Music Release & Royalty Policy

Public Worship is not a record label. We are a nonprofit building a worship catalog under a shared name, holding two things together at once:

1. Creative honor. Real credit, real ownership, real compensation for what people actually contribute.
2. Faithful stewardship. Enough control over official releases to keep songs available, protect the ministry, and fund the next one.

The volunteer foundation matters for understanding the rest of this document. Public Worship pays for studio time, mixing, mastering, distribution, and rollout costs. Public Worship absorbs the songs that don't take off. When a song does take off, Public Worship's share is what makes the next ten possible. The math has to work for the catalog to keep growing.

An Official Public Worship Release is a song or recording intentionally released under the Public Worship artist name, brand, or platform. This may include:

• Songs written during Public Worship writing sessions
• Songs developed through Public Worship retreats or camps
• Songs recorded for the Public Worship artist profile
• Live recordings from Public Worship gatherings
• Songs released as Public Worship feat. [Artist] or Public Worship & [Artist]
• Songs commissioned or intentionally developed for a Public Worship project

A song is not automatically an Official Public Worship Release just because someone from the team helped write, produce, or play on it. The song must be clearly designated as official and agreed to in writing. If a song was started in our space but everyone involved agrees it's not a Public Worship release, it's not.

Public Worship sessions, retreats, and writing camps generate far more songs than will ever be released. This is normal and healthy. Not every idea is meant to leave the room. We choose songs for release intentionally and selectively.

Greenlit for release. A song becomes an Official Public Worship Release only when Public Worship explicitly greenlights it for a specific project, cycle, or release plan. Greenlight is a written designation — not implied by enthusiasm in the room or by a song being well-received in a session.

The compensation framework only applies to greenlit songs. The cash fee, master income participation, and donation paths described in §11 apply only to songs Public Worship has greenlit for release. Songs that are written, demoed, or workshopped in Public Worship sessions but not greenlit do not generate compensation under that framework.

Selection is stewardship, not judgment. Releasing a song costs Public Worship real money — studio, mixing, mastering, distribution, marketing, time. Each release is an investment of nonprofit resources in a particular song. We will not be able to greenlight every song, and a song not being chosen is not a judgment of the people involved. It is a stewardship call about what fits the project, the cycle, and the catalog.

Demo recordings belong to Public Worship. Any recording made with Public Worship resources — studio time, equipment, engineering, session leadership — is owned by Public Worship as a recording, including unreleased demos. That is true regardless of whether the song is ever greenlit.

Songs that aren't greenlit can be released back to the writers on request. If a song was written in a Public Worship context and Public Worship has not greenlit it for release, any writer on that song may request a formal release of the composition back to them, free of any Public Worship publishing or administrative claim.

In most cases, that request will be granted. Public Worship reserves the right to decline if the song is being actively considered for a future project or cycle. If we decline, we will say so clearly, name what we are considering it for, and let the writer know when we will revisit.

When Public Worship grants a song release back to the writers, the writers are free to re-record and release the song as their own work, with no Public Worship involvement — no publishing share, no master claim, no encumbrance. The original demo recording remains owned by Public Worship, but Public Worship will not commercially release that demo without the writers' written agreement.

Music rights get tangled, so we keep them in clear lanes.

• Songwriting / composition — the song itself: lyrics, melody, chord structure, core composition. Public Worship honors writing contributions through the writer share, allocated by split sheet.
• Publishing — the administrative and stewardship side of the song. Public Worship Publishing holds and administers the publisher share for official releases.
• Master recording — the actual recording people stream. One song can have multiple masters (studio, live, acoustic, remix). Public Worship owns the official master.

Public Worship takes 0% of the writer share. The full writer share is allocated to those who contributed to the writing of the song, per the agreed split sheet.

If you contributed to lyrics, melody, or composition, you are on the split. If you only performed, produced, mixed, engineered, or played, that is a real and honored contribution but doesn't enter the writer share.

Public Worship's role as commissioner and steward of the release is reflected in the publisher share and in master ownership, not by taking a piece of writer credit. We honor writing by leaving it whole.

Songs aren't always tidy. They start as a voice memo, a prayer moment, a chord progression someone carried for months, a chorus that emerged in a room of people building together. We don't pretend we can always know the splits at the first session.

Our process:

1. Create and develop the song
2. Track contributors honestly as the song forms
3. Discuss splits once the song is substantially formed
4. Complete a split sheet
5. Complete a release agreement
6. Release only after the agreement is signed

No Public Worship song is released until the necessary contributors have agreed in writing to splits and release terms. This protects the song, the ministry, and the relationships around it.

For Official Public Worship Releases:

• Writers keep 100% of writer share.
• Public Worship Publishing retains 50% of the publisher share.
• The remaining 50% of the publisher share is split among writers according to their writer splits.

Public Worship's 50% of the publisher share reflects the ministry's role as the originator and steward of the official release: commissioning the song, providing the room and the platform, paying for production, registering and administering the song with CCLI and PROs, and stewarding the catalog over time. It is held by Public Worship Publishing as part of the release, not as a service fee.

Public Worship owns and controls the official master recordings released under the Public Worship name unless otherwise agreed in writing.

We want to be honest about why, because this is the part of the policy that most resembles a label deal. It isn't, but the reasons matter:

• Catalog continuity. Worship songs need to remain available for decades, regardless of how individual relationships evolve. Team members move, sign elsewhere, change paths, sometimes step away from faith. A catalog scattered across former volunteers' personal accounts is unworkable. Owning the master means a song keeps serving its purpose even when the people around it change.
• Clean rights for future opportunities. Distribution, sync, and licensing deals require unambiguous ownership. Splitting masters across many parties makes those opportunities slow or impossible.
• Mission protection. We can decline uses that contradict the ministry's purpose.
• Reinvestment. Master income funds the next session. Our nonprofit form makes this enforceable — there are no shareholders.

We are not buying anyone's career. Public Worship is the principal behind official releases — the songs are made under our name, on our platform, with our resources, in service of our mission. Master ownership reflects that, and it ensures the songs remain available for the worshipers, gatherings, and ministry contexts that Public Worship serves, regardless of how individual relationships evolve.

Term

Master ownership is held by Global Echo Charitable Co. for as long as the catalog is being actively stewarded by Public Worship. There is no fixed term. Public Worship paid for the recording, organized the production, and released the song under its name; the master is the org's product. The promises below define what that ownership commits us to.

Statutory composition termination acknowledged

Nothing in this policy waives a writer's statutory right under 17 U.S.C. §§ 203 and 304(c) to terminate transfers of the composition. This is a non-waivable right under US copyright law and applies regardless of any term in this policy. It applies to the song, not to the master recording.

Reversion on dissolution

If Global Echo Charitable Co. is dissolved, wound down, or permanently ceases operating Public Worship as an active program, master ownership of official releases is transferred as follows:

1. First option: aligned 501(c)(3) successor. Global Echo's board may transfer the master catalog (or any portion of it) to another 501(c)(3) whose mission aligns with Christian worship and the values expressed in this policy, so the catalog continues to serve its original purpose.
2. Default: pro-rata reversion. For any release not transferred under (1), master ownership reverts to the master income participation holders for that release, in the same proportions as their participation. For releases with no participation holders (where all contributors took cash, donation, or decline paths), the master is distributed to an aligned successor 501(c)(3) under (1).

Each Master Release Agreement memorializes this reversion right so it survives dissolution as a pre-existing contractual obligation.

Out-of-print reversion

If Public Worship pulls a release from active distribution and does not restore it within 18 months, master ownership of that release reverts to the named primary artist (or, in absence of a named primary artist, pro-rata to master income participation holders), free of charge. Temporary pauses for remasters, re-releases, distributor changes, or other operational reasons do not trigger this clause provided distribution resumes within the 18-month window.

Change of control

Master recordings will not be sold, assigned, or transferred to a for-profit entity without the affirmative written consent of the named primary artist (or, in absence of one, the holders of a majority of master income participation points for that release — measured by points held, not by headcount). Transfers between aligned 501(c)(3) entities — for example, gifting the catalog to another worship-focused 501(c)(3) — are permitted without consent, but named primary artists and master income participation holders will be notified in writing at least 60 days before any such transfer.

Owning the master is different from being the only one who shares in the income.

• Master ownership = control of the recording (distribution, licensing, takedowns, sync approval).
• Master income participation = a contractual right to a percentage of net master income, without ownership.

For Official Public Worship Releases, the default is that Public Worship owns 100% of the master and grants master income participation to primary artists and key contributors based on their role and contribution.

A note on terminology. Master participation is expressed in points. One point equals one percent (1%) of net master income for that release. "5 points" and "5%" mean the same thing. We use both interchangeably — "points" in negotiation and prose (matching industry convention), "%" in numeric tables and contract language.

Participation cap. Public Worship may allocate up to 50 points of net master income among approved primary artists and key contributors. Public Worship retains at least 50 points for mission reinvestment as a default. If proposed allocations across all contributors would exceed the 50-point cap, see the reconciliation procedure in §11.

Primary Artist baseline. Where a release has a named Primary Artist, that artist receives a baseline 15 points (15% of net master income) per release under the Primary Artist Agreement. This is automatic for Primary Artist relationships and reflects the value of carrying the named-artist identity, performance, and ongoing brand relationship.

Why 15 and not 50. The 15-point baseline is intentional. We expect most Public Worship releases to have more than one Primary Artist — two or more co-leading the song. A 50-point baseline for a single Primary Artist would create a zero-sum dynamic where artists hoard songs and treat them as solo property. We'd rather build a catalog where collaboration is the norm and multiple artists meaningfully share in a song's income. We are not artists trying to keep everything; we are artists who need other artists in order to grow.

Additional roles a Primary Artist takes on the same release — writing, producing, vocal producing, playing — are compensated separately under the rate sheet (see §11). A Primary Artist who also produces, for example, receives the 15% baseline plus the producer equity, cash, or donation path for that role. All allocations together remain within the 50% contributor cap.

Here is what the agreed splits for an Official Public Worship Release might look like once everything has been negotiated and documented. The numbers below are illustrative — actual percentages will vary by song.

In practice, what is shown below as a single document is typically captured across several agreements signed at the same time: a split sheet, a master release agreement, a master participation agreement, and primary artist or contributor agreements as applicable. See §23 for the full list.

Public Worship believes contributors should know exactly what their contribution is worth and exactly what they will receive for it — before the song is made.

For every contributor role on an Official Public Worship Release, Public Worship publishes a rate sheet defining (1) the cash fee for that role at market rate, and (2) the equivalent master income participation that may be taken in lieu of the cash fee. Both are predefined, not negotiated per release. See the rate sheet below.

Before recording, every contributor chooses one of the following paths, recorded in writing as part of the release agreement:

All four paths are equally valued. Choosing cash does not make a contributor less invested in the mission. Choosing participation is not greedy — it is a contributor accepting the risk that the song may not perform. Choosing donation is not "the pure" option — it is one of four honorable answers. Declining is honored too.

We do not track which contributors chose which path as a measure of commitment, and we will not imply that contributors who choose donation or equity are more spiritual, more committed, or more deserving of future opportunities than contributors who need cash.

The total master points across all contributors on a release are capped at 50 points (50% of net master income). If contributors' chosen paths would exceed that cap, Public Worship resolves the constraint before the agreement is signed — never after — using the following order of operations:

1. Surface the math early, in front of everyone. As soon as proposed allocations approach or exceed the cap, all contributors see the full picture and the gap. Reconciliation never happens in private with one person.
2. Re-offer the four paths. Contributors who would have taken equity may opt for cash, a partial cash + partial equity split, donation, or declining once they see the constraint. The four paths exist for exactly this reason — the same contribution can be expressed in different forms.
3. Pro-rata reduction of non-baseline points. If the cap is still exceeded after re-offering paths, all non-baseline point allocations are reduced proportionally so the total fits under 50 points. The 15-point Primary Artist baseline (see §10) is preserved as a guarantee. Contributors whose points are reduced may also revisit their path choice.
4. Reshape or pause. If reconciliation still isn't reachable, the release does not go forward in its current form. We may reshape the team, postpone until the budget allows, or set the song aside (consistent with §13).

Exceptions. Public Worship may approve allocations beyond the 50-point cap in writing for unusual cases. This is rare, requires explicit sign-off, and is never implied by anyone's agreement.

These rates reflect Public Worship's current season — a New York City–based volunteer ministry releasing its first songs and building a catalog from zero.

They are anchored to independent-artist market rates: what working indie producers, engineers, and session players actually charge in 2025–2026. They are not major-label rates, and they are not a "ministry discount." We want every contributor's cash option to be a fair offer — not a number they feel pressured to refuse.

As the ministry grows and our catalog generates real income, this sheet will be revised upward on a published cadence. The people building this music should share in what they help create.

Effective: 2026. Next scheduled review: end of 2027. All rates are per song unless noted.

Note: rates are per song, not per session. A producer who works on three songs is paid for three songs.

Public Worship is a new initiative with no commercial track record and no recurring revenue from music yet. We can't always offer cash payment on every release.

What we can always offer: master income participation (equity in the song's future net income) and in-kind donation (potentially tax-deductible to the extent IRS rules allow — see §11 path 3 for what does and doesn't qualify). These are available on every release because they don't require cash on hand.

What we may or may not be able to offer: a cash fee. This depends on the specific budget for the specific release. Some releases will fully fund the rate sheet. Some will fund part. Some will fund none. We will tell you exactly what cash is available for your role before you decide which path to take — never after.

If too many contributors need cash that we cannot fund for a particular release, the release may not move forward in its current form. We may reshape the team, postpone until the budget is available, or set the song aside. We would rather pause a release than push a contributor toward an option that isn't right for them.

Release budget transparency. Before any contributor signs onto a release, Public Worship will share in writing: the total cash budget for the release; the cash budget allocated to each role; and whether the rate sheet's going rate is fully, partially, or not funded for each role. Contributors choose their path based on what's actually being offered, not on assumptions about what might be available.

Release-budget sponsorship

Outside individuals, churches, and supporters can fund a release's production or promotion budget through a release-budget sponsorship — a tax-deductible donation to Global Echo Charitable Co. earmarked for a specific release. Sponsors receive recognition (release credits, social mentions, "made possible by" framing where applicable) but do not receive master income participation, master ownership, or any equity-like interest in the release. Public Worship does not sell master participation for cash.

This is the standard arts-nonprofit funding pattern. Sponsors give because they believe in the song and the mission; the financial relationship ends at the gift, and stewardship of the master stays with Public Worship under §9. We will publish per-release sponsorship opportunities as releases are budgeted.

Master income participation is calculated on net master income — money actually received by Public Worship, after applicable third-party fees and the agreed recoupable costs for that specific release.

Standard deductions:

• Distributor and platform fees
• Collection and admin fees
• Refunds, chargebacks, taxes
• Approved third-party costs
• The agreed recoupable release costs for that song

Recoupment commitments. Only documented, agreed expenses count. We do not add costs retroactively. A song's recoupment is limited to its own costs; losses on one song are not applied against income from another. We provide annual statements showing gross income, deductions, and net for every release with active participation.

Public Worship is volunteer-run with no paid staff and no music income yet. The commitments below describe what we will do now, with the understanding that the formality of these will grow as the catalog and the operation grow.

What we promise now:

• Honest math. Splits, recoupment, and net master income are calculated using only the deductions agreed in writing for each release. We don't add costs retroactively, and we don't net losses on one song against income from another.
• A breakdown when there's something to report. When a release earns net master income, we send each participation holder a written breakdown of how their share was calculated.
• Open books on request. Any participation holder can ask us to show our work — distributor reports, invoices, recoupment documents — for their own releases. We share what we have.
• Ask anything. If a number on a statement doesn't make sense, write us. We'd rather walk through the math with you than have you wonder.

What we don't promise yet:

A formal audit-rights framework, a CPA-grade audit procedure, or fixed-window statement deadlines. Those are standards meaningful catalog operations carry, and we'll add them when the operation grows into needing them. If and when we put a formal framework in place, we will publish it in this section and notify active contributors before it takes effect.

The per-release Master Release Agreement spells out the specific deductions agreed for that release, the exact participation percentages, and the operational details we couldn't generalize across all releases. The promises in this section apply to every release; the per-release specifics live in the agreement.

Writer royalties — paid to songwriters for the composition. Public Worship takes 0%.

Publisher royalties — paid to the publisher. PW Publishing keeps 50%; writers split the other 50% per their writer splits.

Mechanical royalties — generated when the composition is reproduced or distributed. Tied to the song, not the recording.

Performance royalties — generated when the composition is publicly performed (radio, live, streaming, TV). Tied to writer and publisher rights.

Master royalties — generated by the recording itself: Spotify/Apple master-side income, YouTube, distributor revenue, sync master fees, neighboring rights. PW owns the master; approved contributors receive participation from net master income.

Sync licensing — when a song is used with visual media. Two permissions are needed: composition (writers/publishers control) and master (PW controls).

Ministry relationships change. To make sure that doesn't break trust:

• A Primary Artist who leaves keeps their existing master income participation on existing releases. Earned participation is earned. The catalog itself stays with Public Worship.
• Future releases after departure are negotiated separately. A Primary Artist relationship doesn't auto-renew; new participation requires new agreement.

If a former contributor wants to discuss a re-release or alternate version of a song they helped create, that's a conversation we're open to having relationally — but Public Worship's stewardship of the official catalog is not conditional on activity level or revisited on a clock.

Public Worship does not own anyone's career. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, artists remain free to:

• Release their own music
• Sign their own label or publishing deals
• Work with other ministries or artists
• Perform outside of Public Worship
• Build their own artist profile and catalog

For Official Public Worship Releases, Public Worship controls the official master released under the Public Worship name — not your other work, not your other songs, not your career.

Public Worship retains the right to use official releases for ministry purposes — gatherings, live events, social, video, training, archives, testimony, nonprofit campaigns.

We will not knowingly license official master recordings for uses materially inconsistent with our Christian mission (hateful content, sexually explicit content, political endorsements, brand uses that would harm the ministry or the artist), without further review and consent.

If a sync request feels close to the line, we'll consult the primary artist before approving it, even where we have unilateral rights to do so.

Public Worship songs are written for the church to sing. We want them used by other churches, worship leaders, and worship teams — broadly and freely.

Before our first release, we will register the catalog with CCLI, a performing rights organization (ASCAP or BMI), The MLC, and SoundExchange. That registration is what lets churches use our songs under their existing licenses without needing to ask us first.

Under a standard CCLI Church Copyright License, churches can:

• Project lyrics, print bulletins, reproduce chord charts and lead sheets
• Translate lyrics for their congregation
• Make custom arrangements for their team
• Stream services containing our songs (with a CCLI Streaming License)
• Record their own version of an eligible song under the CCLI Cover Recording License (CSPL)

We bless church covers. A worship team recording its own version of one of our songs — for its own album, EP, or worship night — is one of the most mission-aligned uses we can imagine. No additional permission from Public Worship is required beyond the standard CCLI cover license. The church keeps its own master recording. Mechanical royalties flow back to writers and Public Worship Publishing through standard channels.

Commercial covers by anyone — not just churches — are covered by the US compulsory mechanical license. No special permission from Public Worship is required; the statutory mechanical rate is paid through The MLC for streaming and through standard distributor channels for downloads and physical.

Sync uses (film, TV, advertising) require a separate license from Public Worship for the master and from Public Worship Publishing for the composition. See §20 for our review posture.

For a plain-language guide aimed at worship leaders and church bands, see /use-our-songs.

Right now, no one at Public Worship draws a salary. If that changes — if we eventually hire staff to sustain the ministry — we commit to:

• Naming it openly, not quietly
• Continuing to put the majority of master income back into the mission
• Reviewing this policy with active artists before material changes

We don't think becoming a salaried organization is wrong. But the moral logic of the 50/50 floor depends on knowing where the money goes, so we'll tell you when the answer changes.

No Official Public Worship Release goes live until the relevant agreements are signed. Depending on the song, that may include:

• Song split sheet
• Master release agreement
• Producer / featured artist / primary artist / contributor agreement
• Publishing or admin agreement
• Work-for-hire or volunteer service agreement where applicable
• Master income participation agreement where applicable
• Per-release budget and recoupment list

This protects everyone. No release with unclear ownership, unclear credits, or unresolved expectations.

Public Worship exists to worship Jesus publicly, disciple people through worship, and steward songs that help the church encounter God. We want our music process to reflect that mission — creative freedom in the room, clarity in the paperwork, generosity in the splits, transparency in the math.

Before any official release, we commit to having the necessary conversations, documenting the agreement, and making sure everyone understands how the song will be stewarded. If you ever feel something in this policy isn't being honored, tell us — we would rather rework an agreement than damage a relationship.