Royalty Process

Remember, if you have any questions you can always get in touch.

Step 1.	Churches apply to CCLI for a licence and pay a licence fee which is variable, based upon the size of their congregation.
Step 2.	CCLI takes an administration fee which has been pre agreed with the owners. The remaining amount is distributed to the song owners.
Step 3.	Each church sends CCLI a report every 12 months detailing the songs/songbooks they have reproduced under the terms of their licence. This report can either be in an electronic or paper booklet format.
Step 4.	Our copyright survey team vets the information to ensure its integrity. Occasionally they will contact a church to resolve ambiguities. The accuracy of the data is paramount to the royalty process.
Step 5.	Each time a song is reported it earns 'credits'. The number of credits it earns per reported use is based upon the size of congregation that reported it. A larger congregation results in more credits etc. Each credit represents a percentage (although minute) of the total revenue from net licence fees.
Step 6.	The credits from all the song reproductions reported are totalled. This total number of credits is used to determine what proportion of the funds collected should be paid for each song to the copyright owner.
Step 7.	Every six months (Feb & Aug) we generate statements for each copyright owner detailing how their songs have been used within the previous six month period (either Apr-Sept or Oct-Mar). This is sent to them along with a cheque for the royalties. If the royalties total less than £10.00 (or £50.00 if the owner is based abroad) we would not send a cheque. We would instead roll the royalties earned forward into the next 6 month period until the total reaches that threshold.

Throughout the royalty process there are a number of 'checks and balances' that are in place to help ensure that CCLI distributes all the money it should.

• Every year CCLI holds an Owner's Meeting for each region, where full details of Licence fees collected, and royalties distributed, are reported to the song owners who have chosen to attend. Every song copyright owner participating in the Church Copyright Licence programme is invited to the meeting.
• CCLI has an Advisory Board made up of copyright owners which communicates regularly throughout the year and meets at least annually. The purpose of the Advisory Board is to provide input and feedback to CCLI from the copyright owner perspective. At the annual Advisory Board meeting CCLI goes into more detail about the royalty process and company accounting.
• The amount each song owner earns is confidential to that owner, so CCLI cannot go into those details in a general meeting such as the Owner Meeting. However, a copyright owner can request an inspection of CCLI's books and records relating to that owner's songs.

The Church Copyright Licence programme has been in operation in the US since 1988 and in the UK since 1991. Copyright owners will gladly attest to CCLI's accountability and reliability.

CCLI wishes to thank all the churches around the world who participate in the Licence programme, by contributing the Licence Fee and providing an accurate record of songs reproduced. Thank you for honouring the songwriters who bless your church with their songs.