Yes, you need a music license to live stream Catholic Mass

July 1, 2025 by

Katie Clark

Live streaming & music copyright Q&A

The combination of live streaming and music copyright laws can be confusing. But getting informed can give you the peace of mind to start sharing your liturgical celebrations beyond your church doors. With the growing popularity of live streaming, you can more easily use live video to evangelize those sick at home, in assisted living, traveling, or even those seeking a new spiritual family.

To help you become familiar with the topic, we gathered the most common questions about copyright laws and live streaming so you can be confident when streaming Catholic Mass and other liturgical services that use music.

You’ll need two distinct licenses to stream Mass without violating music copyrights. To begin, you’ll need an Annual Reprint License. This license allows your church to legally reproduce music with a copyright for use during a Mass or other liturgical event. It’s likely that your church already has one of these, but you can check with a music director or other staff member to verify. Next, you’re required to have a Podcast / Streaming License in order to stream Mass without violating any music copyrights. The Podcast / Streaming license works in addition to your Annual Reprint License, and it is the license that gives you the ability to post the live stream or video to your church website, social media, etc.

Music licensing organizations like CCLI, ONE LICENSE, and others help churches access the copyright permission needed to reprint or project music, podcast or stream services with music, and create audio tracks for rehearsals. You can purchase a license directly through their websites (linked above).

Pricing will vary between each individual licensure, but you can expect to pay an annual fee based on average weekly attendance for your church. And remember, your Podcast / Streaming license is a second license in addition to your regular Annual Reprint License, which means there is a cost for both licenses (see Question #1 for more details).

The first step is to look at the copyright information listed in the hymnal, typically found at the bottom of the song. Once you know that information, your licensure likely has an online database where you can search by title, tune, composer, etc, to ensure your license covers it.

Organizations have two options for listing this information in their videos on Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, or the countless other hosting locations:

1. List the titles with their respective copyright information and your licensing verbiage directly in the video (like a slide or text on the screen).
2. List the titles with their respective copyright information and your licensing verbiage in the description text field of every video.

The podcast/stream must also include a message at the end of the video, or on the website where the link is provided, that states where your license was obtained from, and your license number. For example*: "Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #A-000000."

*Be sure to check with your licensure to ensure this message will be in the correct format.

When choosing your license (based on the average weekly attendance), an organization should keep in mind all of the events taking place that will be streamed. Keeping weddings, funerals, youth services, baptisms, evening prayers, and other special events in mind is key to coming up with your total weekly attendance number. But if your organization only streams weekend liturgies, accounting for special events isn’t necessary.

According to the Church Music Publishers Association, US copyright law allows a copyright owner to recover damages ranging from $500 to $100,000 per copyright infringed. If willful infringement for commercial advantage and private financial gain is proven, criminal fines of up to $250,000 and/or five years’ imprisonment may apply. We certainly don’t want that to happen, so be sure to ask us any questions if you need assistance!

Two takeaways: Music copyright for Catholic live streaming

As you explore the possibility of adding live streaming to your digital evangelization strategy, keep the following items in mind:

1. Know who to contact for help:  Navigating the intricacies of live streaming and music copyright by yourself can become very frustrating and confusing. Don't get discouraged. Instead, know who you can contact for help with your questions. If you’re not the music director at your parish, get together so you’re both on the same page. For music copyright, having a relationship with a licensing organization will be a valuable resource. For live streaming, know that we’re here to help, too. Using a platform like eCatholic LIVE can provide hassle-free streaming solutions with free customer support.
2. Do your research. It is each broadcaster’s responsibility to obtain the proper licensing for the content they stream. If a DMCA complaint (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) is filed against a broadcaster, eCatholic LIVE reserves the right to suspend the account until the issue is resolved.

Other Helpful Resources:

• An In-Depth Look at the Podcast/Streaming License
• Webinar Training: The Podcast/Streaming License

One more thing: Licensing lectionary readings

Before you begin live streaming, you may need to review your organization's permission to use the Lectionary for Mass in a live broadcast. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has posted information on the use of the New American Bible (NAB) on the web and other digital media.

Contact the Associate Director of Permissions at the USCCB to request permission to include the Scripture readings in your live broadcasts. Gratis (free) permission may be granted, and the USCCB can clearly explain the conditions your organization must meet to comply with its policies.