The
right that exists in anything we create is unquestioned in law.
Whether we create in the form of a poem or a book or sculpture
painting or song , it is our unique creation and no one is entitled
to reproduce or copy our creation without our permission (there are a
few very narrow exceptions to this principle relating to the use of
copying in education and research.)
The Australian Copyright Act of 1986 is the basis upon which our copyright rights are enshrined in law. There are similar laws in other countries around the world. For a moment, imagine if these laws did not exist, if anyone was free to copy whatever they chose. It would decimate the publishing industry. In theory, somebody could buy one copy of a published edition of a book and or painting or recording and then give it to a friend to copy, this person then gives it to another friend and then it may be copied by all the employees of a company who give it to other companies and so on. It may prove very popular and in fact thousands or even millions of copies may be made with no remuneration being passed back to the publisher or original creator of the work. The result would be that people would not publish their work, publishers would go out of business and the world would be much the poorer as the multitude of creations that currently are available to purchase would not exist. Creators have to live and eat and feed their families like the rest of humanity and they are entitled to just and fair compensation for their creations like everyone else on the planet.
This
principle applies just as much to the use of religious music as in
any other case. The fact that the music is being used for the purpose
of the glorification of God makes no difference to the principle. By
conforming to the copyright laws and ensuring that compensation is
made to the publishers and creators of religious music, you are
ensuring that the range of hymns available to enhance and uplift your
liturgical celebrations is continually increased for the benefit of
all- the creators, the church and its congregations.
Annual license holders are required to keep records of their copying so that we can pay the appropriate remuneration to the composers whose music is used the most. If you wish to discover more about copyright laws and its application to religious music and its use in worship, we suggest you check the various organizations involved as detailed in our Links page.
©
2000 Word Of Life International