:

1. The songs are copyrighted by one of our authorized publishers, and
2. The vocal and instrumental music is live. Recorded music (Accompaniment trax) may not be recorded without the permission of the publisher.
3. The church may distribute copies of the tape to 15% of your licensed size. (Call us for an exact number.)

The church may also be reimbursed $4.00 ($5.00 CAN) for audio recordings (cassettes & CDs), and $12.00 ($15.00 CAN) for video recordings (VHS & DVD).

You can email sales at sales@ccli.com or call them at 1-800-234-2446 (Mon.-Fri. 7 am to 4 pm PT)

The most accurate way to determine if a song is covered is to search by the copyright owner. To search by copyright owner, you first need to locate the copyright information for your song. This is usually found at the bottom of your songsheet or in the CD liner notes. The copyright notice will show the name of the copyright owner. This could be a publisher, a catalog, OR an individual songwriter. Once you’ve determined the copyright owner, you can use our search engine located on the Support page. Simply type in the name of the copyright owner. If it appears in our search results, your song is covered. Now we understand that there might be some cases where you need to search by song. For example you heard a song on the radio and you don’t have the copyright information. If the song appears in our search results, great, it’s covered. But remember, if you don’t locate that song in our song search, that doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t covered.

If you weren’t able to locate the copyright information or the copyright owner or song is not listed in our search results, please contact Customer Service for more information.
-Chat Live with a customer service representative
-800.234.2446 ext 2004
-support@ccli.com