Specific question about copyrights

[caffeineyellow5]

I am planning to stream my church's revival services every night during the second week of August this year. Now I know that all the preachers will be preaching their own sermons and there will be no copyright issues there. The issue I percieve is the music program. All the music will be live and no traxx or any originally copyrighted material will be used, but the music and lyrics that will be performed will not all be original stuff obviously. The congregationals will all be from hymn books that most songs are used by permission for the book to be printed, meaning there is a copyright on the songs to someone for each one. Also, the special singers will have songs they sing and are allowed to legally for church audiences, but the rebroadcast of the service is where I have the question. If we as a congregation or they as special singers to a church audience are allowed to sing the songs under those special circumstances, is my internet stream of the full service "bicycled" or "piggy-backed" in? Or is my broadcast infringing on the copyright of the material in distributing it past the local congregation?

I just don't want anybody coming after my church legally for something, with work, I can avaoid by just cutting the stream over to a holding stream during any musical performance. On the other hand, if this is not any infringement, I would like the viewer to not have interupted streams and also miss the song services.

Any general or spcific knowledge on this is much appreciated. Thank you, CY5.

[Supreme2k]

Video broadcast is not covered ("piggybacked" as you say) under the permissions you have mentioned. Since we can't see the actual agreement and license for the hymns, we can only speculate.


Another thing that you need to seriously consider is either waivers for those being filmed, or at least a sign at the door warning that they will be filmed. The church is only a semi-public venue, so you don't have completely free-reign to film everybody.

[edDV]

An interesting topic to Google.

You need to fear music licensing organizations ASCAP/BMI (Harry Fox Agency) once you go public.

These people go after public performances and are pressing for legislation to tighten control of internet music broadcasts. http://www.ascap.com/legislation/jointstatement.html

You might be able to query your national church organizations or even lobby for exemption from coming legislation. Not a bad idea to ask your Congressman for assistance. The current Congress may just pass this. They may even target churches.

Or, you might act preemptively and ask the Harry Fox Agency if you need to license certain music performances. They can't sue you if you have a letter of approval.

Another idea, is to ask the major TV preachers for their take.

[usually_quiet]

Many popular hymns are far too old to still be under copyright. The music used is often from a classical source or traditional folk tunes, and the lyrics were written in the 18th or 19th century.

Unless your church uses strictly contemporary music, some of the hymns in your hymnal are undoubtedly in the public domain, both music and lyrics. I'd check to see which ones are actually still under copyright.