7 picks · Music Licensing
Your lyrics license doesn't cover the livestream, and a personal music plan may not cover the church's channel. Here's which license covers which job.
Updated
Start with CCLI if you project or print worship lyrics, and add its Streaming License if the worship set goes online. OneLicense suits churches singing hymns from Catholic and mainline publishers. For video and social, Soundstripe's Business plan is aimed at nonprofits, Music Vine sells per-track licenses that name churches, and Epidemic Sound, Artlist and Musicbed work once you pick a plan that covers church channels.
Projecting or printing worship lyrics needs a song license, even with free presentation software. The CCLI Church Copyright License covers projecting and printing lyrics, recording services for limited distribution, and arranging songs with no published version. OneLicense covers reprinting and projecting hymns and songs from more than 300 publishers, including GIA, OCP and Hope Publishing. Each covers only its own publishers' songs, so search your most-used titles on both.
For sermon clips, promos and podcasts you need a music library. The catch is who the plan licenses.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check each license's current terms before you publish or stream.
Choosing a library? See the best stock music for churches, ranked by how well each license covers a church's own channels.
| App | Best for | Price | Free option | Works on | Learning curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCLI | Best for worship lyrics | From $83/yr by church size; Streaming from $84/yr (Oct 2026) | No | Web, Service | Easy |
| OneLicense | Best for hymns and mainline music | Annual from $126/yr; streaming add-on from $74/yr (Oct 2026) | No | Web, Service | Easy |
| Soundstripe | Best for church-owned social channels | Personal from $9.99/mo; Business $999/yr or $299/quarter (Oct 2026) | No | Web, Mac | Easy |
| MusicVine | Best pay-per-track license | Non-profit track from $39; subscriptions from $19.99/mo (Oct 2026) | No | Web | Easy |
| Epidemic Sound | Best for sound effects and podcasts | Creator $9.99/mo, Business $30/mo, billed yearly (Oct 2026) | No | Web, iOS, Android | Easy |
| Artlist | Best for music and footage together | Music & SFX from $9.99/mo; Max $50.66/mo billed yearly (Oct 2026) | No | Web | Easy |
| Musicbed | Best for storytelling video | Individual from $29.99/mo, Business from $99.99/mo, yearly (Oct 2026) | No | Web | Easy |
01Best for worship lyrics
If you project or print worship lyrics on Sunday, this covers more than 600,000 songs and hymns. It's priced by church size, from $83 a year (Oct 2026), license holders get SongSelect lyrics free, and auto-reporting works through popular presentation apps.
02Best for hymns and mainline music
It covers reprinting and projecting hymns and congregational songs from 300+ publishers, including GIA, OCP and Hope Publishing. Annual licenses start at $126 a year (Oct 2026) and cover weddings and funerals you host, which suits a parish printing a weekly worship aid.
03Best for church-owned social channels
Its Business plan is aimed at nonprofits making video for one local market, with up to three seats and up to five YouTube channels cleared. It's $999 a year or $299 a quarter (Oct 2026), and it covers paid social ads for a local audience.
04Best pay-per-track license
Its Non-Profit Organisation license names churches, and web and social coverage was $39 for a two-minute track (Oct 2026). Prices are published, and you can add event coverage to play the same testimony video at a church event.
05Best for sound effects and podcasts
It has 55,000 music tracks and 250,000 sound effects, with unlimited downloads and podcasts covered on every plan. A 30-day free trial lets you test it. Check the plan first: Creator is personal-use only, and the FAQ points non-profits to Enterprise.
06Best for music and footage together
The Max plan bundles music, sound effects, stock footage, templates and LUTs for $50.66 a month billed yearly (Oct 2026). Stems let you pull a track back under a spoken welcome. The $9.99 Social plan is for personal creators, so expect to need Pro.
07Best for storytelling video
A curated, film-quality catalog suits baptism stories and Easter films where the soundtrack carries the video. Musicbed lists non-profits under Business, from $99.99 a month billed yearly (Oct 2026), and sells single-song licenses if you need only one track.
Does the license cover what you actually do: lyrics on screen, the livestream, a sermon clip, a paid ad or a video played in the room?
Does it cover a channel your church owns, or only an individual creator?
The yearly price at your church's size, plus add-ons like streaming or event coverage.
Every price and license term was checked on the vendor's own site in October 2026.
Yes, a separate one. The Church Copyright License doesn't cover streaming, so worship songs in your stream need the CCLI Streaming License, from $84 a year (Oct 2026). Backing tracks or multitracks in the stream need Streaming Plus.
It depends on your song list. Each license covers only its own member publishers' songs, so search your most-used titles on both before you buy.
Usually not. Epidemic Sound's Creator license excludes channels owned or run by a business, Artlist's Social plan is for personal creators, and Soundstripe's Personal and Pro plans license you as an individual, not your church.
Check the license first. Musicbed leaves public performance rights to you, Soundstripe lists live performances as prohibited, and Music Vine sells event coverage as an add-on to a track license.
