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Music, licensing and brand sound

Guides, playbooks and case studies on business music, licensing and using sound to build your brand.

Licensing 6 min read

Do I Need a Music License in the US?

Yes, if customers or staff can hear music in your US business you need a license. Melodial is one of the more cost-effective fully licensed options at US$6.99 per month, instead of a separate streaming subscription plus PRO licenses.

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Licensing 5 min read

How Melodial Works: Licensed Music for Business in the US

Background music and a commercial license in one US$6.99 per month subscription. How US businesses stay fully licensed without paying the PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR), with a Certificate of Compliance included.

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Licensing 5 min read

Melodial Legal Assurance: Fully Licensed Music in the US

Because Melodial owns or directly licenses every track it plays, businesses in the US that use it exclusively owe no PRO public performance fees. Here is the legal reasoning in plain language, plus the real cost of getting caught without a license.

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Licensing 6 min read

Can I Play Spotify in My Business in the US?

No, Spotify (even Premium) is licensed for personal use only, so playing it across a US business breaks its terms and still needs public performance licenses from the PROs, while Melodial bundles the music and the license for US$6.99 per month.

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Licensing 6 min read

Business Music Licensing Guide for the US

In the US, any business playing music for customers or staff needs a public performance license under the US Copyright Act. The traditional route through ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR costs hundreds to thousands per year across the PROs, and the music is extra on top. Melodial includes both the music and the license for US$6.99 per month.

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Licensing 6 min read

How Much Does a Music License Cost in the US?

A traditional music license in the US typically costs US$800 to US$5,000 or more per year across ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR, and the music source is extra on top. Melodial includes both the music and the license for US$6.99 per month.

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Licensing 5 min read

How to Play Music Legally in Your Business in the US

The two legal ways to play music in a US business: licenses from ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR plus a separate streaming service, or Melodial from US$6.99 per month with the license included.

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Licensing 6 min read

Understanding Business Music Licensing in the US

Playing music in your US business is a public performance under the US Copyright Act, so you need a commercial license. Melodial includes both the music and the license from US$6.99 per month, instead of separate fees to ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR.

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Licensing 5 min read

Music License Fines and Penalties in the US

What the PROs can charge US businesses caught playing unlicensed music: back fees, damages and court costs, plus the US$6.99 per month way to stay legal.

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Licensing 5 min read

A Cost-Effective Fully Licensed Music Option for Business in the US

A cost-effective, fully legal way to play music in a US business is Melodial at US$6.99 per month, which bundles the music and the PRO license into one subscription instead of paying US$800 to US$5,000 a year across the four PROs.

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Licensing 4 min read

Is Royalty-Free Music Safe for Your Business in the US?

Royalty-free is a marketing label, not a legal clearance, and a single mislabelled track is enough for the PROs to build a case against your US business. Melodial gives you a fully cleared catalogue and a Certificate of Compliance for US$6.99 per month.

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Comparisons 6 min read

ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR vs Melodial: US Business Music Compared

In the US you can need licenses from four separate PROs, and none of them include the music, while Melodial bundles the music and the commercial license into one US$6.99 per month subscription.

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Comparisons 5 min read

Melodial vs MoodBy: The US Business Music Compared

MoodBy - charges US$28 per zone. Melodial - US$6.99 per zone, includes AI voice ads, scheduling and offline playback.

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Features 6 min read

Set It and Trust It: Scheduling with Melodial Plus

Scheduling that is effortless by default and precise when you need it: daypart and zone your music automatically, then roll proven schedules across sites.

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Features 6 min read

Brand Control at Scale: User Management in Melodial Plus

How Melodial Plus roles, permissions and zones protect your brand across every location and let you build consistent, structured ambiences everywhere.

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Case Studies 5 min read

Music That Gives Back: How Two Charities Put Sound to Work

Farfield Mill and C Care use Melodial's charity program to play fully licensed, on-brand music for free, creating warmer, more welcoming spaces.

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Case Studies 6 min read

How Rage Brought 650+ Stores Into One Sound

Rage, one of South Africa's largest fashion retailers, moved 650+ stores onto Melodial, cutting over $100,000 a year in licensing, gaining central brand control and network-wide messaging, and lifting turnover and brand awareness.

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Features 6 min read

In-Store Messaging, Without the Studio: AI Ad Voiceovers

Turn a line of text into a broadcast-quality announcement in seconds, and use it to inform guests or sell more across any industry.

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Playbooks 16 min read

The Retail Music Research Report

What decades of research reveal about how in-store music shapes shopper behaviour: mood, time perception, tempo, volume, genre and music zoning, with the studies behind every finding.

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Playbooks 5 min read

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

New research on 1,250 shoppers shows being licensed is now a trust signal customers reward, and its absence one they punish. US venues should take note.

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Playbooks 4 min read

The Retail Music Playbook: How Sound Sells

Use tempo, volume, genre fit and zoning deliberately to lift dwell time and spend on the retail floor, the compliant way.

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Playbooks 4 min read

The Resort Music Playbook: Scoring the Whole Guest Journey

How to design a cohesive sound across every space of a resort, from arrival to pool to dinner.

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Playbooks 4 min read

The Dayparting Playbook: One Venue, Many Moods

Tune a restaurant, cafe or bar from open to last call, matching energy to each part of the day.

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Playbooks 4 min read

The Calm Playbook: Designing Sound for Wellness Spaces

Build soothing, considered soundscapes for spas, salons and treatment rooms that put clients at ease.

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Playbooks 4 min read

The Sonic Identity Playbook: Music as Brand in Hotels

Turn music into part of your hotel's brand, with one coherent sound from lobby to lift.

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Comparisons 6 min read

Soundtrack Your Brand, Rockbot and Mood Media vs Melodial

How Melodial compares to Soundtrack Your Brand, Rockbot and Mood Media on licensing, pricing and features for multi-site businesses.

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Licensing 6 min read

Multi-Site Music Licensing: One Platform Across Every Location

How chains and groups replace per-site licences and vendors with one fully licensed platform, controlled centrally, at a flat rate per stream.

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