How to Play Music Legally in Your Business

You have two legal options. Option A, the traditional route: get a public performance license from your local collecting society, then pay separately for a music source. Typical total cost: $500 to $5,000 or more per year. Option B, the direct license route: use a service like Melodial that owns all its music and includes the license in the subscription, from $6.99 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 license. Contact your local collecting society and apply. They will charge you based on your business type, premises size and how you use music.

Business type	Typical annual cost (license + music source)
Small retail shop (under 100m² to 1,000m²)	$800 to $2,000+
Café or restaurant (15 to 35 seats)	$900 to $1,800+
Hair or beauty salon	$400 to $1,000+
Gym or fitness studio (recorded music, with or without classes)	$2,000 to $5,000+

Fees vary by country, business type, size and music use, and do not include a music source. Figures are indicative.

Step 2: get a music source. The license 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 license 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 license. No collecting society fees, no separate application, no annual paperwork.

1. Subscribe to Melodial from $6.99 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 license, so you would be breaking the rules twice. Do not assume the radio is free: the station’s license covers the broadcast, not your premises. And do not ignore it and hope for the best. Collecting societies actively contact businesses playing unlicensed music. Inspectors visit premises in person, and societies also use letters, phone calls and 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 license or a directly licensed service. Melodial starts at $6.99 per month.

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

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

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

Playing music for employees generally still counts as a public performance and requires a license.

How does Melodial avoid collecting society fees?

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