Content Licensing

1. Our Mission

WorshipTruth exists to help the church worship in spirit and truth. We believe doctrinally sound worship music should be freely accessible, which is why we prioritize public domain hymns, Creative Commons licensed works, and original compositions that creators choose to share.

2. What We Host

Public Domain Hymns

The majority of our song database consists of hymns whose copyright has expired. In the United States, works published before 1929 are in the public domain. Many beloved hymns — "Amazing Grace," "Be Thou My Vision," "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" — fall into this category. We host full lyrics, chord charts, sheet music, and MIDI files for these works.

Creative Commons Works

We accept and host content under the following Creative Commons licenses:

• CC BY (Attribution): Free to share and adapt with credit to the creator
• CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike): Same as CC BY, but derivatives must use the same license
• CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial): Free for non-commercial use with credit
• CC0 (Public Domain Dedication): Creator waives all rights

Each piece of content on WorshipTruth displays its license clearly. Users uploading Creative Commons content must verify they have the right to apply the stated license.

Original Works

Songwriters, arrangers, and musicians may upload their own original works to WorshipTruth. By uploading, creators choose a license for their work and retain their copyright. See our Upload Terms for details.

3. What We Do NOT Host

For copyrighted songs, we provide links to official sources where the content can be legally accessed or purchased (CCLI SongSelect, official YouTube channels, artist websites).

4. Fair Use: Song Audits

Our Song Audit section provides theological analysis and commentary on popular worship songs, including some copyrighted ones. This analysis may include:

• Brief quotations of individual lines or phrases for the purpose of criticism
• Theological commentary explaining what the lyrics teach and how they compare to Scripture
• Links to official sources for the full song

We believe this constitutes fair use under 17 U.S.C. § 107, as our use is:

1. Transformative: We add substantial theological analysis and commentary
2. Nonprofit educational: Our purpose is theological education, not entertainment
3. Limited in scope: We quote only brief excerpts necessary for analysis
4. Non-substitutive: Our audits do not replace the original songs or reduce their market value

If you are a copyright holder and have concerns about our fair use analysis, please contact us at dmca@worshiptruth.quest or see our DMCA Policy.

5. Attribution Requirements

All content on WorshipTruth includes proper attribution:

• Song author(s) and composer(s) are displayed on every song page
• Arrangers and contributors are credited on their specific contributions
• License type is displayed on each piece of content
• Source information is provided where applicable

If you find content that is incorrectly attributed or missing attribution, please contact us and we will correct it promptly.

6. User Uploads

Users who upload content to WorshipTruth must:

• Affirm they have the right to share the content under their chosen license
• Select an appropriate license (public domain, Creative Commons, or original work)
• Accept our Upload Terms
• Accept responsibility for any copyright issues arising from their uploads

All user uploads enter a review queue and must be approved by a moderator before appearing publicly on the site.

7. Requesting Content Removal

If you are a copyright holder and believe content on WorshipTruth infringes your rights:

1. File a DMCA takedown notice per our DMCA Policy
2. Or contact us directly at dmca@worshiptruth.quest

We take copyright seriously and will respond to all valid notices within 48 hours.

8. Contact

For questions about content licensing on WorshipTruth:

• Email: legal@worshiptruth.quest
• Website: worshiptruth.quest