This post was originally published on November 9, 2017. It has been updated to reflect the updates in our licensing services to date.

A Podcast / Streaming License with ONE LICENSE revolutionizes the way you connect with your congregation and the world. These two license options not only allow you to record your services containing music for the duration of the license, but also to live-stream to members of your congregation who may be viewing from home, traveling, serving in active duty, or homebound.

ONE LICENSE offers two different types of Podcast / Streaming Licenses:

  1. The Podcast / Streaming License add on, bundled with your Annual Reprint License
  2. The Limited Podcast / Streaming License

The Podcast / Streaming License covers music streamed or stored on YouTube, Facebook Live, StreamSpot, your organization website, Zoom, Dropbox, or any of a number of internet services. You can see a list of Member Publishers that participate in the Podcast / Streaming License by visiting the Member Publisher page. Most, but not all, of our Member Publishers participate in these licenses.

The reporting process for the Podcast / Streaming Licenses varies slightly from those regularly comfortable with reporting for the Annual Reprint License. Under the Annual License, you are only required to report what you reprint / project for the congregation. Under both of the Podcast / Streaming Licenses, we need to know all the music you are using in a service, not just music for the congregation.

Some examples of what to report, if they are available on the podcast / live stream:

  • A prelude piece performed by an instrumentalist
  • The choral anthem after communion
  • The organ postlude
  • A song included or sung by the pastor during the sermon/reflection
  • The copyrighted arrangement of an instrumental part to a public domain piece

These reports allow ONE LICENSE to distribute royalties to the composers, authors, and publishers of those works. Note that these licenses are intended to cover sacred music. Certain liturgical content, including Scripture readings, will require permission directly from the copyright holder of that material.

“A Guide to Manual Submissions” was originally published in May, 2107.

As more and more Member Publishers are joining the Podcast / Streaming License, you may find that there are titles that need to be manually submitted since they do not already exist in the database. Visit our post on manual submissions to find out more information.

The podcast / stream must include the following words at the end of the service or on the website containing a link to the podcast/live stream: “Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license X-######. All rights reserved.” Simply fill in your specific A, L, S, M, or E license letter with a hyphen, followed by the six digit number afterwards.

Note that both versions of the Podcast / Streaming License cover self-made recordings or live worship services. No use of commercial masters or publisher-owned recordings is covered. The License expires after one year and should you choose not to renew at that point, all material licensed under either Podcast / Streaming License must be removed.

Attendance size is also important to consider. Both licenses allow you to reach up to three times as many views as the outer limit of your category. For example, a category E organization serves 401 – 700 people on an average weekly attendance. That means that each stream / download / podcast is limited to a maximum of 2,100 views.  If you exceed this amount on a continual basis, you must purchase a higher category license. Note that part of the reason why we give you such a large range of views is because many social media sites count a viewer watching for under a minute as a full view. We know that your congregation is intending to watch the entire duration of the video.

We have heard from countless organizations about how these licenses have enhanced their reach and worship. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope that this license has been a welcomed resource for your congregation. A service to support victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma; the beatification of Fr. Solanus Casey in Detroit, Michigan; and a new video ministry in Calgary are just some of the ministries we have helped license lately. Perhaps your organization is next!

For questions on this article, please contact the ONE LICENSE team at info@onelicense.net.

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