Many churches have already begun to webcast the pastor’s message online…on the church website or through a third party streaming service. A lot of these churches would also like to include the song service as part of their webcasts, but they’re not sure about the legal implications.
Their concern is legitimate. Including copyrighted songs in a webcast without permission is considered copyright infringement, and the penalties can be severe…up to $150,000 per infringement.
Live streaming or podcasting over the internet is recognized as a “broadcast performance” and by its nature, goes outside the confines of a church building. So the religious services performance exemption written into the U.S. Copyright Law would not apply.
Also, this practice would not be covered by the standard CCLI Church Copyright License, since it is considered a broadcast performance.
Churches can purchase webcasting licenses from the three major performance rights societies: ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Or a church can purchase the CCLI Streaming and Podcast License…for a lot less. Check our pricing grid based on your church size, or call us at 1-800-234-2446 and press 4 for sales to find out more.
It’s the perfect solution. Simple. Affordable. And the right thing to do.
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