Frequently Asked Questions by Copyright Owners

Q:	How much do songwriters earn for their songs?
A:	That depends on the song's copy activity by churches! A song reproduced by one church only may earn a matter of cents, while a song copied in many churches may earn more. The principle applies that the songwriters who most bless the Church, are themselves most blessed as a result of the Church Copyright Licence program.
Q:	Do I retain all rights to my songs?
A:	Yes, ownership of the songs and all rights associated with the copyright holder remain with you. Signing the CCLI Owner Agreements just allows CCLI to include your works in the Church Copyright Licence and other Licence programs.
Q:	Do the songs have to be printed arrangements?
A:	No, a lyric sheet will do. However, a chord chart, leadsheet or arrangement is better.
Q:	Does CCLI promote or distribute music?
A:	No, we are not involved in the promotion, marketing or distribution of music.
Q:	How about a recording of the songs?
A:	If you have a recording of the songs we would like to have a copy of the recording. However, if no recording exists you do not have to make one for us.
Q:	How can I join CCLI?
A:	You can join CCLI as a writer or publisher by signing a CCLI Owner Agreement for each Licence program in which you would like to include your works. The Owner Agreements are the contracts authorizing CCLI to represent your music through the Church Copyright Licence, or any of the other Licences offered by CCLI. To obtain CCLI Owner Agreements, please contact CCLI with your request.
Q:	How does CCLI distribute the Licence Fees received from churches for the Church Copyright Licence?
A:	The royalty process is complex, but the following summary describes the process briefly and answers those questions: CCLI currently offers the Church Copyright Licence in 14 Territories: Australia, Africa (including a number of countries there), Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweeden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Those Territories are combined into Regions: the Africa Region is made up of the South Africa territory (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe), the Asia/Pacific Region is Australia and New Zealand, the Europe region is the United Kingdom and the Nordic Countries, and the North America Region is the United States and Canada. In each Territory, CCLI collects a Licence Fee as payment for the Church Copyright Licence, for the reproduction of songs, according to the terms of the Licence. CCLI has worked out with song copyright owners in each Territory the royalty split, the amount of the Licence Fee to go to the song owner and the amount to be kept by CCLI for the administration of the Church Copyright Licence. On or before February 15 and August 15 every year, CCLI distributes the royalties collected to the copyright owners.
Q:	How does this affect a membership with APRA, ASCAP, BMI or SESAC?
A:	It doesn't. You will still need to be a member of your chosen performance rights organization.
Q:	How often are royalties paid?
A:	Semi-annually (Feb 15 and Aug 15).
Q:	Is there a fee for joining?
A:	No, there is currently no fee to join CCLI.
Q:	What do I need to provide CCLI?
A:	You need to sign and return the contracts along with a Catalog and composition list, the full details of ownership percentages for each song, and one copy of each song.

Do you have more questions? Please contact us.