The copyright law is very clear on copying music. If you do not have express permission from the rightful owner of the song, you cannot make a copy. Many church music leaders who have made efforts to honor the law and have tried to obtain permission first from the copyright owner before making copies have found this to be a time-consuming challenge and in many cases, an administrative nightmare.

Many have agreed...the copyright law is fair but not practical. That's why more than 150,000 churches across North America are taking advantage of the Church Copyright License from CCLI.

The Church Copyright License is a contractual agreement with songwriters and publishers from around the world. For an annual license fee, a church receives legal authorization to copy from over 200,000 songs for congregational use. Here is a simplified version of the Church Copyright License:”