Most churches, at least all that I have been in recent years buy a license to reprint on paper or on overhead gels the music and words for all copyrighted music and printed materials. I suspect that some do cheat but in the mainstream that frowned upon and most keep their noses clean. There is a special church license but I can't recall what it is called..the initials are CLC...and I think there is another letter and it is required that it be included along with your unique number on all materials that are reproduced.

Horace

Our church kept a list of copyrighted songs and paid for any we used. They tried to be as honest as they could. I was on the Praise and worship team is the reason I knew about it. I played a mean trumpit and bass gittar, now I can't remember a note. Think it is called old age. MVB ES

I really believe in the earlier years that churches weren't aware of the legalities involved and some innocently did the copying.
However, I hope Horace is right because I have some gospel music that has been recorded and get paid sometimes for sheet music called 'piano forte'(I don't know what that means). None of my songs that I know of have made the church hymnals, but they have been printed in some books...

SIGH!

I just have to tell you almost EVERYTHING about music, don't I, PeeDud?

"Piano" is simply a "shortened" form of the original Eye-tallion word "pianoforte" --- the name of the big black thingy with the rows of white thingies on top? You know what I mean?

NO! NO! NO! I am NOT talking about Ray Charles, you dummy! The big, black thing that HE made music on.

(Don'tcha reckon they're really paying you for piano sheet music? Seriously?)

Maybe you mean Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney.

I was too busy writing songs to get involved with musical terms...