If you are singing copyright songs in your church or fellowship, and if your church is registered with Christian Copyright Licensing International, then I hope you’ll report it in your CCLI Report whenever you use these songs. This has two advantages for the songwriter: (1) it increases their profile on CCLI; (2) it brings a little money.
When you look at your CCLI return, you’ll see four categories: (1) Digital copies (2) Print copies (3) Stream (4) Translate.
(1) Digital is where you record how many digital copies of the song you have shown. Think carefully, for there could be more than one. You probably have one on an overhead screen. There be another on the iPad or tablet of the minister or worship leader or someone else leading the service. And there may be another on your church website, if the song appears on your church notice sheet on the website. Record as many as there are.
(2) Print is where you record how many print copies you have. Now NB this means different kinds of print copies. If you print ten Piano-Vocal copies for your singers, then that is only one copy. But if you print a Piano-Vocal score, and an SATB score, and a Words copy (without music), and a Guitar Chord Chart, then that makes four copies. If you print them all, it still makes four copies, even if you don’t use them all. It makes four copies every time you use them, even if you printed them a year ago. And it still makes four copies, even when everyone in the band or choir knows the music so well they don’t need it and it stays in the drawer.
(3) Stream is when your service or other event is available to view on the internet. You should report one credit for each service.
(4) Translate is if you have made a translation of a copyright song. You should submit a credit for translation, as well as the above credits for the original-language song.
Regarding point (2) above, you’ll find that quite a few of my songs come in multiple formats (SATB, Piano-Vocal, Guitar Chart, Words, Lead Sheet). It helps me if you can print out as many as there are and submit credits for each one every time you sing the song. As I said, it helps raise the CCLI profile of the song, and brings in a few sous for the songwriter.
Finally, if you’re reporting a multi-part work, then you need to report each musical section (each “song”) individually. So, if it’s a Communion setting, then “Gloria”, “Sanctus”, “Agnus Dei”, etc., all go down separately. If it’s a cantata, each song goes down separately. It sounds like a drudge, but once you get into the hang of it, it takes less than ten seconds per song. And, just think, you’re not paying anything else for copyright. So it’s an OK deal.
Thanks for taking the time to read.