CCLI is privileged to be a main sponsor for the StepFWD Awards, a relationship born out of a shared heart to champion UK-based songwriters, and provide a platform for the songs coming out of the UK to powerfully impact the church.
Here, CCLI shares a little of its history and its role in supporting songs and songwriters in a fast-changing world.
CCLI was born in 1988 in response to the adoption of new technologies in worship. Overhead projectors and photocopiers were replacing hymnbooks, meaning the method of paying royalties through a proportion of the cover price was no longer sufficient. A new system for honouring songwriters and protecting their intellectual property was required.
CCLI didn’t write the law on copyright or invent the concept of royalties. Alongside our role in educating and protecting churches, our heart has always been to champion songs and the rights of those who write them. Yes, the best songs are inspired by God, but a worker deserves their wages. Whether you’re a carpenter who crafts a beautiful lectern, a software engineer whose program enhances the presentation of a service, or the songwriter who spends hours prayerfully perfecting a lyric or a melody, you deserve to be recognised.
New worship songs are being registered with CCLI all the time. CCLI has the privilege of watching how they grow: Songs that reflect the movement of God in the Church across the world right now. Songs that give fresh expression to the unchanging truths we are responding to when we worship. Songs that are lyrically and musically of their time. Of course, not all songs become well-known. And it isn’t necessarily true that the best songs always rise to the top. But by and large, the songs that gather momentum, that reach across geographical, denominational, and cultural lines, have something special about them.
That’s why CCLI exists.
Today, even the most traditional churches are embracing the potential of new technology in ways inconceivable even a few years ago. It saves us time, enables professionalism and creativity, and puts a world of content at our fingertips. However, the digital revolution and the emergence of Artificial Intelligence make the issues around copyright ever more challenging. CCLI continues to serve churches of all shapes and sizes by helping them to navigate this increasingly complex world, providing the legal peace of mind to use a wealth of creative resources to connect with their communities.
At the heart of all this remains the song. CCLI is uniquely positioned to reflect the journey of songs throughout the Church, and so help connect their licence holders with a vast repertoire that they are free to reproduce. Through their SongSelect website they provide a means of song discovery and the resources, from lyrics to sheet music, to sing them. All the while they continually collect usage reports that enable them to apportion royalties accurately and fairly.
As churches continue to adopt new technology to empower their ministry, so CCLI continues to innovate to support them. They’re now part of a family of organisations that provide connected solutions for worship: In partnership with WorshipTools they provide free planning and presentation software as well as a digital music stand, which all seamlessly integrate with SongSelect. In partnership with Loop Community and Sunday Sounds, they provide multitracks, sounds, and patches that offer unprecedented levels of professionalism for worship teams. And, of course, underpinning everything they do is comprehensive, affordable copyright peace of mind.
The Church will always need fresh expressions of worship. Whether you’re a songwriter at the beginning of your journey, or one whose songs are gaining traction, ensuring you’re connected to a publisher who is signed with CCLI will ensure your songs are protected and can reach their potential. If you’re a church unsure about copyright, they’re here to support you. Licensing with CCLI provides huge freedom to enrich your activities with creative works. It also means you’ll be doing the right thing by songwriters far and near, whose work inspires your congregation in worship.
To contact CCLI call 01323 436100, email uk@ccli.com or visit ccli.com || Book tickets to StepFWD Awards
