How Melodial Works: Licensed Music for Business in Europe

Background music and a commercial licence in one subscription, for €6.99 per month. No performing rights fees, no paperwork, no hassle. Here is how Melodial keeps European businesses fully licensed without paying your national collecting society.

Why you do not need a performing rights licence

Performing rights organisations like your national collecting society, such as GEMA in Germany, SACEM in France, SIAE in Italy, Buma/Stemra and Sena in the Netherlands, SGAE in Spain or SABAM in Belgium, collect royalties for music registered in their catalogues. If you play music from those catalogues, which includes virtually all mainstream music, you need a licence from them.

Melodial works differently. Melodial owns or directly licenses every track in the catalogue, and none of the music is registered with any performing rights organisation. No royalties to collect means no licence fees to pay. Your Melodial subscription is your licence: it covers the music and the right to play it commercially, all in one payment, backed by a downloadable Certificate of Compliance.

What is included

• Curated music streams. Radio-style stations for every mood and venue, with new tracks added regularly and no explicit content.
• Mobile app. Available on iOS and Android. Browse genres, create playlists and download tracks for offline playback.
• AI voice announcements. Create voice announcements that play between tracks to promote daily specials, welcome messages or upcoming events. No recording equipment needed.
• Custom playlists. Build your own playlists from the full catalogue and set the mood for different times of day.
• Sonos support. Stream Melodial through your Sonos speakers alongside your other sources.
• Certificate of Compliance. Download your official licence certificate instantly from your account.

Get started in three steps

1. Subscribe. Sign up for a two-week free trial, no card required. You get instant access to all streams, playlists and your Certificate of Compliance.
2. Pick a station and press play. Browse by genre or mood: café acoustic, jazz, chill pop, upbeat dance, lo-fi and more, via the app, web player or Sonos.
3. Download your certificate. Instant proof that your business music is fully licensed for commercial use.

Why you cannot just use Spotify or Apple Music

Personal streaming services are licensed for personal use only. Their terms prohibit playing music in a commercial setting, even with a Premium subscription, and you would still need performing rights licences on top. Licensing organisations send inspectors into venues unannounced, record what is playing and issue invoices, sometimes for years of back payment. See the real penalties for playing unlicensed music in Europe.

Frequently asked questions

How is Melodial different from Spotify or Apple Music?

Spotify and Apple Music are for personal listening and their terms prohibit commercial use. Melodial includes the music and the commercial licence in one subscription, with no additional fees.

What kind of music does Melodial have?

Thousands of tracks across a wide range of genres: café acoustic, jazz, chill pop, lo-fi, upbeat dance, ambient, classical and more, all curated for commercial environments with no explicit lyrics.

Does Melodial have mainstream artists?

No, and that is why it is so affordable. Mainstream artists are registered with performing rights organisations, which is why playing their music requires expensive licences.

What devices can I play on?

iOS, Android and any web browser, plus Sonos speakers. Tracks can be downloaded for offline playback in the mobile app.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. No contracts and no cancellation fees. Access continues until the end of the current billing period.