Songs are one of the oldest ways the church has praised God, and they belong in your arts ministry alongside the paintings and the poems. A song is a little harder to put on a wall than a canvas, but the fix is simple, and it turns out to be the same advice we give poets. Here is how we recommend submitting an original song, and why each step is worth the small effort.
Print and frame the lyrics like a poem, then upload the recording and anything else that helps others sing it. The framed lyrics give the song a physical presence in the gallery. The recording and the supporting files give it a life beyond your walls.
First, frame the lyrics
A song still has words, and words on a page have a shape. Just as with poetry, the way lyrics are laid out matters: the verses, the chorus, the line breaks, the spacing that lets the whole thing breathe. If you type lyrics straight into a form, that layout can get flattened as the text moves from program to program.
So treat the lyrics like a poem. Set them the way you want them read, print them on good paper, and frame the piece with a simple mat. Now the song has a home on the wall. A visitor can stand in front of it, read the words, and then, thanks to the online gallery, hear you sing them.
Framing the lyrics protects their shape and gives the song a place on the wall. The recording gives it a voice.
Then upload the recording
The heart of a song submission is the recording. It does not need to be a studio production. A clean, honest recording made on a phone or a home setup is plenty, and often more moving than something polished. Upload it to the online gallery so anyone viewing the piece can listen right there. A framed lyric sheet with a play button beneath it is a lovely thing: the words to read and the voice to hear, together.
Add the materials that let others use it
Here is where a song can go further than any painting. If you are willing, you can include the pieces another church would need to sing your song in their own service. In Hymn & Hue, a song submission can carry all of this alongside the recording:
- The full lyrics as text, kept beside the framed photo so they are searchable and easy to read on a phone.
- A lead sheet (PDF), with the melody, lyrics, and chords, the single most useful file for a worship team learning a new song.
- Sheet music (PDF), for accompanists and choirs who read notation.
- A music video link to YouTube or Vimeo, for a fuller performance. Videos are linked, not hosted, so they stay on the platform you already use.
You decide how much to include. A recording alone is a complete submission. Everything else is a gift to the wider church, offered only if you want to.
A word about sharing songs with other churches
Because a song can be sung by congregations far beyond your own, it does not carry a simple for-sale price the way a painting might. Instead, you tell us how you would like your song to be used, and we point people to the recognized frameworks the church already relies on rather than inventing our own.
- Free for worship use. Many independent worship writers release their songs under a Creative Commons license, which lets other churches use the song freely as long as they credit the writer. It is a clear, well-understood way to give a song to the wider body of Christ.
- Available for paid license. If you would rather license your song for a fee, you can note that and invite churches to contact you for terms.
- CCLI. If your song is registered with CCLI, churches that hold a Church Copyright License can report their use in the usual way. More than 230,000 churches already work through CCLI, so this fits the systems many worship teams already have.
We are not lawyers, and this is not legal advice. The point is simply that you should not have to invent licensing language on your own. Lean on the frameworks the church already trusts, pick the one that fits your heart for the song, and let the gallery make your wishes plain to anyone who wants to sing it.
In Hymn & Hue, songs are a first-class submission type. Upload a photo of the framed lyrics, a recording, and, if you wish, a lead sheet, sheet music, a video link, and the full lyrics, then choose how your song may be used. See how submitting works.
Give the song away well
Scripture is full of new songs, sung by people who wanted others to join in. Framing the lyrics, sharing the recording, and offering the files that help another congregation learn it is a quiet, generous way to do the same. Make it once, and let it be sung far past the room where it began.