As Christians, it is imperative that we and the Church respect copyright laws. This is one of those areas that falls under Romans 13, not Acts 4. Dodging copyright law is the same as stealing from the artists that worked so hard to create the art, many of them our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Are You Performing Music Outside of Worship Services?
United States Copyright Law states that any music (live or recorded) performed during the course of a regular worship service (typically Sunday morning and Wednesday night) is exempt from public performance
licensing. However, churches are required to clear the copyrights for any music used outside of worship services. That includes, but is not limited to, youth functions, banquets/award ceremonies, concert events, etc… This means live performances by the band as well as simply playing a CD for background music. If it’s copyrighted music (what isn’t?), you’re going to need a license.
You’re going to have to figure out which copyright licenses you’re going to need based on your performance plans. BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc), ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), and SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors & Composers) are organizations that can help you with copyright licensing. Unless you’re sure who holds the copyright license on each piece of music, you’d better just get all three.
All in One
An organization named Christian Copyright Solutions has bundled all three licenses into one product, PERFORMmusic. If you’re a Willow Creek Association member, you’ll get a discount for this license bundle. Read more here.
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