Copyrights

Permissions & licensing info for music by Jay Beech

  • Congregational
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  • Downloads from
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  • Recording
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Congregational Music for Worship

To reproduce any of Jay Beech's songs for worship in your congregation or at a conference or convention through print or projection, you must first secure a license to do so. As of January 1st, 2006, Jay's music is included in the following group licenses:


This chart includes contact info for each company as well a description of what Jay Beech material is included in their license.

If you had purchased or renewed the Jay Beech Liturgy & Song Annual License sold by Augsburg Fortress from 2002-2005, you will not be able to renew it once it expires. Please consider purchasing one of the above licenses if you have not already done so.

If your congregation had an ongoing licensing agreement with Baytone Music prior to 2002, any copies that you had made for your own permanent hymn supplement which are still in use are covered by that agreement. However, any new copies will require a new license through one of the above.

There are a variety of PDF score packages available for direct download from this site. The following is a description of the three types of packages and their terms of use.

Congregational Song Packages

Each Congregational Song Package will include five files:

1) an RTF (rich text) of the lyrics;
2) a PowerPoint file with only the lyrics;
3) a high res TIFF image file with melody and lyrics formatted for a half letter size page;
4) a PDF of item #3;
5) a PowerPoint file featuring melody and lyrics in a large format.

In order to purchase one of these products, you will need to enter your congregation's license number for one or more of the following licenses: OneLicense, Augsburg Fortress Hymns License, LicenSing. That same license number will also have to appear in printed or projected copies. Instructions for this will be included.

Accompaniment Score Packages

Accompaniment Score Packages include resources to accompany a single piece of congregational music delivered in PDF format. The content of each package will be clearly described on the product page and will include one or more of the following:

  • Piano and vocal scores with chord symbols
  • Guitar score with fretboard symbols and capoing instructions
  • A solo instrument part
  • Transpositions of the solo instrument part for Bb and Eb instruments
  • Parts for multiple wind instruments (a horn section)
  • A keyboard reduction of the horn section parts
  • One or more vocal harmony parts

When you purchase an Accompaniment Score Package you are entering into a licensing agreement with Baytone Music directly. The purchase price includes a license (permission) to print and maintain up to a specific number of copies of the scores. Typically this number will be 25 copies for piano and vocal scores and five copies for other instrumental parts. This should be enough copies to distribute the song to each member of your worship ensemble (praise band). You may reprint in order to replace lost or destroyed copies but there may never be more than the specified number of copies in existence at any given time.

A copy of the licensing agreement will be included with the scores. This, along with your invoice, will be the only documentation that you receive and you should keep them together on file.

The license applies only to the congregation for which the score package was originally purchased. Neither the license nor any of the copies of the score may be sold or distributed to any other congregation or individual.

Purchase of an Accompaniment Score Package does NOT include permission to make copies or project the song for the congregation. Please click the Congregational Music tab above for more info about congregational permissions.

Performance Music Score Packages

As the name implies, Performance Music Score Packages include everything needed to perform a single song. These might be choral arrangements with or without piano scores, a cappella arrangements for a small vocal ensemble, a two part vocal score with included parts for mutiple instruments, or various other types of arrangements. They are delivered in PDF format.

When you purchase a Performance Music Score Package you are entering into a licensing agreement with Baytone Music directly. The purchase price includes a license (permission) to print and maintain a specific number of copies of the scores. Two packages are available, one with a license for 1-25 copies and another for 25+ copies. The license applies only to the congregation for which the score package was originally purchased. Neither the license nor any of the copies of the score may be sold or distributed to any other congregation or individual.

A copy of the licensing agreement will be included with the scores. Purchase of a Performance Music Score Package DOES (unless otherwise indicated in the license) include permission to make copies and project only the lyrics for the congregation.

Publishing

All requests to use Jay Beech's music other than for worship in a congregation or at a conference should be sent directly to Baytone Music. This includes but is not limited to inclusion in published print resources such as hymnals or song collections, choral octavos and other performance music, accompaniments, periodicals, and newsletters. This also applies to creation of any digital files or media of any kind.

Recording

All requests to include one of Jay Beech's compositions in a video or audio recording should be sent directly to Baytone Music. This includes orginal recordings made by both professional and amateur groups as well as recordings from Jay's own catalog of published CDs, tapes, and LPs. Requests to use recorded tracks from One Body, Alive! should be sent directly to Augsburg Fortress.

With few exceptions, for recordings of which multiple copies will be made and distributed or sold (such as a CD), a fee based on the industry standard mechanical royalty rate of $0.091 per song per recording manufactured will be assessed. Payment will be due at the time of duplication.

General Copyright Information

Copyright rules and regulations are now a permanent and often frustrating part of congregational administration. They are also widely misunderstood. Although there are still many congregations who make little or no effort to follow the applicable laws, most are conscientious about trying to do things appropriately. What follows is a description of the basic elements and procedures that will help you better understand how to properly use the music of Jay Beech in your congregation as well as other copyrighted material. For a helpful explanation of how U.S. Copyright Laws apply to churches, visit this page on the United Methodist Church's website, or go to the Copyright Office Basics page at the Library of Congress.

Ownership

Unless a piece of music is clearly with the public domain and therefore unprotected, you should assume that someone owns the rights to it. This could be one composer, several people who contributed to the creation of either its music or lyrics, or a publishing company or other individual to whom those rights have been assigned. The length of time a copyright is in effect varies but can be as long as 70 years after the death of the last person who contributed to its creation, or even longer under certain circumstances.

Licensing & Permissions

In order to legally duplicate and distribute a piece of music, you must first obtain permission to do so from the copyright holder. This would include but not be limited to photocopying, projecting, and creating and sharing a digital version of lyrics and/or music. (Note: Most of the song lyrics sites on the internet are distributing that material illegally.) Such permission is generally given by granting to the user/licensee (your congregation) a license. This license is a simple contract that defines the terms of use and could include any or all of the following: number of copies, date or period of use, limiting use to lyrics and/or melody only, physical location of use, specific language of the required copyright notice and method of displaying it, fee. The specific details of any of the above are entirely up to the copyright holder (or agent) to determine. In other words, they can grant or not grant whatever terms of use (including the fee) that they see fit. There is no law limiting these terms. In most cases, widely observed guidelines are followed in a general way, although this is less true when dealing directly with individuals administering their own permissions.

Administration & Licensing Companies

It is often the case that individual copyright holders as well as publishers will hire a licensing company to administer permissions on their behalf. The creation of several such companies has made life considerably simpler for those planning worship in congregations. Companies such as CCLI, OneLicense, and LicenSing (LicenSing recently became part of OneLicense) offer congregations access to a large catalog of copyrighted worship material in exchange for an annual fee based on worship attendance. (Other more limited licenses are also available include one-time use.) Almost without exception, these licenses are limited to lyrics and melody for congregational music and do NOT cover accompaniments or arrangements for performance such as choral octavos. Each company has its own requirements for reporting the specific music that they license. They also have online search engines that enable you to confirm whether or not a specific song is covered.

Please Follow the Rules

Almost every church staff person and volunteer that we know has at least twice as much on their plate as they can ever hope to accomplish. Most congregations struggle to make their budget every year. Having to go to the trouble of tracking down music, keeping reporting records, and figuring out how to pay for it can feel a little overwhelming at times. Please remember, however, that if you use the music of Jay Beech or another composer in your services without a license, you are breaking the law and stealing from them. The capacity of church music composers to continue in the work to which God has called them may depend in large part on the income generated from licensing fees. Bear in mind that the income of most composers, even those who are well known, is probably much lower than you would imagine. If you value their work enough to include it in the holy gathering of God's people around Word and Sacrament, you can say thanks by honoring the applicable licensing requirements. Thank you.