Licensing Basics
Licensing a Song for a Church, Choir or School Performance vs a Release
By the Starchild Music team · October 22, 2026 · 5 min read
The short answer
U.S. copyright law has limited exemptions for live music in a place of worship and for face-to-face classroom teaching, but they do not cover recording a performance or posting it online. If your church choir or school group wants to record and release a song, you need a license for that use. Starchild licenses cover recording and releasing the song, as well as performing it live.
A song that is perfect for the Christmas program may also be perfect for a recording. Those are two different uses, and the law treats them differently.
This guide explains what the U.S. exemptions cover, where they stop, and when a release license is the right tool.
What the exemptions cover
Section 110 of the Copyright Act lists a handful of exemptions for performances. Section 110(1) covers performance by instructors or pupils in face-to-face teaching at a nonprofit educational institution, in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction.
Section 110(3) covers performance of a nondramatic musical work in the course of services at a place of worship or other religious assembly.
Section 110(4) covers certain nonprofit performances with no admission charge, or where proceeds go to educational, religious or charitable purposes, unless the copyright owner has served a notice of objection.
What they do not cover
Emory University's copyright guide for religious organizations notes that the religious services exemption does not cover recording a performance. If you record services that include protected music, you need separate permission or you edit the music out.
Churches that stream or record services often use blanket licenses from services such as CCLI and OneLicense, as the same guide notes. Check what any blanket license actually covers before you rely on it for a recording.
The exemptions also describe performance. Posting a choir recording on a website, a podcast or a streaming service is a separate use.
When you need a release license
If your group wants to record a song and release it, treat it like any artist release. You need permission to record and distribute the song, and your distributor will ask you to confirm you have the rights.
A Starchild license covers recording the song, releasing your recording on streaming platforms and stores, performing it live, and using your recording in your own music video and lyric video. See what rights you get for the full list.
Who holds the license
A license is issued to the person who buys it. If a director buys it for the choir, the group is working under that director's permission.
Read the license agreement for how a group can use it, and put the right name on the purchase. If a school or church is the one releasing, make sure the buyer's name matches who the distributor account belongs to.
A simple way to decide
- Singing it live in a service or class: check Section 110 and your own policies first.
- Filming or streaming the service: get permission that covers recording and transmission.
- Recording the song for a single or album: license it.
- Selling tickets or paying performers: the nonprofit exemption may not apply, so check.
Practical advice for directors
Keep the certificate with the program folder. If a parent or an online platform asks where you got permission, you can answer in a minute.
Our guide to licensing songs to perform live covers stage use, and the songs to sing page is a good place to start looking. This is general information and not legal advice, so ask a lawyer about a specific situation.
The classroom exemption in practice
The classroom exemption is narrow by design. The law describes face-to-face teaching in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction, and it requires lawfully made copies.
A spring concert in the gym is not the same as a lesson. Whether it counts under another part of Section 110 depends on facts such as admission and who gets paid, so ask your school's administration before assuming.
Streaming a service or concert
Putting a performance online is a transmission and often a recording as well. The Emory guide states that the religious services exemption does not cover recording a performance, so a streamed service with a new song in it needs separate permission.
If the song is licensed from a marketplace, check that your license covers the form of use you plan. A license for recording and releasing your recording is a different thing from an online stream of a whole service.
Why a licensed original can be a good fit
Choirs and school groups often want something new that fits their voices and their season. A song written for artists to record, with several production styles to try before you license, can be a practical way to find it.
You can hear a song in different styles and adjust pitch and key to suit your singers before you license. That helps a group pick the right range before rehearsals start.
Questions to ask before you plan
Is the performance in a worship service, a class, or a separate event? That one question often decides whether an exemption could apply.
Will anyone film it, and will it go online? If yes, plan the permission for that use.
Does the group want to record and release a version? If yes, you need a license for that release, and the person buying should be the one whose name goes on the distributor account.
A note for school music teachers
Students often learn songs by listening to the demo. That is where hearing a song in several styles helps, because a teacher can find a version that suits a young voice before choosing it.
Section 110(1) is about the teaching itself. Once students record a song and a teacher wants to post it on a channel or send it to a streaming service, you have moved beyond the classroom and into release territory.