CCLI

CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing International) is a privately owned licensing company founded in 1988 by Howard Rachinski in Portland, Oregon. It provides copyright licenses to over 230,000 churches and ministries worldwide, covering more than 600,000 worship songs and hymns from over 7,000 publishers. CCLI is not a traditional performing rights organization but serves a similar function for the worship music sector.

How CCLI Works

CCLI was created to solve a specific problem: churches were copying and projecting copyrighted worship songs without permission, exposing them to legal liability. The organization's founder developed a "permission of use" concept where churches pay an annual fee for a blanket license that covers specific non-commercial copying activities.

CCLI offers several license types:

• Church Copyright License: The base license covering projection of song lyrics, printing lyrics in bulletins or song sheets, making custom arrangements, and translating songs. Covers over 600,000 worship songs and hymns.
• CCLI Streaming License: Extends coverage to live-streaming or uploading worship services that include music to church websites or social media. Covers over 450,000 songs performed live during online worship. Streaming Plus adds coverage for master recordings (artist tracks, backing tracks, multitracks).
• CCLI Rehearsal License: Allows sharing commercial music recordings among musicians for rehearsal purposes via email, external drives, or planning software.
• SongSelect: A subscription service providing transposable chords, sheet music, and free lyrics for over 230,000 worship songs and hymns.
• PERFORMmusic License (through Christian Copyright Solutions): Covers playing or performing music throughout church facilities and at events beyond worship services. Covers over 43 million Christian and secular songs.
• WORSHIPcast License (through Christian Copyright Solutions): Covers streaming live performances of over 43 million Christian and secular songs from ministry-owned websites.

Churches report their song usage to CCLI, which uses that data to distribute royalties to the songwriters and publishers whose works were used. CCLI's streaming license starts at $82 per year for churches already holding a Church Copyright License, or $105 per year for an average church (100 to 199 people).

CCLI is part of a family of organizations that offer software, apps, tracks, and media solutions for churches. The current president and CEO is Malcolm Hawker. CCLI is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington.

Real-World Example

A church with 200 weekly attendees purchases a Church Copyright License for approximately $300 to $400 per year (pricing varies by congregation size). The church projects lyrics of 30 different worship songs during Sunday services over the course of a year. Without a CCLI license, each of those 30 songs would require direct permission from the individual copyright owner, which could cost hundreds of dollars per song and take weeks to negotiate.

With the CCLI license, the church reports which songs it used through CCLI's online reporting system. CCLI collects those reports from all licensed churches, aggregates the usage data, and distributes royalties to the 7,000-plus publishers and songwriters whose works were performed. A worship song played at 1,000 CCLI-licensed churches in a given reporting period generates royalty income for its songwriter proportional to that usage.

If the church also live-streams its services, it adds the CCLI Streaming License (starting at $82 per year for existing license holders). This covers the live performance of worship songs during the broadcast. Without it, streaming a service with copyrighted music constitutes unlicensed public performance.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you write worship music, hymns, or contemporary Christian songs, CCLI is the primary channel through which churches legally use and pay for your work. Getting your songs into CCLI's catalog means that over 230,000 churches worldwide can legally project, print, stream, and rehearse your music. Every time a church reports using your song, you earn royalty income.

To get your music into CCLI's catalog, your songs must be published by a CCLI-affiliated publisher or you must have a publishing entity that can register your works directly. Many independent worship songwriters partner with a publishing administrator to handle CCLI registration and royalty collection.

If you are a worship leader or music minister at a church, a CCLI license is not optional. Copyright law applies to churches just as it does to any other organization. The Church Copyright License is the simplest and most cost-effective way to ensure your church is legally covered for the music it uses each week.

CCLI is not a substitute for a PRO. If your worship songs are performed publicly outside of church settings (on radio, TV, or in concert venues), you still need to register with a PRO like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC to collect those performance royalties. CCLI covers the specific use case of worship settings only.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - How traditional PROs differ from CCLI
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties work outside worship settings
• Copyright - The legal foundation for church music licensing
• Blanket License - The licensing model CCLI uses
• Mechanical License - Understanding mechanical licensing for music reproduction
• Music Copyright Basics - Guide to protecting your musical works
• CCLI Official Website - Visit CCLI to explore licensing options for your church
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital streaming earnings