The process for determining whether a copyrighted work is covered by ONE LICENSE is quick and easy: (1) confirm that the copyright holder is a ONE LICENSE Member Publisher, and (2) search the database for that copyrighted work to confirm which type(s) of usage have been approved. Here is a summary of this process:
For any copyrighted work you want to use, in addition to the title and the contributor(s), you will want to identify the copyright holder. Start by looking at the published music to see whether it is a hymnal page or a musical score. Copyright holder(s) are identified on the published piece of music in a specific three-element format: copyright symbol (©), year, name claim to copyright. For example:
© 2007, Jan Michael Joncas Trust
or
Text © 2011, Owen Alstot. Music © 2016, Rick Modlin.
The copyright holder is the legal owner of the piece of intellectual property and retains complete control of the copyrighted work. The copyright holder might be a contributor (composer, text author, arranger), a publisher, or someone else entirely. At ONE LICENSE, we refer to copyright holders who ask us to assist them in administering permissions as Member Publishers. Only the Member Publisher can add its copyrights to the ONE LICENSE database; that is, only the copyright holder decides whether a piece of music is covered by your ONE LICENSE permissions.
Once you have identified the copyright holder, check our searchable list of Member Publishers to see if the copyright holder is listed there.
If the copyright holder is a ONE LICENSE Member Publisher, search the database to confirm coverage. We recommend searching by typing the song title and the contributor’s last name (composer’s, lyricist’s, etc.) together in the TITLE search bar. Searching by title alone may not yield the best results.
Look for a match between the database results and your printed music for title, contributor(s), and copyright holder.
Once you have located the title, examine the Permissions Icons to determine the usage types (reprint, podcast/streaming, recorded audio) the Member Publisher has approved. If the Member Publisher has not approved the usage type(s) you need, please contact them by phone or email to obtain permission (contact information for all Member Publishers can be found on the ONE LICENSE website).
You can find more tips and tricks for searching the database in these two resources: How To Search and Reporting Instrumental & Choral Titles.
If your search does not produce any results, it is likely due to one of the following circumstances:
The copyright holder of the title is a Member Publisher, but some works are not covered by ONE LICENSE. Although a Member Publisher has asked ONE LICENSE to administer their copyrights, they may not license their whole catalog through ONE LICENSE. Similarly, while some pieces by a composer or text author might be found in the database, it is not safe to conclude that every title by that author is covered.
The copyright holder of the title is not a Member Publisher. ONE LICENSE permissions cannot cover the copyrighted work. In these cases, you must contact that copyright holder directly to obtain permission. If you like, you can encourage the copyright holder to contact ONE LICENSE about becoming a Member Publisher. Many copyright holders decide to partner with us because their customers ask them to do so.
The title is in the public domain. If you are in doubt whether a copyright claim is still in effect, we recommend that you contact the last known copyright holder. They will have the most up-to-date and accurate information about whether they still own the piece, whether it has been sold and to whom, or whether it has passed into the public domain. If there is no three-element (© symbol, year, name) copyright claim on the hymnal page or the score, this may indicate that the work is in the public domain. You will find more information on the subject in this resource: Understanding Public Domain.
It may be helpful to think of using music in a worship service like borrowing office supplies: one person in the office may have a much-needed stapler; another may have a pencil sharpener; a third may have a three-hole punch. To use the different items, a coworker usually asks permission from the owner. In this sense, ONE LICENSE is a repository of office supplies, which we lend out on behalf of the owners. Reporting your copyright usage tells the copyright holder that you have used one of their supplies and assigns royalty credits (payment for usage) to the copyright holder. Some office supplies might be free to use and equally available to all coworkers; these items are in the public domain, so no permission is needed to use them. You will find more information about reporting usage in this helpful resource: Basics on Reporting.
Searching and reporting titles through your ONE LICENSE account should only take a few minutes each week. If you are having trouble finding anything, the ONE LICENSE team is always happy to assist! Please send an email to info@onelicense.net with the song title, contributor(s), and copyright holder, and we will take a look.
Photo copyright: Clement Nivesse. This image is available for download at www.pexels.com.
