Revised Grail Psalm license, as published by its agent
The Revised Grail Psalms are expected to become the official translation for worship in many of the the English-speaking dioceses of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The agent administering the copyright has made its licensing provisions publicly available.
(A PDF copy of this policy resides on this server for all interested in downloading it, and will remain on this server for reference purposes should the policy be altered in the future.)
LICENSING THE REVISED GRAIL PSALMS
4/28/09
[The Revised Grail Psalms are herein referred to as the “Text”
Please note that the Revised Grail Psalms may not be released until they receive a recognitio from the Vatican.]Dioceses
Free Use for Which Written Permission Is Not Required
Dioceses may reprint the Text as needed for diocesan celebrations and events without obtaining written permission. Note, however, that if a psalm is the text for a published musical setting, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder of the music, who is authorized to grant permission for that combination of text and music.
All Other Uses
Written permission is required for all other uses, including, but not limited to, permanent or semipermanent reprints of the Text. Licenses may be granted on a gratis basis, or standard royalties may apply, depending upon individual circumstances.
Parishes and other Ecclesial Communities
Free Use for Which Written Permission Is Not Required
Parishes and other Ecclesial Communities may reprint the Text as needed for celebrations within the specific community without obtaining written permission. Note, however, that if a psalm is the text for a published musical setting, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder of the music, who is authorized to grant permission for that combination of text and music. If an unpublished musical setting is composed for the use of a particular community, see the conditions specified under “Composers.”
All Other Uses
Written permission is required for all other uses, including, but not limited to, permanent or semipermanent reprints of the Text. Licenses may be granted on a gratis basis, or standard royalties may apply, depending upon individual circumstances. Those entities holding a current license from OneLicense.net may use the Text in accordance with the conditions of that license.
Composers
Composers are free to set the Text at will, and may use their settings indefinitely within their own ecclesial communities, provided that no revenue is derived from such use. If any fees are attached to the sharing of a composer’s work, standard royalties will apply.
Composers are free to submit settings of the Text to any publisher of their choosing. If that publisher chooses to accept the work, standard music industry procedures apply.
Commercial Publication
All legitimate publishers of religious materials, regardless of size, denominational affiliation, or for-profit/non-profit status, are equally eligible to obtain licensing for any use that is consistent with the nature and intent of the Text. Standard publishing industry procedures and royalties apply, including any publishing conditions required by ecclesiastical authorities.
Internet Access
The Revised Grail Psalms are available at www.giamusic.com/RGP. For websites of a religious or devotional nature that wish to include parts of the Text in their content, a link to the RGP website must be attached. Each of the psalms is on a separate link; devotional sites may conveniently link to whichever, and as many, psalms as they choose. For any site that operates on a subscription basis or charges fees, appropriate royalties will apply.
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FURTHER CONDITIONS
For all uses of the Text, without exception, the copyright notice must be included in one of the following ways, depending on the nature of the publication: at the bottom of the first or last page on which a portion of the Text appears; at the bottom of the first page of musical compositions; or on the book’s copyright page.
Revised Grail Psalms Copyright © 2008, Conception Abbey/The Grail, admin. by GIA Publications, Inc., www.giamusic.com All rights reserved.
No alterations to the Text of any kind are permitted without obtaining written permission. This includes, but is not limited to, punctuation, line breaks, and indentations if the Text is printed in poetic form.
This policy does not cover audio, video, broadcast, podcast, or any other non-print use. For these or any other uses not specified, contact GIA Publications for more information.
None of the rights specified under this policy are transferable to third parties without written permission.
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It’s difficult to tell if this is a good or a bad arrangement… there is still this underlying “we own the rights and we are ALLOWING you to use it for this, and this, and this…” feel to the whole thing. Should this really be the case with sacred texts intended for worship? It’s not as though they composed them and they are intellectual property…
Well, they didn’t compose them, but they did spend a lot of time translating them. That kind of intellectual work can be copyrighted, and if the copyright holders only want a share whenever somebody else makes money off a psalm setting, that seems fair to me.
GIA translated the Grail Psalter? I don’t think so…. and the premise that GIA should make money any time a composer sets the texts (which are required by the Church to be approved settings) is an outrage. My good friend Jeffrey Tucker has written on this topic extensively at NLM and has laid out the legal and moral reasons why this situation is despicable. This latest arrangement is an improvement… in much the same way as being held captive in a room with a view of the ocean is an improvement over being held captive in a windowless basement. It is better, but it is still being held captive…..
Composers are free to set the Text at will, and may use their settings indefinitely within their own ecclesial communities, provided that no revenue is derived from such use. If any fees are attached to the sharing of a composer’s work, standard royalties will apply.
Does this allow for the distribution of settings free of charge on the internet, such as the Chabanel Psalms? Is this essentially saying “as long as you’re not selling the works, there is no royalty required”?
I would have hope, except for the final words…
This policy does not cover audio, video, broadcast, podcast, or any other non-print use.. I fear that posting on the internet will be described as “non-print use”.
Jeffrey, a think a little perspective and care is needed here.
In your post you identify, correctly, that GIA administers the copyright, which is held by Conception and the Grail. That’s not an uncommon arrangement, and it relieves the religious communities of dealing with the routine and difficult matters of business. I said nothing of GIA translating anything.
I’m aware of Jeffrey Tucker’s opinions on this matter, but you haven’t identified why you think composers should net the full gains of work they did not fully create. Rather than persist with confrontational metaphors, why not answer the question? If you want to publish a psalm setting and profit from it, why would you deny these religious communities income for their labors?
…but you haven’t identified why you think composers should net the full gains of work they did not fully create.
The premise of your question is missing my point from the start. My question concerns composers who wish to set these texts and have them widely distributed but with no monetary compensation. I can’t tell if they would be required to pay royalties. If they want the settings to be authorized for liturgical use, they must use these texts. The policy gives such permission within an ecclesial community, but then says the policy does not cover “non-print use”. If GIA wants to extract fees from composers that want to be paid, that seems more than fair. But if a composer wants to write actual liturgical settings and distribute them via the web, will that be allowed?
“But if a composer wants to write actual liturgical settings and distribute them via the web, will that be allowed?”
From what I can see about this policy, generally, yes. I would be able to do it on my web page because I take no advertising income. I’ve checked with with ICEL and the USCCB long ago. I just don’t do it yet because I have no delivery method that suits my standards.
There are bloggers who compose and who do take income from ads who would benefit financially if musicians knew by reputation they could get “good music” from their sites. In this case, the composer gets indirect benefit from setting texts not her or his own. Conception and the Grail would earn their royalties, in this case, bumping up someone’s ad revenue.
The policy, as I read it, and as I’ve personally experienced it from ICEL, is that composers cannot benefit financially from using another person’s work. It would be as wrong as your church’s neighbor charging $1 to park in the church parking lot, even if he or she were scouting out the best parking space.