A common question we get is “Can I burn a CD for my worship team to rehearse the songs?”or “Can I burn a CD to give to the families in my church of the songs we do in large group?”
Can you do it without permission and without paying appropriate fees? NO, because that would be against the law. You can see for yourself the specific copyright warning line on the back of any CD– Warning: Unauthorized duplication is a violation of all applicable laws. which is backed by the Library of Congress. But in a digital world with downloads, it might be hard to remember. But we can’t forget all the people who did the work creating and performing that music. They need a way to get paid and the company who paid for the music to be created also needs to get paid for their investment, so they both can continue to have the finances needed to continue creating new music. You’re probably wondering what the steps are to burn CDs legally. With a little research and time, you can make the necessary requests and get the permission you need.
Keep in mind- every song has multiple owners. There is the song itself (whoever wrote the song lyrics and melody) and then the recording of that song (whoever recorded it and put it out on a CD or download.) So with every song there are two different licenses you will need– a mechanical and a masters license. Over the next two days, I’ll help you understand who you can ask for help. Before today, did you even know there were licenses to obtain when burning CDs for your worship leaders or parents in your church?
