A service that is fine in the building can need permission online.
Live music in an act of worship generally needs no licence in the UK, but recording or streaming it is different. Words on screen, backing tracks and pictures each carry their own rights. This independent guide sets out what church copyright guidance says.
Licences for live music do not cover recordings. Commercial CDs and tracks need specific permission from the rights holders, or a licence that names them.
General information only, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to a qualified lawyer or a free advice service.
A QUICK PERMISSION CHECK
Does this need permission online?
Pick something you might put in a church or community video. The bar shows how much permission-checking UK guidance suggests before it goes online.
Summarised from GOV.UK, Law and Religion UK and Church of England diocesan guidance. General information only, not legal advice; check the terms of any licence you hold.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
How long copyright lasts.
Words and music are protected for decades, and so is any recording of them.
70 years
After the author's death
Written, dramatic, musical and artistic works usually stay in copyright for 70 years after the author's death. Under the 1988 Act this runs to the end of that calendar year.
WORDS AND MUSIC · GOV.UK
70 years
From first publication
Sound and music recordings are protected for 70 years from when they are first published, separately from the song they contain.
RECORDINGS · GOV.UK
Law and Religion UK says to assume material is copyright unless there is clear evidence it is not: almost everything published since 1900 may still be. Using it for church or charitable purposes is generally no defence.
FOUR CHECKS BEFORE YOU FILM
Plan the rights with the running order.
Most problems can be avoided by checking the service plan before the camera goes on. These steps follow church copyright guidance.
List every song and reading
Note the words, tune and arrangement of each item, since each can carry its own copyright.
Check what your licences cover
Confirm the church's licences reach online streaming or uploads, and that each song is covered.
Prefer live music to tracks
Recorded music brings extra rights; use it only where permission or a licence clearly covers it.
Ask before using images
Use pictures you own or have permission for, and consider consent before showing people.
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
THE LAYERS OF RIGHTS
One song, several owners.
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
Law and Religion UK points out that a single recording may involve separate copyrights in the performance, the musical composition, the words and the arrangement. A newly edited or arranged version of a long-dead composer's work can be in copyright even though the original is not.
Different organisations license different rights: PRS for Music for performing and making music available, PPL for recorded music played in public, and the Copyright Licensing Agency for photocopying. Church guidance says no single licence covers everything, so most churches need a combination.
Questions
Questions people ask
Do we need a licence to sing hymns in a service?
Not for the live performance itself. Live music performed during divine service, weddings or funerals is exempt, according to church copyright guidance. Showing the words on screen or printing them can need separate permission.
Is streaming a service covered by our usual church licence?
Not automatically. Church streaming licences exist to extend cover to online worship. Guidance says to check that the licence covers the platform you use and each song you include.
Can we play a CD or backing track in an online service?
Only with permission. Recordings carry their own rights, and church guidance says commercial CDs or recordings cannot be used unless the copyright holder has given permission, directly or through a licence.
How do I know if a hymn is out of copyright?
Words and music usually stay in copyright for 70 years after the author's death. But a modern edition or arrangement of an old hymn can have its own copyright, so check the source you are using.
Is this site run by a church or video platform?
No. It is an independent informational guide, not affiliated with any church, denomination, licensing body or video platform, and it is not legal advice.
