Music Licensing Is Becoming a Brand Virtue, Not Just a Legal Box

Most shoppers don’t know it’s the law

In Australia, 56% of consumers don’t realise that playing music in a commercial setting requires a licence. That knowledge gap has created a grey zone where some operators gamble on not being caught. But the report argues that calculation is getting short-sighted: as awareness grows, so does the expectation that businesses operate ethically and within the law.

”Licensed to Play” reads as doing the right thing

When shoppers were shown a “Licensed to Play” sticker in a business window, sentiment was strongly favourable on both sides of the Tasman. It signals a credible operator who respects the value chain and pays suppliers properly, whether that’s a coffee roaster or a songwriter.

Metric	Australia	New Zealand
View a licensed venue positively because it shows the business is “doing the right thing”	27%	30%
Would judge a non-compliant venue negatively and may take their spending elsewhere	11%	12%

Gen Z can hear the difference

“Royalty-free” playlists are a false economy if your audience skews young. In Australia, 75% of Gen Z consumers can instantly tell “real” music from generic “elevator music”, and to them stock tracks read as budget, uncool and inauthentic. If your brand is about quality, the report says, your playlist has to feature quality artists.

OneMusic’s three takeaways

• Get compliant. Compliance shields you from copyright infringement in both markets.
• Display the badge. A low-effort trust signal that resonates with around 30% of customers and alienates almost no one.
• Train your team. “We support the artists we play” turns a legal obligation into a brand story.

Do both, in one subscription

The report points to a real tension: play licensed, “real” music that younger customers respect, and prove you’re compliant. Melodial does both from A$9.99/month, with a professionally curated, fully licensed catalogue and a Certificate of Compliance you can put in the window as your own trust asset.