A Practical Guide to Music Licensing for Businesses
The licenses a business needs to play recorded music in shops, restaurants, gyms and offices.
Tomas Lindqvist
What is at stake
Playing music publicly is a separate right from owning the recording, and businesses are regularly pursued for unlicensed use.
The playbook
- Use a licensed business music service
- Confirm which licenses your premises need
- Keep license records with renewal dates
- Brief staff not to use personal accounts
- Review licenses when premises or use change
Where it goes wrong
Avoid:
- Personal streaming accounts in commercial spaces
- Assuming radio play is always covered
- Ignoring renewal dates
- Music in marketing video licensed only for the premises
The numbers behind it
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Public performance | playing music in a business is a public performance |
| Two rights | the composition and the recording are separate works |
| Licenses | performing rights organizations license public performance |
| Consumer services | personal streaming subscriptions do not cover business use |
Getting outside help
When to hand it over: Bring in help when music plays in customer-facing spaces.
Where this comes from
- U.S. Copyright Office — Circular 50 Copyright Registration for Musical Works
- U.S. Copyright Office — The Music Modernization Act
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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