
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is a privately owned company that was founded in the US in 1988 by Howard Rachinski. CCLI offers copyright licensing of songs and other resources for Christian worship. CCLI was launched after being developed by Rachinski for 3 and a half years while he was a music minister at a large church in Portland, Oregon. The company was initially called Starpraise Ministries and was reincorporated as CCLI in 1988. CCLI provides copyright licenses for churches to reproduce, display, rehearse, broadcast and stream songs. The annual license fee for a US CCLI license ranges from $59 for a church with less than 25 people to $5,266 for a church with more than 200,000 people.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of organization | Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is a privately owned company |
| Year founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Howard Rachinski |
| Founding location | US |
| Founding goal | To protect churches from the consequences of copyright infringement and to encourage greater use of copyright material in church services |
| Current goal | To empower affordable and legal expression of worship by simplifying access to songs, resources, and media |
| Number of licenses | 600,000 |
| Number of publishers represented | 7,000 |
| Number of churches and organizations served | 230,000 |
| Number of member churches in North America | 160,000 |
| License fee range | $59–$5,266 |
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Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI)
CCLI offers copyright licensing of songs and other resources for Christian worship. It provides a simple solution for churches to avoid the legal consequences of copyright infringement, and encourages the legal use of copyrighted material in church services. CCLI offers a repertoire of over 600,000 songs, and is trusted by more than 230,000 churches, schools, and organizations worldwide. The company also offers a Church Copyright License for projecting lyrics, a Church Streaming License, and a Church Video License.
CCLI's licenses and services include the reproduction of song lyrics for church worship use, online access to worship song lyrics, sound samples, and downloads of lead sheets, chord sheets, and soprano/alto/tenor/bass hymn sheets. CCLI maintains a list of songs in the public domain, and organizations that only use these songs do not need to pay the CCLI license fee. The cost of a CCLI license depends on the size of the congregation, ranging from $59 for a church size of less than 25 people to $5,266 for a church size of greater than 200,000 people.
CCLI also offers churches the opportunity to search and purchase or download song assets from its SongSelect database of 300,000 worship songs. Churches are required to report all the songs they use in a six-month period about once every two and a half years, and CCLI uses this information to pay the appropriate publishers and writers.
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CCLI's history and mission
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) was founded in 1988 by Howard Rachinski, a music minister at a large church in Portland, Oregon. Rachinski started a service called Starpraise Ministries in 1985, which allowed churches to secure blanket permission from certain publishers to copy their songs for specific non-commercial uses. Over a thousand churches signed up for this service, which was later reincorporated as CCLI.
CCLI provides copyright licensing of songs and other resources for Christian worship. It offers churches the opportunity to search, purchase, and download songs from its SongSelect database of over 300,000 worship songs. CCLI also maintains a list of songs in the public domain, which organizations can use without paying a license fee. The company offers a range of licenses, including the Church Copyright License (for projecting lyrics), the Church Streaming License, and the Church Video License (for showing video clips).
CCLI simplifies access to songs, resources, and media, empowering churches to legally express their worship. It enables the discovery and authorized use of copyrighted works while ensuring artists and owners receive fair compensation. With over 230,000 member churches and organizations worldwide, CCLI is the leading source of song discovery and copyright peace of mind.
CCLI's mission is to ease the burden of copyright administration for churches and organizations. It aims to provide a fair and equitable channel for copyright works to be easily and instantly available worldwide, while also facilitating their use as originally intended. CCLI helps churches and organizations focus on their ministry by handling the legal aspects of copyright licensing.
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CCLI license fees
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is a privately owned company founded in the US in 1988 by Howard Rachinski. CCLI offers copyright licensing of songs and other resource materials for Christian worship. The company has expanded globally and is now present in several countries, including the UK, Germany, Canada, and South Africa.
CCLI provides licenses and legal content for churches and organizations, ensuring copyright peace of mind. Their licenses cover a repertoire of over 600,000 worship songs and hymns, with auto-reporting enabled through various presentation and worship applications. The licenses allow churches to reproduce song lyrics in bulletins, programs, and song sheets, as well as record and archive worship services for distribution to those unable to attend in person. Additionally, the licenses enable translation of song lyrics into other languages if a published version is unavailable.
The CCLI license fees vary based on the size of the church. As of February 10, 2017, the annual fee for a US CCLI license ranged from $59 for churches with less than 25 people to $5,266 for churches with more than 200,000 people. Similar license fee structures are applied in other countries, taking exchange rates into account. The majority of the license fee is distributed to copyright owners, including publishers and songwriters, in the form of royalties.
It is important to note that the CCLI license has certain restrictions. For example, it does not allow churches to photocopy or duplicate sheet music, musicals, handbell music, vocal solos, or instrumental works. Additionally, the license does not cover the playing of music before or after a worship service, which may require a separate license from CCS (Christian Copyright Solutions).
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CCLI's role in copyright law
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is a privately owned company that offers copyright licensing of songs and other resource materials for Christian worship. It was founded in the US in 1988 by Howard Rachinski, who developed the company over 3 and a half years while working as a music minister at a large church in Portland, Oregon.
The CCLI license covers the reproduction of song lyrics for church worship use, online access to worship song lyrics and sound samples, and the download of lead sheets, chord sheets, and soprano/alto/tenor/bass hymn sheets. It is important to note that the CCLI Church License does not allow licensees to photocopy or duplicate any sheet music, handbell music, keyboard music, vocal solos, or instrumental works.
The annual fee for a CCLI license in the US ranges from $59 for a church with less than 25 people to $5,266 for a church with more than 200,000 people. Similar fees are charged in other countries, taking exchange rates into account.
CCLI also maintains a list of songs that are in the public domain. If an organisation only uses songs from this list, they do not need to pay the CCLI license fee. As of March 2015, CCLI's list contained nearly 24,000 public domain songs.
CCLI helps churches and organisations navigate the complexities of copyright law, ensuring they have the necessary permissions to use copyrighted works in their worship services. By obtaining a CCLI license, churches and organisations can avoid legal issues and ensure that songwriters and publishers are fairly compensated for their work.
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CCLI's services and resources
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is a privately owned company that was founded in the US in 1988 by Howard Rachinski. CCLI offers copyright licensing of songs and other resource materials for use in Christian worship. CCLI's services and resources include:
Copyright Licensing
CCLI provides copyright licensing for churches and other Christian organizations, covering a repertoire of over 600,000 worship songs and hymns. This allows churches to legally reproduce song lyrics, sound samples, and sheet music for their congregations. CCLI also offers a Church Video License that covers the use of movies and other visual content in church services.
Song Discovery
With its SongSelect platform, CCLI offers a comprehensive library of worship songs, including new releases and the CCLI Top 100. Users can search for songs by title, artist, lyric, or theme, and access lyrics, sheet music, and other resources.
Articles, Videos, and Guides
CCLI provides a range of inspirational and educational content, including articles, videos, and guides on various topics related to Christian worship and ministry. This content is designed to provide answers and ideas for churches and organizations, regardless of their specific worship style.
Copyright Peace of Mind
CCLI's licenses give churches and organizations confidence that they are using copyrighted material legally. CCLI distributes a significant portion of the license fees it collects to copyright owners, such as publishers and songwriters, in the form of royalties.
Global Reach
CCLI has expanded its services globally, currently serving churches and organizations in numerous countries across the world, including Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and South Korea.
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Frequently asked questions
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is a privately owned company that was founded in the US in 1988 by Howard Rachinski.
CCLI offers copyright licensing of songs and other resources for Christian worship. It also provides a list of songs in the public domain.
If you only use songs from sources that give permission for copying and display, such as Discover Worship, you don't need a CCLI license. However, if you use songs from other sources, CCLI provides a simple solution to obtain legal permission for copying and display.
The annual fee for a CCLI license in the US ranges from $59 for a church with less than 25 people to $5,266 for a church with more than 200,000 people. The cost depends on the church's size and specific needs.
CCLI simplifies access to copyrighted songs and resources for churches, protecting them from the consequences of copyright infringement. It also provides education on copyright laws and encourages greater use of copyright material in church services.






