Copyright Arrangements

One of the main aims of Heartmusic! is the promotion of a wide range of different styles of Christian music, some of which is very recently published and not readily available in standard hymnbooks. We encourage all worshipping communities throughout the Diocese to build up a wide repertoire of songs and hymns, but in the case of contemporary songs and hymns (i.e. those where the author is still alive or has died within the last 70 years), we also urge parishes to ensure they are complying with copyright law.

There are further details of copyright arrangements for parishes here

If you are using material independently of your regular parish hymn/song books, you should check on the precise copyright arrangements and contact the copyright holder for permission to use these words/music. While some authors/publishers will accept a one-off usage of their material for a specific occasion, most also make their living primarily from the royalties they receive. It is our Christian duty to uphold and abide by the law and we ask all parishes/churches to take this very seriously and to ensure they have the appropriate licence(s).

For Songs of Fellowship and other songs from this stable, the Christian Copyright Licence (CCL) is the umbrella licence for much of this material. For material from Laudate or other publishers in the modern Catholic tradition, you will need the Calamus Licence from Decani Music. However, not all songs in (e.g.) Songs of Fellowship are covered by CCL or Calamus Licence. In these instances, you will need to contact the copyright owner directly. This is especially important if you are thinking of compiling your own parish song-book, or reproducing words and music in any permanent or long-term format. Most publishers are reasonable about this - they don't want to lose sales of their products - but those who produce the Christian hymns and songs we enjoy singing, should receive the just reward for their endeavours.

Also, wherever copyright rules apply, you should always credit the author/composer in any service sheet or other material you produce. Please note that permission to photocopy a music score is needed independently of the words.

The addresses below cover the main licence administrators of Christian music. Copyright permission to use music from the Taizé Community is included either in the full Calamus Licence or as a Taizé Only Licence , administered by Calamus, and most of the music from the Iona Community is now covered by CCL.

Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI)
Chantry House
22 Upperton Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex BN21 1BF
Tel: 01323 436103
www.ccli.co.uk

Decani Music/Calamus
70 High Street
Brandon
Suffolk IP27 0AU
Tel: 01842 819830
www.decanimusic.co.uk

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