Christian Copyright Licensing International

What Christian Copyright Licensing International does

Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), operating as CCLI, Inc., is a US-domiciled copyright licensing intermediary founded in 1988 and now a subsidiary of SESAC Music Group. The company enables churches, schools, and religious organizations to legally use copyrighted worship music by aggregating rights from more than 7,000 publishers globally and offering blanket licenses covering a repertoire of 600,000 worship songs and hymns. CCLI serves 230,000+ churches, schools, and organizations across multiple jurisdictions.

CCLI's product portfolio centers on three recurring license products: the Church Copyright Licence (projection and printing of lyrics, arrangements, and translations), CCLI Streaming Licences (live-streaming and uploading service recordings), and the CCLI Music Reproduction Licence (photocopying, scanning, and file-sharing of sheet music and songbooks). These are complemented by digital tools including SongSelect (a transposable chord chart, sheet music, and lyrics platform integrated with worship presentation applications), Rehearse (a 2024-launched worship band practice tool), Auto-Reporting (automated copyright usage reporting through worship software integrations), and the CCLI Top 100 (a song discovery ranking). Distribution occurs primarily through self-serve online channels, regional web properties (e.g., ccli.com/asia/en), a content hub called WorshipFuel, and a family brand ecosystem comprising Loop Community, Sunday Sounds, and WorshipTools that collectively serve the CCLI parent family.

CCLI operates a subscription-based, recurring revenue model with annual billing and church-size-tiered pricing (specific prices not publicly disclosed). The go-to-market is product-led and self-serve: churches discover, license, and manage accounts through the CCLI website, with inside sales for renewals and larger accounts. Auto-renewal is implied. Customer segments are primarily local churches of all sizes, with secondary segments in schools and religious organizations operating across multiple campuses. There are no publicly disclosed revenue figures, headcount growth metrics, funding rounds, or M&A transactions beyond the SESAC Music Group ownership relationship and the family brand consolidations.

Name

Christian Copyright Licensing International

Legal name

CCLI, Inc.

Website

https://asia.ccli.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CCLI licenses Christian worship music copyrights on behalf of 7,000+ publishers to 230,000+ churches, schools, and organizations globally through subscription-based blanket licenses and digital tools including SongSelect, Rehearse, and Auto-Reporting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Licensing

NAICS

Music Publishers (51223), Music Publishers (512230)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Performance/Neighboring Rights for AV Uses (Cue Sheet & Reporting Services) (MPAIALAK), Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL), Music & Synchronization Rights for Film/TV (MPADALAC)

Keywords

• Copyright licensing
• Worship music licensing
• Church music rights
• Song resource library
• Music reporting solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Church Copyright License: Annual licensing fees for churches to legally project/print lyrics, make arrangements and translations. Pricing based on church size and congregation metrics. Auto-renewal model implied by 'Order / Renew' call-to-action.
2. CCLI Streaming Licenses: Subscription licensing for churches to live-stream or upload worship service recordings including copyrighted music to websites and social media.
3. CCLI Music Reproduction License: License fees for photocopying, scanning, and file-sharing sheet music and songbook content within church operations.
4. SongSelect Premium Access: SongSelect platform providing chords, sheet music, and lyrics. While described as a product, the comprehensive access model implies a subscription component.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CCLI licenses copyrighted worship music on behalf of 7,000+ publishers to churches, schools, and organizations, providing legal compliance for projecting lyrics, live-streaming services, and reproducing sheet music. The company complements its licensing business with SongSelect, a digital library of chords, sheet music, and lyrics, and Rehearse, a worship band practice tool.

Product overview

Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) offers a unified platform of licensing solutions and digital tools for churches. The core product portfolio includes three primary licence types (Church Copyright Licence, CCLI Streaming Licences, and CCLI Music Reproduction Licence) that provide copyright peace of mind for worship services. These are complemented by digital products including SongSelect (a comprehensive song resource library with chords, sheet music, and lyrics), Rehearse (a worship band practice tool), Auto-Reporting (automated copyright reporting), and CCLI Top 100 (song discovery). CCLI also provides content resources through WorshipFuel and is part of a broader family of organizations including Loop Community, Sunday Sounds, and WorshipTools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SongSelect: The largest collection of chords, sheet music, and lyrics for worship teams. Provides transposable, customisable song resources accessible in presentation, planning, and worship applications.
• Rehearse

Products and services

• Church Copyright Licence An annual licence allowing churches to legally project or print worship lyrics and make arrangements and translations where no authorized version exists, covering five key worship service use cases.
• CCLI Streaming Licences A subscription licence that permits churches to live-stream or upload recordings of their services, including copyrighted worship music, to their website or social media platforms.
• CCLI Music Reproduction Licence A licence enabling churches to photocopy, scan, and file-share pages from songbooks, music publications, and sheet music files within their operations.
• SongSelect A digital library platform providing the largest collection of chords, sheet music, and lyrics for worship, with transposable and customizable content accessible within presentation, planning, and worship applications for worship and media teams.
• Rehearse A practice tool for worship bands that enables teams to easily practice at home and come to church prepared, addressing the challenge of limited practice time and fragmented learning resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• CCLI licenses cover 600,000 worship songs and hymns
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SESAC Music GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSESAC Music Group is identified as a company partner ('SESAC Music Group COMPANY'). SESAC is a performing rights organization (PRO) that represents songwriters and publishers. CCLI's licensing relationship with SESAC enables churches to legally use music from SESAC-represented catalogs.
• Loop CommunitycoreTechnology or IntegrationLoop Community provides accompaniment tracks and media solutions for churches. Part of the CCLI family of organizations. Their platform complements CCLI licensing by providing source recordings for worship teams.
• Sunday SoundscoreTechnology or IntegrationSunday Sounds offers media solutions for churches. Part of the CCLI family of organizations. Their products integrate with CCLI's licensing ecosystem for comprehensive church media needs.
• WorshipToolscoreTechnology or IntegrationWorshipTools provides planning and presentation tools for churches. Part of the CCLI family of organizations. Their tools integrate with CCLI licensing and SongSelect content for seamless worship preparation.
• 7,000+ PublisherscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCCLI represents more than 7,000 publishers globally, serving as the licensing intermediary between publishers and the 230,000+ churches using CCLI licenses. This publisher network is the foundation of CCLI's content library.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Audiam: Digital music rights administration and royalty collection service focused on mechanical, performance, and sync royalties for independent publishers and songwriters. Comparable in technology-driven rights administration, though focused on a different customer (publishers) than CCLI's church base.

Broad incumbents

• BMI: US performing rights organization administering public performance rights for more than a million songwriters and publishers. Comparable to CCLI as a rights-administration intermediary, but at much greater scale and across all music genres.
• ASCAP: US performing rights organization collecting and distributing public performance royalties. Comparable as a music rights administrator sitting between publishers/songwriters and music users, though operating in a broader (non-worship-specific) market.
• PRS for Music: UK-based performing rights organization collecting and distributing royalties on behalf of songwriters, composers, and publishers. Comparable as a rights-administration counterpart and potential international expansion analog for CCLI's cross-border licensing.
• Harry Fox Agency: Long-standing US music rights administrator specializing in mechanical licensing and royalty distribution for publishers. Comparable as a music rights administration intermediary with similar royalty-processing infrastructure and publisher relationships.
• SESAC Music Group: Parent organization and a US performing rights organization representing songwriters and publishers. Comparable as a rights-administration intermediary between publishers and music users, and directly relevant as the strategic owner shaping CCLI's roadmap.

Others

• WorshipTools: Planning and presentation software for churches, and part of the CCLI/SESAC family of organizations. Comparable as a church-facing workflow tool that integrates with CCLI's licensing and SongSelect, illustrating cross-sell within the family ecosystem.
• Loop Community: Provider of accompaniment tracks and worship media resources for churches, also part of the CCLI/SESAC family. Comparable as a worship-tech brand leveraging CCLI's distribution and family-brand ecosystem to reach the same church customer base.

Direct peers

• Songtrust: Music publishing administration platform that registers, collects, and processes royalties for songwriters and publishers worldwide. Comparable to CCLI in administering publishing rights and royalty flows, though Songtrust serves songwriters/publishers rather than churches.
• One License: Direct competitor in worship music copyright licensing, offering annual blanket licenses to churches for projection, streaming, and reproduction of sacred music. Competes head-to-head with CCLI's Church Copyright Licence and Streaming Licences for the same church customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ccli

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Christian Copyright Licensing International