Music has been a part of worship services for centuries. Alongside religious services, places of worship often play music at functions, and during activities such as youth and study groups.
To find the right Music Cover, click 'GET A LICENCE' and select Worship and Funerals from the Industry dropdown followed by the Place of Worship Business Type.
OR if you are hosting an Event and charge for admission, please see below for details.
Just like other organisations, places of worship need to be aware of their copyright obligations when using our music.
While OneMusic grants an exemption for music used during services (including weddings and funerals), places of worship require a OneMusic Places of Worship Music Licence when they use music outside of worship services. This includes functions as well as during activities such as youth groups, study groups, socials and meetings where there is no charge for admission.
If you’d prefer to set up your Music Licence via pdf, please download via the link below, complete and return to: [email protected]
Download a Places of Worship Music Licence Agreement
Under the Copyright Act (1994), having permission from music creators to use their music outside of a domestic setting is a legal requirement. This permission is required regardless of how you play music – whether you play the radio, CDs, use digital music services, play music live, or host live performances. Your OneMusic licence gives you permission to play essentially all commercially released music from here and around the world.
When hosting ticketed events you will need to hold separate event licences.
If you have live performances only (e.g. live band playing their own instruments without a backing track) you will need the APRA event licence. For events that include both live music and recorded music (e.g. bands and DJs), a licence is required from both APRA for the rights to perform musical works, and Recorded Music NZ for the rights to perform sound recordings.
We recommend you sight a copy of the Event Licence/s obtained by the promoter or event producer before the event takes place.
Apply for event licences here:
Places of Worship require a OneMusic licence when they use music outside of worship services. This includes functions as well as during activities such as youth groups, study groups, socials and meetings where there is no charge for admission.
Please contact CCLI directly to discuss what your licence with them covers.
In most cases both licenses will be required.
Simply buying music does not provide the rights to use this music in a commercial or public setting. Music is sold for private/domestic use, so any use of this music by a business or organisation is a public performance that requires licensing. This includes music in all forms, from live music, to digital music services, even talkback radio and sports on TV.
Yes it is. The Copyright Act clearly establishes these public performance rights. The Copyright Act also outlines the penalties for anyone in breach of the Act.
The OneMusic licence covers you for the use of our music in your business regardless of the source – whether it’s from radio, CDs, or a digital music service.
You should be aware that a OneMusic licence, even when it includes Digital Delivery only gives you permission to use our music in your business. It does not override the Terms of Use for the personal digital music service, nor does it give you permission to use that particular digital music service for a commercial purpose – that permission can only come from the owners of that digital music service.
Even with our licence, the use of digital music services by you in your business may be in breach of the terms and conditions of your end user agreement with that service. You should check with your service provider.
OneMusic is a joint licensing initiative between APRA AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ. Many music creators around the world earn an income by granting organisations, like ours, the right to collect and pay their royalties.
OneMusic simplifies the licensing process and allows music users to meet their copyright obligations to play our music in their business.
When you hear about music royalties, that’s what we do.
Your OneMusic licence fee is distributed by APRA AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ, who are the companies behind OneMusic. Each organisation has a commitment to their music creators and their own distribution policies.
Every month over 330 million lines of music data is analysed from digital music services, background music suppliers, radio stations, television stations, live performers and more. After minimal administration costs all money collected is paid to our local and international music creators – songwriters, composers, publishers, recording artists and record labels.
Find out more from APRA AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ.
Find out more about why you need a licence and the authenticity of our rights from other industry and government bodies and New Zealand associations.
Want to know more? Read the full FAQs here, or call us on 0800 800 663 - we're here to help.
