Keep calm and carol on

Keep calm and carol on: Christian Copyright Licensing International is today calling for a resurgence of community-based Christmas carolling to aid Australia’s COVID mental health recovery while keeping the tradition alive. Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) issues licensing for the use of intellectual material (such as music) to many Christian churches/organisations - numbering some 250,000 around the world.

Keep calm and carol on: Christian Copyright Licensing International is today calling for a resurgence of community-based Christmas carolling to aid Australia’s COVID mental health recovery while keeping the tradition alive.

Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) issues licensing for the use of intellectual material (such as music) to many Christian churches/organisations - numbering some 250,000 around the world.

CCLI’s Asia Pacific Service Centre Manager, Ms Bhavani (Bee) Marks, doesn’t want the tide of good music citizenship among Christian churches going unnoticed, given it dates back to Queen Victoria’s reign. She says:

This Christmas is the first in three that groups of singers can perform ‘in person’ Christmas carols, whether that is at a Carols by Candlelight or just striking up a song in the streets and cul-de-sacs of Australia on a summer night. 

We all need to come together and reprise all the exciting Christmas traditions and festivities we have missed out on.

Any kind of music brings people together but carols have a peculiar effect on us, I guess, because they often have been around a long time and they trigger lovely memories from childhood. Even if you have been told you can’t sing, you can sing along in your head when someone sings to you.

This is the perfect time for Christian church groups to use the power of music to unite, entertain, and even heal people living in their local areas; listening to those familiar lyrics and melody, even for a few brief minutes, has the power to be a transformative community service.

According to a study from the University of Oxford, Group singing boosts endorphins and enhances social bonding as spectators or as performers.

Last December, even with some pandemic restrictions still in place, Carolling on the Edge struck up. The group travelled nightly from near-empty pub to near-empty pub and the streets outside, raising money for a homeless charity.  A New York Times article reported that people came to the windows of nearby apartments to listen, and customers grabbed their phones to record the performance, one enthused, “These people just appeared out of nowhere,” she said, “it was like a little Christmas magic”.

Christian Copyright Licensing International’s Bee Marks calls for a return to Christmas carolling this year.

As music is such an important part of worship, so is the need for a licence, as Bee says:

It is vital to make sure songwriters and artists are recognised and rewarded for their hard work in perfecting their craft. Licensing fortifies the music industry and makes sure the future of music is fostered. The work of Christian and Gospel songwriters share a message of hope and love for God and CCLI provides a method of rightful compensation for their efforts.

Do you have a carolling event this year you'd like to promote, or would you like to join a local carolling group in your area? If so, let us know here.

More about Bee

Bhavani Marks manages the Asia Pacific region of Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI). CCLI license music and media for churches and Christian schools. A church girl who has dabbled in everything from running her family business in Sri Lanka, writing pages of code to selling dresses.

She has an MBA, goes to R&B concerts as well as the opera, and if there’s any space left in her schedule, she may be found swing dancing to live music. She is passionate about people, food and community. She believes in Jesus and learning constantly.

Note:

• Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) has agreements with music publishers to allow its licensees to use sheet music in public performances.
• The composers of many popular carols have passed away more than 70 years ago which means to sing/perform their carols (without any backing track playing from a smart phone, a record or a CD player) does not require any extra permission or licensing.
• Other uses of music in church activities do require a licence and unlicensed use can lead to infringement, so church administrators are advised to check their licence needs against the cover they have.
• A church that publicly performs live music at non-worship service events (for example at youth group gatherings, choir performances or band performances, social events and Christmas Carol events) will likely need extra CCLI licence cover.
• If the venue where the live music is performed has a licence (such as a Council-owned greenspace where Carols by Candlelight is hosted) then you may not need the extra cover, it is worthwhile checking.