I’m Kayla. I run livestream stuff at a small church in Ohio. Think 150 folks on a normal Sunday, a little bigger at Christmas and Easter. We sing modern songs. We post to YouTube and Facebook. And yes, I’ve had streams muted, blocked, and hit with claims. Fun times, right?
So a year ago, I added the CCLI Streaming Plus License (I also wrote up this deeper dive on the CCLI Streaming Plus License if you’re curious). I’ve lived with it week after week. I’ll tell you what worked, what didn’t, and the weird bits no one tells you.
What It Is (In Plain Talk)
- The basic CCLI Streaming License lets you stream worship songs and lyrics from the CCLI catalog.
- The Streaming Plus part goes further. It covers sound recordings and tracks (like stems and accompaniment tracks) from major Christian labels.
- It does not cover random pop songs. And no, you can’t play your Spotify playlist before church and be fine. I learned that the hard way during Advent.
That’s the gist. Simple, but also not simple.
How I Set It Up
I bought the license based on our size. You pick a tier by attendance. Prices scale with that. We’re mid-tier. Not cheap, not wild.
They gave us a license number. I put a small slide in ProPresenter that says “CCLI Streaming License + Streaming Plus #XXXXXX.” I show it during the countdown and once at the end. In OBS, I saved that slide as a quick overlay. Easy.
I also keep a simple Google Sheet with the songs we use each Sunday: title, writer, CCLI number. When CCLI asks for reporting, I’m ready. Took five minutes a week, tops.
Real Sundays, Real Songs
- We did “Graves Into Gardens” (Elevation Worship) with a Loop Community multitrack. Drums hit. Bass sat nice. It felt full even with a small band.
- “Goodness of God” needed a pad under the prayer. We used a gentle stem. It covered the dead air while folks moved around. No one tripped over silence. Small thing. Big vibe.
- On a youth Sunday, our students led “Way Maker.” We used a simple click and cues in their in-ears. The Streaming Plus coverage let me keep the stems in the stream without worrying.
We keep archives on YouTube. As long as the license is active, that’s allowed. If the license ends, you’re asked to take them down. So I set a reminder to check renewal dates. I don’t trust my memory during VBS season.
Claims: The Messy Middle
Here’s the thing. Even with Streaming Plus, YouTube’s system still flags stuff sometimes. It sees a master recording or a familiar stem and goes, “Mine!”
- One Sunday, “Graves Into Gardens” got a claim right after we ended the stream. I filed a dispute in YouTube Studio and posted our license number in the notes. The claim cleared the next day. The video stayed up. No audio mute, just a short hold.
- Facebook is more touchy. We had “Way Maker” muted after 20 seconds once. I appealed with the license info. It came back the same day, but it scared our pastor for a minute. Now I expect this and warn him ahead of time.
- Vimeo? Quiet and boring. In a good way. If you geek out about online creators, here’s the best streamers I actually watch and why they stick—I steal a ton of production ideas from them.
Sometimes a flag makes you think about contingency plans—what if your usual platform or tool suddenly disappears? It’s like when Backpage was seized and the entire classifieds world had to scramble. In that vein, one of the clearer rundowns I’ve read is this Backpage replacement site primer which walks through the safest and most active alternatives so you’re not left guessing where the community went.
On a totally different note—but still sticking with the theme of having a Plan B for niche needs—if anyone from our ministry crew ever finds themselves passing through Montana and looking to meet new people without the whole dating-app song and dance, the guide to casual sex in Bozeman breaks down which bars are hopping, which apps have real local traction, and smart safety tips so you’re not wasting time swiping in an empty pool.
Tip I learned: keep your bed tracks a little lower. When I run pads around -20 LUFS under talking, we get fewer flags. Not perfect, just better.
What It Covers (And What It Doesn’t)
What’s covered for live and archived streams:
- Songs in the CCLI catalog
- Master recordings and accompaniment tracks from most big Christian labels
- Multitracks/stems you legally bought (we use Loop Community and MultiTracks.com)
What’s not covered:
- Secular songs (don’t play Taylor Swift during meet-and-greet, please)
- Movie clips (that’s a whole other license)
- Background playlists from Apple Music or Spotify
- Weird, rare songs not in the CCLI system
If you ever need a blanket license for broader secular catalogs—say, you’re running an online radio stream—StreamLicensing is another straightforward option worth checking out.
You know what? If you’re not sure, I now do a quick check on Friday. If I can’t confirm coverage, I switch the song. No drama on Sunday.
Cost Talk (Without Making Your Eyes Glaze)
It’s priced by weekly attendance. Small churches pay less. Big churches pay more. We sit in the middle, and it felt fair for what we got. Just note: this is separate from your normal CCLI Church Copyright License and SongSelect. Different tools, different bills.
Is it worth it? For us, yes. We lean on tracks and like a full online mix. The Plus coverage paid for itself in fewer panicked Sundays.
The Good, The Bad, The Shrug
What I love:
- We can stream stems and not fear a takedown every time.
- Major songs from Hillsong, Elevation, Bethel, Passion—covered. That’s our set list, most weeks.
- Archiving is allowed while you’re licensed. Our homebound folks watch on Mondays. They love it.
What bugs me:
- Content ID still throws flags. You still have to appeal sometimes.
- Facebook mutes first, asks questions later.
- Pre-service music is tricky. I now use royalty-free instrumentals. Problem solved, but it took me a while to learn.
What surprised me:
- Students focus more with click and cues. The groove tightens. It feels like a record without feeling fake.
- Christmas Eve was smooth. “O Come All Ye Faithful” with a light pad? Cozy and clean.
My Little Workflow (If You’re Curious)
- Thursday: lock songs, confirm coverage, export lyrics from SongSelect into ProPresenter.
- Friday: test stream unlisted on YouTube with stems. Check for claims. Adjust levels.
- Sunday: show the license slide; run OBS; record a safety copy on a USB SSD.
- Post-service: if a claim pops, file with the license number right away.
It sounds fussy, but it’s not. Once you do it twice, it’s muscle memory—like tuning a guitar. That said, I’ve spent my share of late nights bingeing League of Legends streamers to pick up production tricks, so maybe take my “simple” with a grain of salt.
Final Take
If your church streams and uses tracks, the CCLI Streaming Plus License is kind of the move. It doesn’t make YouTube perfect. Nothing does. But it makes your music legal, your team calmer, and your stream sound like you meant it.
Would I keep it? Yep. I renewed last month. My seniors can hear the choir. My students can stay on beat. And my pastor stopped asking, “Are we gonna get blocked again?”
That’s a win in my book.