Most ONE LICENSE members would be aware that songs and hymns that are reproduced under ONE LICENSE must be reported each and every time the titles are used. The ONE LICENSE website provides a listing for every Sunday to facilitate an easy and manageable way to keep track of your reports. However, there seems to be some confusion about the use and reporting of Mass settings—that is, liturgical texts (Mass parts) that have been set to music.


Both the music and the text are under copyright. If you use an entire musical setting of a Mass or any part of a Mass setting, you must report the usage every time. If your community uses one or two particular settings, and you sing the entire setting, you can report by whole setting with one report entry, or if you use only sections of one of more Mass setting you can report the individual title, such as the ‘Lamb of God’ or ‘Amen’.

Browsing by Mass setting is incredibly easy and will show a comprehensive list of each Mass part.  If the Member Publisher has provided a download, you’ll also see that listed.  Remember, ONE LICENSE is primarily a reporting service and secondarily a downloading service. While you are guaranteed permissions to reprint the congregational reprint versions from the Member Publishers we work with, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a download will be available. Each Member Publisher has their own process and perspective on making those downloads available.

A question we hear commonly is: “If we are just reprinting the text and not the music, do we still need to report the full title and put the copyright acknowledgement under it?” The answer is absolutely. Since you aren’t “speaking” the text, it is “implied performance” since the music will be used. Please report the full use (music and text) of the title.

Screenshot of the “Browse by: Mass Setting” section of the search results page.

 

As a reminder, ONE LICENSE offers copyright reprints of congregational music only. Music for instrumentalists, choirs, accompanists, etc., must be purchased directly from the Member Publisher. The Annual Reprint License allows your organization to make congregational reprints/copies for the average weekly attendance category that you pay into, and not reprints/copies of instrumental or choral music.

 

 

 

 

 

The ONE LICENSE team thanks our colleagues in Australia for their continued support and assistance in educating our AUS/NZ customers. Special thanks to Monica O’Brien for her contribution of this article.

Photo copyright: Visual Hunt.  This image is available for download at www.pexels.com.