Copyright FAQ — for Worship Teams

Who owns a worship song?

Two separate copyrights apply to almost every song:

• The composition (the melody and the lyrics) is usually owned by the songwriter or assigned to a music publisher. For worship songs, the publisher is often a company like Capitol CMG, Integrity Music, Worship Together, or Bethel Music Publishing.
• Any specific sound recording of that song (e.g., the official album version) is usually owned by the record label.

When you record yourself singing a song, you create a new sound recording (you typically own that part), but your recording embodies the underlying composition, which someone else owns. You need permission to use the composition.

What is CCLI?

CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing International) is the company most churches in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and many other countries use to license worship music. A church buys a Church Copyright License (CCL) from CCLI each year (cost depends on the size of the congregation), and that license covers basic uses like:

• Printing song lyrics in bulletins or song sheets;
• Projecting lyrics on a screen during a service;
• Making rehearsal recordings for the worship team;
• Creating custom arrangements for team use.

For online use, CCLI sells a separate Streaming License that covers webcasting and on-demand video of services that include worship music. There are also more specialized licenses (e.g., for video re-creations).

Other licensing organizations include OneLicense (common for Catholic and mainline Protestant churches) and Christian Copyright Solutions.

Does my church's CCLI license cover what I do on Arship?

It depends on your church's specific license tier and how you use Arship. The CCLI Church Copyright License generally covers rehearsal-purpose recordings shared among the team, which is what Arship is designed for. But:

• If you take a recording made in Arship and post it publicly (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok), that goes beyond rehearsal use and is likely not covered by the basic CCL.
• If your church doesn't have a CCLI license at all, even rehearsal recordings may technically need separate permission.
• Different worship publishers occasionally pull songs from CCLI's repertoire, so a specific song's status can change.

Check with whoever administers your church's CCLI account (often a worship pastor, music director, or church office manager). They can confirm what your specific license covers.

What about songs from MultiTracks.com, Loop Community, or PraiseCharts?

Those services license multitrack stems, click tracks, guide tracks, and backing tracks to a specific church or worship leader. Those licenses are usually limited to live use by the church that purchased them — they typically do not allow you to upload or re-share the stems or tracks outside that organization.

Do not upload MultiTracks/Loop Community/PraiseCharts stems or tracks to Arship. Our Acceptable Use Policy prohibits this, and uploading them could put your church at risk of losing its license with those services.

If you want to use those stems for your team's rehearsal, use the playback features in the original service's app, not Arship.

Can I upload a commercial recording (like the Hillsong version of a song)?

No. A commercial sound recording is owned by the record label. Uploading it to Arship — even to a private team — would infringe their copyright. Sing it yourself instead: you own the new recording you make of your own voice, and the worship-song composition is what your CCLI license covers.

Can I release a recording I made on Arship?

Not through Arship and not under our Terms of Service. Releasing a recording commercially — to Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, YouTube monetization, or any other public-distribution channel — requires additional licenses you don't get with a CCLI Church Copyright License. You would need:

• A mechanical license for the composition (Harry Fox Agency, EasySongLicensing, or direct from the publisher);
• A master license if you didn't perform every part yourself;
• A synchronization license if you're combining the audio with video;
• A performance license via ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC depending on how the recording is performed publicly.

Our Terms of Service prohibit using Arship for commercial release. If you want to release a recording, take it outside Arship, do the licensing properly, and use a distribution service designed for that purpose.

What about original songs my team wrote?

If your team owns the song — meaning you (or your bandmates) wrote both the music and the lyrics — you can record and share it freely on Arship. If you co-wrote it with someone outside your team, get their permission first.

What about songs in the public domain (hymns, etc.)?

Songs that have entered the public domain (a category that includes many older hymns) are not subject to composition copyright. You can record those freely. However, modern arrangements of public-domain hymns can themselves be copyrighted, so a contemporary arrangement of "How Great Thou Art" may still need a license even though the original lyrics are public-domain.

When in doubt, check whether the song has a CCLI number — if it does, treat it as copyrighted.

What happens if I upload something I shouldn't have?

If a rights holder believes content on Arship infringes their copyright, they can send a DMCA notice to our designated agent. Once we receive a valid notice, we'll remove the content and notify you. Three valid takedowns against your account will result in account termination per our DMCA Policy.

If your content was taken down by mistake, you can file a counter-notification (see our Counter-Notification page). Be aware that submitting a counter-notification has legal consequences.

What does Arship do to help me stay legal?

We do three things:

• We keep your team private. Recordings and messages are only visible to invited team members — never public, never indexed by search engines.
• We don't allow exporting for commercial release. Our Terms of Service prohibit using Arship recordings for monetized public distribution.
• We respond to copyright takedowns. If a rights holder objects, we remove the content; this protects you, your team, and us.

What we don't do: pre-screen recordings for copyright issues. That's not technically practical, and it's not legally required. You are responsible for what you upload.

Where can I learn more about CCLI?

The official source is CCLI's own website: us.ccli.com (or the regional variant for your country). They have a clear breakdown of what each license covers and an FAQ for common questions. If you serve at a church that doesn't currently have a CCLI license, ask the church admin or music pastor — most churches assume they have one but it's worth confirming.