Elizabeth’s Mostly Complete Guide to All Things Digital
FIRST THINGS FIRST! All composers appreciate full attribution of their music.
Here’s a sample attribution that covers all the bases:
“TITLE OF SONG”
Words by “AUTHOR”
Music by “COMPOSER”
Arranged by “ARRANGER”
© “YEAR” by Elizabeth Alexander
“SPECIFIC USE” (e.g. Streamed, Reprinted, Projected,etc.) by permission of Seafarer Press
OKAY! Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive in!
I. Streaming, podcasting and/or posting your own performances of my music, either in a streaming (non-interactive) or a posted video (interactive) fashion:
- Yes, go for it!
- You are responsible for getting permission for any images you may choose to use in your video.
- Remember to get express permission from your performers. If there are children in the video, you’ll want written permission from their parents/guardians.
- When you’re ready to stream or when you’ve uploaded your video, please send me a link!
- Your performance probably falls into one of the following categories:
- Churches, synagogues and other places of worship that have an annual “Streaming/Podcasting” license from One License, and wish to use one of my pieces in the context of worship. Seafarer Press is a publisher member of One License, and most of my titles that are used in worship are in their catalog. If you don’t see the piece you’d like to license, just let me know.
- Commercial organizations, large non-profit organizations, or sizeable live or digital events, conferences, or seminars should contact me to determine an appropriate fee. I typically request a “most-favored-nation” (MFN) clause, which simply denotes equal treatment of all parties, large or small. In the context of synchronization licenses, MFN means that no other composer or publisher involved in a particular project would receive a larger fee than I would. (This assumes that the other composer’s music is of a comparable size, duration, etc., so sometimes the licensee has to use some discretion with regard to MFN clauses.)
- Small to medium-sized non-profits (choirs, churches, colleges, etc.) that are not monetizing their video may “pay what they can” or “pay what they believe to be fair”. While my suggested range is $35-$150, if your budget is nonexistent right now it might be appropriate to pay nothing, and that’s perfectly okay. In determining your fee, you might consider factors such as the size of your organization’s budget compared to other non-profits, the estimated size of your audience, and what you typically pay musicians. There’s no expiration date on this license, so you may leave your video up on Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook or other media platform for as long as you wish.
- For events that involve admission fees or fundraising, drop me a line.
PAYMENT PROCESS: In order to pay with a credit card you will need to have a PayPal account, but you do NOT have to pay using PayPal. If you prefer I can easily generate an invoice for you and you can pay by check.
- Go to www.paypal.me/seafarerpress.
- Log in or created an account.
- Enter the amount you wish to pay.
- In the “Add a Note” field enter your NAME, ORGANIZATION, PERFORMERS, CONTACT INFO (including phone number and address), TITLE and VOICING/INSTRUMENTATION, and (if known) the EXPECTED DATE OF STREAMING OR POSTING.
- Choose or add a payment method. Although PayPal will encourage you to pay using PayPal, you can easily change the payment method by selecting “Change.”
- I’ll send you a receipt for your records when I process your payment. That might take a few days, so if you’d like confirmation that I received your payment and you’re a-okay to move forward on your project, just drop me a line.
II. Using performance videos and lyric videos that I have created, either in a streaming (non-interactive) or an on-demand (interactive) format.
- I license and/or receive formal permission for noncommercial use of all artwork and performances in my lyric videos.
- The music videos on my Music Video Page may be used free of charge for religious, educational and noncommercial use. This includes streaming, podcasting and/or embedding on websites. If the video you’re interested in is not on that page I may have unintentionally omitted it, or there may be some stipulation on its use. Please submit a Music Video Use Form and explain what you’d like to do, and I’ll be in touch with you.
- I ask that anyone who uses my videos lets me know who they are and how my videos are being used. This process is quick and easy using my Music Video Use Permission Form.
- If you’re interested in using a video that is not on my Music Video Webpage, or if you would like to use a video in a commercial setting or new original work of art, go ahead and fill out the Music Video Use Permission Form anyway. Explain how you’d like to use the video and I’ll get in touch with you.
- If you or your organization are able to make a donation to help me continue to make new videos freely available, I would greatly appreciate it. Many of the images and performances cost money to license, even if I designate the videos as noncommercial. If you’re not sure what an appropriate amount would be, you might consider factors such as the size of your organization’s budget compared to other non-profits, the estimated size of your audience, and what you typically pay live musicians. You may make a donation here or at the end of my Music Video Use Permission Form.
- For more videos of my music (including some I don’t control the complete rights to), visit my YouTube Channel
- One resource you may find valuable is the Unitarian Universalist Association’s WorshipWeb Music Guidelines, which address best practices for the use of copyrighted videos.
Make sure to check with me before doing any of the following, as they may require additional licensing:
- Using the video at an event where admission is charged or in connection with fundraising activities.
- Using a portion or all of a video within an entirely new work (like using it as part of your own video).
- Using the video for commercial organizations, large non-profit organizations, or sizeable live or digital events, conferences, or seminars.
III. Printing, projecting or streaming/podcasting my songs’ lyrics in a concert program, order of service or bulletin
- If you’d like to include lyrics written by me, as part of a book, publication or commercial endeavor: Please contact me.
- Common domain lyrics: Print away!
- Copyrighted lyrics
- Lyrics written by me: You are free to reproduce my lyrics without a fee, but please drop me a line to let me know you’re doing that.
- Lyrics written by someone other than me: You’ll want to request permission directly from the copyright holder. I’ll be glad to provide you with their contact information.
- If you are using the lyrics in the context of worship and you already have an annual “Reprint” license from One License, your license will cover this use of most Seafarer Press lyrics. You can also buy single use licenses from One License.
IV. Making practice tracks for musicians
- Practice tracks for many of my songs are available at Choral Tracks LLC! www.choraltracks.com
- For pieces not in the Choral Tracks library, contact me
V. Reproducing the music for audience/congregational singing
- If you’ve purchased choral scores to a song that has a special part for the audience or congregation that’s printed right in the choral score, you’re free to print or project that part.
- If you’d like to reproduce music that is not specially geared toward audience/congregational singing, contact me.
VI. Inviting me to attend a virtual rehearsal or question-answer session via Zoom or Skype
- I love virtual choir rehearsals. I get to travel all over the world while staying home!
- I never say “no” to any requests for rehearsals, even if the musicians can’t afford to pay a fee. (However can I afford to make this offer? Read on!)
- First, contact me directly so we can set up a date and time. Depending on your needs, a typical virtual coaching and/or question-answer session runs typically 30-60 minutes.
- Then, I ask that musicians who CAN afford it consider paying an honorarium of $75-$100. Because so many musicians are able and willing to be generous, I am able to keep being generous myself!
PAYMENT PROCESS: In order to pay with a credit card you will need to have a PayPal account but you do NOT have to pay using PayPal. If you prefer I can easily generate an invoice for you and you can pay by check.
- Go to www.paypal.me/seafarerpress
- Log in or created an account
- Enter the amount you wish to pay
- In the “Add a Note” field enter your NAME, ORGANIZATION, and DATE OF OUR MEETING
- Choose or add a payment method. Although PayPal will encourage you to pay using PayPal, you can easily change the payment method by selecting “Change”
- I’ll send you a receipt for your records when I process your payment. That might take a few days, so if you’d like confirmation that I received your payment and you’re a-okay to move forward on your project, just drop me a line
How to Send Money
In order to pay with a credit card you will need to have a PayPal account, but you do not have to pay using the PayPal method.
If you prefer I can easily generate an invoice for you and you can pay by check.
- Go to www.paypal.me/seafarerpress.
- Log in or created an account.
- Enter the amount you wish to pay.
- In the “Add a Note” field enter your NAME, ORGANIZATION, PERFORMERS, CONTACT INFO (including phone number and address), TITLE and VOICING/INSTRUMENTATION, and (if known) the EXPECTED DATE OF STREAMING OR POSTING.
- Choose or add a payment method. Although PayPal will encourage you to pay using PayPal, you can easily change the payment method by selecting “Change.”
- I’ll send you a receipt for your records when I process your payment. That might take a few days, so if you’d like confirmation that I received your payment and you’re a-okay to move forward on your project, just drop me a line.