“It is my Soul Purpose to worship You, to lift You up in song” When God’s purpose is advanced, the enemy would love to distract us. God also puts us to the test to prove whether our chosen theme and purpose is really just words we sing and put on a page, or whether this is truly our hearts’ desire.
We are aware that there are a substantial number of songs we recorded, being copied and distributed without permission, in the form of CDs or other media. How do we respond to this in a way that is all about God’s purpose and not our own?
Maybe you have taken part in freely redistributing the songs we have recorded, and probably, with the greatest of intentions. First of all, we are greatly honored that God has blessed so many through the music He has blessed us with, and we have always prayed that God will use it to reach out and encourage many as we continue to serve Him. We are thrilled that there are those out there who not only enjoy the music but want to share this joy with friends, acquaintances, and strangers, so that they too can be blessed. Isn’t that how God’s work multiplies? But is there a moral question on how to do this?
Or maybe you are someone who has been gifted with a “free” CD or duplicated copy of our recorded music, and perhaps God is using it to encourage you and others. We do believe that God can and will use all circumstances, motives, and methods, to advance His purpose. We certainly do not want to take away from God’s blessing in your life.
What is our responsibility, what is your responsibility, when it comes to copyright? Our CD is copyrighted, meaning that it is unlawful to copy or distribute the songs on it without permission from the original writers and publishers. Our CD contains both songs we have written as well as songs that we have recorded from other artists. Copyrights exist to guard and further the investment of those who provide these songs, just like the title to a house gives the owner certain rights and privileges in the use of that home. Before we recorded and produced these CDs, we carefully applied for and paid the required license and royalty fees that granted us the permission to distribute a fixed quantity of CDs. Whenever we make more CDs, we again pay these licenses and fees to the copyright owners of the songs in order to gain permission to record and distribute these songs. It is our conviction that if we or anyone else go ahead and provide CDs without permission, we not only violate copyright law, but we take what is not ours. And if we give that to someone else, we are in essence, giving a gift that is not ours to give, just like selling a home that we do not have a title to.
Having said that, it is not our intent to embarrass, to offend, to correct, or to seek compensation from anyone, regardless of where you stand on this topic. This is not about our egos, our finances, or even about the success of our ministry. The battle is not ours; it is the Lord’s and we believe that God does a much better job of achieving His purpose through ways that are much superior to our own. Many times He works His purpose in spite of our short-comings and failures. It is our prayer that you seek God’s purpose in all things and that you also pray that God will keep us as a band from anything that would distract us from His purpose. We also believe that God honors those who honor Him and that it is our responsibility to communicate the truth in love. Thank you for continuing to support and encourage us and other Christian artists as God works His way with all of us. If you have been blessed by our music and would like to pass this blessing on to others, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to work together with you. God bless you and us as we partner together in “lifting Him up”.
- Coralee, Lorne, Gerry, Vic, Shelley, Burt, Shirl, Dan