What a music licence really costs
Every figure below is sourced and dated. No estimates dressed up as facts, no invented numbers.
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Melodial's price
One flat subscription includes the music and the licence.
| Monthly | £4.99 |
| Annual | £49.99 |
What PPL PRS actually charges
Real published tariffs for United Kingdom, by business type and size. Figures do not include a music source -- you would still pay for that separately.
Café / restaurant
| Size | Society | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 15 seats | PPL PRS: £550.27 | £550.27 ex VAT/IVA |
| 30 seats | PPL PRS: £550.27 | £550.27 ex VAT/IVA |
| 50 seats | PPL PRS: £665.62 | £665.62 ex VAT/IVA |
| 80 seats | PPL PRS: £896.32 | £896.32 ex VAT/IVA |
| > 100 seats | PPL PRS: £1,011.67 | £1,011.67 ex VAT/IVA |
Fitness centre / gym
| Size | Society | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 50 members background only | PPL PRS: £492.44 | £492.44 ex VAT/IVA |
| 50 members background + 500 classes | PPL PRS: £2,832.44 | £2,832.44 ex VAT/IVA |
| 500 members background only | PPL PRS: £753.11 | £753.11 ex VAT/IVA |
| 500 members background + 500 classes | PPL PRS: £3,093.11 | £3,093.11 ex VAT/IVA |
| 1000 members background only | PPL PRS: £1,075.14 | £1,075.14 ex VAT/IVA |
| 1000 members background + 500 classes | PPL PRS: £3,415.14 | £3,415.14 ex VAT/IVA |
| 1000 members background + 1000 classes | PPL PRS: £5,755.14 | £5,755.14 ex VAT/IVA |
Yoga / Pilates studio
| Size | Society | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 50 members background only | PPL PRS: £492.44 | £492.44 ex VAT/IVA |
| 50 members background + 500 classes | PPL PRS: £2,832.44 | £2,832.44 ex VAT/IVA |
| 500 members background only | PPL PRS: £753.11 | £753.11 ex VAT/IVA |
| 500 members background + 500 classes | PPL PRS: £3,093.11 | £3,093.11 ex VAT/IVA |
| 1000 members background only | PPL PRS: £1,075.14 | £1,075.14 ex VAT/IVA |
| 1000 members background + 500 classes | PPL PRS: £3,415.14 | £3,415.14 ex VAT/IVA |
| 1000 members background + 1000 classes | PPL PRS: £5,755.14 | £5,755.14 ex VAT/IVA |
Hairdresser / salon
| Size | Society | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 50 sqm | PPL PRS: £351.65 | £351.65 ex VAT/IVA |
| 101 sqm | PPL PRS: £488.09 | £488.09 ex VAT/IVA |
| 150 sqm | PPL PRS: £584.63 | £584.63 ex VAT/IVA |
| 200 sqm | PPL PRS: £681.15 | £681.15 ex VAT/IVA |
| 300 sqm | PPL PRS: £1,062.80 | £1,062.80 ex VAT/IVA |
Retail store
| Size | Society | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 150 sqm | PPL PRS: £564.09 | £564.09 ex VAT/IVA |
| 300 sqm | PPL PRS: £677.89 | £677.89 ex VAT/IVA |
| 700 sqm | PPL PRS: £939.75 | £939.75 ex VAT/IVA |
| 1000 sqm | PPL PRS: £1,290.11 | £1,290.11 ex VAT/IVA |
Shopping centre
| Size | Society | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 sqm | PPL PRS: £1,159.23 | £1,159.23 ex VAT/IVA |
| 3000 sqm | PPL PRS: £2,546.53 | £2,546.53 ex VAT/IVA |
| 5000 sqm | PPL PRS: £3,707.13 | £3,707.13 ex VAT/IVA |
| 10000 sqm | PPL PRS: £6,041.73 | £6,041.73 ex VAT/IVA |
Workplace / office
| Size | Society | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 employees | PPL PRS: £151.01 | £151.01 ex VAT/IVA |
| 50 employees | PPL PRS: £532 | £532 ex VAT/IVA |
| 500 employees | PPL PRS: £5,320 | £5,320 ex VAT/IVA |
| 1000 employees | PPL PRS: £10,640 | £10,640 ex VAT/IVA |
Other music services for business
These are commercial catalogue/subscription services, not collecting societies. Most still require a separate PPL PRS-style licence on top (see the column below) -- Melodial does not.
| Vendor | Price | Society licence still needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack Your Brand — Starter | £29 per zone / month, billed annually | Check vendor |
| Soundtrack Your Brand — Essential | £37 per zone / month, billed annually | Check vendor |
| Soundtrack Your Brand — Unlimited | £54 per zone / month, billed annually | Check vendor |
| Moodby | £25 per zone / month | No |
| Moodby | £18.75 per zone / month, billed yearly (£225/yr) | No |
| Moodby | £17.50 per zone / month, billed 2-yearly (£420) | No |
| Mood Media | Pricing on request | Check vendor |
Total real cost, by business type
The traditional route means two bills: the PPL PRS licence, plus a separate music source (we use a conservative flat estimate of £300 + tax/year, in line with published vendor prices). Melodial is one flat bill.
| Business type | PPL PRS + music source | Melodial | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café / restaurant15 seats | £960/yrtax incl. + music | £49.99/yr | £910/yr |
| Fitness centre / gym50 members background only | £891/yrtax incl. + music | £49.99/yr | £841/yr |
| Yoga / Pilates studio50 members background only | £891/yrtax incl. + music | £49.99/yr | £841/yr |
| Hairdresser / salon50 sqm | £722/yrtax incl. + music | £49.99/yr | £672/yr |
| Retail store150 sqm | £977/yrtax incl. + music | £49.99/yr | £927/yr |
| Shopping centre1000 sqm | £1,691/yrtax incl. + music | £49.99/yr | £1,641/yr |
| Workplace / office5 employees | £481/yrtax incl. + music | £49.99/yr | £431/yr |
The lowest-cost fully licensed option we've found.Based on published 2026 collecting-society tariffs and competitor pricing, checked 2026-07-22. See the full comparison and sources.
Sources and methodology
All PPL PRS figures above come from PPL PRS (TheMusicLicence)'s own published tariffs or live quote tools, checked between 2026-07-22 and 2026-07-22.
Tax basis: PPL PRS tariffs are shown ex-VAT/IVA, as published. The "total real cost" section above adds tax before comparing to Melodial's own (tax-inclusive) price, so the comparison is like-for-like.
Where a figure could not be verified, this page shows "varies -- get a quote" rather than an estimate. We do not publish invented numbers.
Competitor prices are the vendors' own published rates, checked 2026-07-22. Where a competitor's price is unconfirmed or available only on request, this page says so rather than showing a number.