The Master Use License is for the actual recording of the song that you’re wanting to burn to a CD. As an example the song, “Tell The World” has been recorded by multiple artists, but if you’re using the Amber Sky Version of the song off The Big Story you would contact www.Amberskyrecords.com as the owner of that recording. But if you’re using the Hillsong Kids version of the song, then you’d be contacting Hillsong’s US representative for that project which is Integrity.

The master use license fee is not something that is set in stone like the mechanical license. The price you pay is at the owner’s discretion and could range anywhere from $.95 down to $.15 per unit depending on your request and that companies policy. So who do you contact about who owns the recording you’re wanting to use? It’s either the Artist who recorded it or the record company they are with who actually owns that recording. If you’re looking at the back of a CD, the correct company probably has their address or website listed. Contact them and say you want to get master use permission.

To save you time, you could always use Christian Copyright Solutions and their Permissions Plus program. Like I mentioned in yesterday’s post, they will do the legwork for you (for both the mechanical and the master use licenses).

I know this can seem a bit overwhelming and I understand it will cost you some time; but I know you, your church or the organization you represent care about your integrity and obeying the copyright laws that protect the songwriters, musicians and producers. Name any song and there’s been a lot of time, people and finances involved in creating it, whether it’s on the radio, your iPod or a CD. As a musician, I guarantee they don’t just show up, play the song once or twice in the studio and call it a day. Many days, weeks and sometimes even months of hard work are represented in the music we all hear and enjoy. The only way those artists can support their families is when we pay them what is rightfully theirs. 1 Timothy 5:18 says it well, “A worker deserves his pay.” (MSG) And then they are able to keep creating more. What questions do you still have about burning CDs to share with others?

The first type is a mechanical license which is the license you get from the songwriter(s) for them writing the song. For example, if we were talking about the song, “How Great Is Our God”, then the answer would be Chris Tomlin and his co-writers.

You’re probably wondering, “How do I figure out who wrote the song and how to contact them?” If you have the liner notes to the CD, it probably has in there who wrote the song and then a © with a year, then a publishing company name(s) followed by some letters of etiher BMI, ASCAP or SESAC. Those companies I just mentioned are performing rights associations and they represent the songwriters of the songs and work to get them paid whenever there song is played on the radio, tv or even in a restaurant.

You can go to each of their websites (www.bmi.com, www.ascap.com, www.sesac.com )and search their catalog by entering the song title and if that song is registered by one of their songwriters, you’ll find the contact name, address, phone of the company you need to contact with your request. You’ll pay a royalty that at the time of this writing is $.091 per song, per unit. So you’ll let them know the song you want to use, information about your project, when it will release and how many copies you’re making. Multiply that quantity by $.091 (some companies may have a minimum amount they require in order to issue a license) and that will be the cost involved with the songwriter portion of the song aka the mechanical license.

A few other bigger companies that represent the different publishing companies that can you can use to request mechanical licenses are:
*Music Services -They represent a lot of Christian record companies.
*Harry Fox Agency -This is national organization representing both Christian and mainstream copyright holders.
*Integrity Music-This is one of the largest worship music record companies.

*Christian Copyright Solutions has a Permissions Plus program. If you don’t have much time to spend researching who to contact for these licenses, CCS could be a great solution because they do the legwork for you. You just tell them the songs you need and the information on your project. They hunt down the writers and recording owners, make the requests, get the licenses and this saves you a lot of time.

Any questions about mechanical licenses?

A common question we get is “Can I burn a CD for my worship team to rehearse the songs?”or “Can I burn a CD to give to the families in my church of the songs we do in large group?”

Can you do it without permission and without paying appropriate fees? NO, because that would be against the law. You can see for yourself the specific copyright warning line on the back of any CD– Warning: Unauthorized duplication is a violation of all applicable laws. which is backed by the Library of Congress. But in a digital world with downloads, it might be hard to remember. But we can’t forget all the people who did the work creating and performing that music. They need a way to get paid and the company who paid for the music to be created also needs to get paid for their investment, so they both can continue to have the finances needed to continue creating new music. You’re probably wondering what the steps are to burn CDs legally. With a little research and time, you can make the necessary requests and get the permission you need.

Keep in mind- every song has multiple owners. There is the song itself (whoever wrote the song lyrics and melody) and then the recording of that song (whoever recorded it and put it out on a CD or download.) So with every song there are two different licenses you will need– a mechanical and a masters license. Over the next two days, I’ll help you understand who you can ask for help. Before today, did you even know there were licenses to obtain when burning CDs for your worship leaders or parents in your church?

Some people were born to sing. It’s effortless. It’s pretty much perfect and gives chill bumps every time. But that is really hard to find. For some it’s not so effortless, but there’s still a voice in them that is great and deserves to be heard!

As I encourage leaders to recruit teenagers and young adults (even giving kids a chance to be on worship teams), one of the biggest push backs is that they aren’t ready… yet. But you can give them the opportunities they need to grow and perfect their craft– not to mention worship God with a gift He gave them. If you can find musicians/vocalists with great potential, great heart, passion and energy to worship a big God, then recruit them! You can provide training and resources, as well as weekly inspiration and feedback so they continue to improve.

It’s not so different from learning to play a sport, you can have natural starting ability, but still need time and practice to learn correct “form” or gain the necessary skills. Consider buying a vocal curriculum like this one at www.singingsuccess.com by Brett Manning. He’s a vocal coach of many stars. I’ve loaned this out to individual vocalists who were needing some help. You could also get it and do a special vocal series for a month or two where you go through it as a team. Sure, it’s an investment of finances, but the payoff is beautiful songbirds that make your programs higher quality and impact others.

Want to be inspired by what a middle schooler with gifting, opportunity and obvious training can do? Check out this video of Grayson Michael Chance- a sixth grader singing and playing Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” at a school assembly. Who are your Grayson’s?

So we know that ministry is all about working together as a team. We play different roles or parts of the body like the Bible says. But what makes a team great is also the hardest part about being a team. What makes us different from each other can sometimes lead to conflict. But when we learn from each other and work at being a team, we get more than what any of us could accomplish alone.

I recently read an article about the group dynamic on American Idol. I think you’ll recognize a few things that apply to what we do in our churches as well. See how some of these ideas apply in your own ministry.

“As I watched American Idol contestants divide up and perform in group competitions– it was rough! Many of them weren’t used to the give and take singing in a group calls for. Typically someone will name themselves “leader” of the group, but their leadership skills may leave much to be desired.

When everyone is allowed to have their ideas heard there is not only more creativity generated, but better morale among the members. Yes, a group needs a leader; but leading doesn’t mean telling everyone what to sing or play all the time. Nothing will kill the creative spirit quicker than that.

A good leader knows how to let everyone be heard and how to diplomatically make decisions for the overall good of the band. You’ll learn about the different roles in a band and what each member of the band needs to know to develop to their fullest potential onstage.”

Think back on all the teams you’ve been a part of. Which one was the most enjoyable or successful? What made it that way? Did the leader do anything different?

Yancy (not Nancy) Richmond is a dynamo of a resource– besides her guest posts here– you can learn from her at the Orange pre-conference this year. Check out her 2 breakouts on leading worship for preschool/children and worship teams.

Have you ever felt that way? It’s easy to get confused when some people call the act of going to church “worship” or daily choices “worship”. As a worship leader, the focus is obviously a lot narrower to those three or maybe even five songs you do in whatever service or program you’re a part of. I know there’ve been points where I needed to be inspired. Times where I’ve needed to deepen my knowledge and understanding of what worship is and how we do it. A great little book is “The Air I Breathe” by Louie Giglio (founder of Passion Conferences). It’s an easy read, but I believe you’ll be challenged and more than anything refreshed by the insight.

I’m always looking for ways to invest in my team. I’ve bought these books in bulk and given them to my team to read. Maybe it becomes required reading for your new team members. If you have questions, your volunteers most certainly have questions too. So, help them succeed. I believe one way we can do that is by giving them knowledge. If you can’t afford to give one of these to your whole team, then maybe set up a way for you to break it down over 8-10 weeks and go through the book as a team. Always be looking for ways to grow as a team both on stage and off!

Worship is communication. I realize that some of you reading this work with a full team of musicians, vocalists and dancers. But for some of you, it may be a one man or one woman show. Wherever you fall in this range, there’s a resource I want to share with you called, “Expressive Worship” by Tom Jackson. It’s a two DVD set and can be found here.

If you want to become more effective at what you do on stage and in your ability to communicate to your audience, this is a must have. Tom Jackson is a stage consultant. He plans out concerts, where communicators talk, and where they stand. He’s helped create key moments for some of the biggest names, including Taylor Swift and Casting Crowns. Tom’s a Christian and I’m a huge fan, using his training in what I do.

As worship leaders, what we do is ministry, but there’s also a reason that we connect with certain entertainers and even preachers. It all comes down to what they are doing on stage and how our brain processes and responds. If you have a worship team, what about planning a retreat one weekend or a “band camp” where you plan a couple different evening meetings and go through this DVD training as a team. The payoff will be huge both in uniting your team, but also making YOU more effective each week as you lead worship.

I heard the statement a number of years ago: “The anointing doesn’t make up for a lack of preparation”. Yikes….why are there so many ministries, leaders, pastors and even children’s ministries flying by the seat of their pants? I mean, don’t they know that learning a new song in the car on the way to church on Sunday morning is not going to be very effective? I’ve seen the number of children’s ministry resources that are bought on Saturday and even Sunday mornings.

Why do some people feel that if they plan ahead and actually schedule things, that if they have all the necessary props and resources– that they aren’t being led by the Spirit for what their group needs that day? Honestly, I think that’s foolish. Planning at the last second and then trying to cover it in a prayer, hoping that it will plug all the holes In our sinking boat is just so backwards with the way I believe God would want us to lead and minister.

I’ve walked on stage knowing I didn’t know a song well enough. It’s flat out scary and way too nerve wrecking… and usually ends in an on stage train wreck. I’m way more effective at what I do when it’s planned– and I’ve had time to study, rehearse, and plan what I’m going to say. I like to say, “There’s freedom in preparation”. A couple years ago, I was at a conference and a girl came up to me and said, “If you could only tell me one thing about leading worship what would it be?” I thought for a few seconds and responded with, “Be prepared”.

Share some of your favorite ways to make sure you’re prepared or some funny stories of what happened when you weren’t.

Yesterday I gave two suggestions for things you should examine in your ministry if you’re having trouble getting young boys to participate in worship. Here are a couple more suggestions for this tough-to-engage crowd.

3. Make sure your leaders look like they like to worship.
If the people on stage aren’t excited, how can you expect the people in the audience to get excited? Make sure your worship team is full of energy, smiles, and authentic having-a-great-time-praising-God sort of charisma! This needs to be evident with all the other leaders in the room, too. Even those volunteers in the back, the aisles, and anywhere else you staff your rooms need to be encouraged to set the example and participate.

4. Teach why and how.
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word.” There is an element of worship that is completely natural because it’s part of how God created us. However, some of us need more help than others. Make sure little by little, week by week, you’re teaching your students why we worship and how to worship. I see in my travels that often, a lack of participation is due to a lack of understanding. How can we expect them to act a certain way – filled with singing, clapping, hands lifted high – if we’ve never taught or shown them that’s worship? Explain what worship is and, little by little, even the boys will get it and apply it to their lives, as evidenced by their actions.

I hope one (or all four) of these sparked something new for you. Go back to the drawing board. Make changes and improvements to make your ministry better and more relevant to the boys and the girls. I believe nothing brings a smile across God’s face like His creation – old and young – honoring Him by our worship.

One of the most frequently asked questions to me is, “How do I get the boys to participate in worship?” It seems it’s an area that way too many churches struggle with.

Last month I was leading worship at a church in St. Louis. I looked up and saw a nice young man, probably about ten or eleven years old, singing along with ALL of his heart. You could see the passion in his face and the joy in his smile. My heart did a happy dance seeing him participate in this special time of worshipping the Creator of the universe that day. I was once again reminded that boys can sing, and they will sing.

So for those of you needing some help motivating this particular group, here are a few areas to inspect and possibly reevaluate:

1. What does your music sound like?
Rock music has been around for the past six decades, and boys love to rock. No matter the area of the country. No matter how straight-laced their parents are, boys like rock-n-roll. If your music is too chintzy, they will roll their eyes, cross their arms, decide they don’t like it, and therefore not participate. Ta da! Make sure you’re using music that will appeal to them by the way it sounds!

2. Who do you have on stage leading worship?
I’m not saying this from some sort of popularity contest ego trip. I’m saying this because boys need great role models. If who you have on stage is not someone they would aspire to be like, it’s much harder to get them involved. Having young people involved, like high school and college students, is huge. It provides great role models for your older elementary students and is especially motivating to the boys. Give them positive peer pressure by having people on stage (both guys and girls) that are cool and passionate for Christ. That coolness and the passion will rub off and turn into participation.

More on this topic tomorrow!