How to Play Music Legally in Your Business in the UK

You have two legal options in the UK. Option A, the traditional route: get a public performance licence from PPL PRS, then pay separately for a music source. Typical total cost: £151 to £5,755 or more per year. Option B, the direct licence route: use a service like Melodial that owns all its music and includes the licence in the subscription, from £4.99 per month. Both are fully legal. Option B saves you hundreds or thousands per year.

Option A: the traditional way

This is how most businesses have done it for decades. You need two things.

Step 1: get a public performance licence. Contact PPL PRS, which sells TheMusicLicence on behalf of PPL and PRS for Music, and apply. They will charge you based on your business type, premises size and how you use music.

Business type	Typical annual cost (TheMusicLicence + music source)
Small retail shop (up to 100m²)	£751+
Café or restaurant (30 seats, background music)	£850 to £966+
Hair or beauty salon (small to mid-size)	£652 to £788+
Gym or fitness studio (recorded music + classes)	£3,132 to £6,055+

Based on published PPL PRS tariffs plus a typical streaming subscription. Actual fees vary by venue type, size and music use.

Step 2: get a music source. The licence only covers the right to play music. It does not include the music itself, so you pay separately for a streaming service, radio or CDs. Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube do not cover commercial use, so even with a paid subscription you still need the licence on top.

Option B: the modern way

Melodial is a music streaming service built specifically for businesses. Melodial owns or directly licenses every track in the catalogue, and none of the music is registered with any collecting society anywhere in the world. That means your subscription includes both the music and the licence. No collecting society fees, no separate application, no annual paperwork.

1. Subscribe to Melodial from £4.99 per month. No contracts, cancel anytime.
2. Play Melodial exclusively from your phone, tablet, laptop or any device. Twenty-plus genres, thousands of tracks.
3. Download your Certificate of Compliance, instant proof you are fully licensed.

What not to do

Do not play Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube: commercial use violates their terms and does not replace a performing rights licence, so you would be breaking the rules twice. Do not assume the radio is free: the station’s licence covers the broadcast, not your premises. And do not ignore it and hope for the best. PPL PRS actively contacts businesses playing unlicensed music. They send letters, make phone calls, visit premises and use music recognition technology. Businesses are also reported by competitors and former staff. “Too small to notice” is not a real category.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free way to play music legally in my business?

The only completely free option is silence, or music you composed yourself. Any commercially produced music requires either a collecting society licence or a directly licensed service. Melodial starts at £4.99 per month.

My landlord says the shopping centre has a music licence. Am I covered?

Usually not. A shopping centre’s licence typically covers common areas like hallways and food courts. Your individual shop within the centre needs its own licence for music played inside your premises.

Do I need a licence if only staff can hear the music?

In the UK, playing music for employees generally still counts as a public performance and requires a licence.

How does Melodial avoid collecting society fees?

Melodial owns or directly licenses every track in the catalogue. None of the music is registered with PPL PRS or any other collecting society worldwide, so no royalties are owed and no licence fees apply. Your subscription is your licence.