- Why playing music in public needs a licence
- Who licenses business music in each country
- The catch: one UK licence, but two sets of rights
- What a background music service does and doesn't cover
- Getting your business licensed, step by step
- Music for social video is a separate question
- My advice
- Frequently asked questions
The short version: if you play recorded or live music to customers or staff, you usually need a licence from a collecting society, not from the artist or your streaming app. In the UK that's TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. In the US it's ASCAP and the other performing rights groups, in Australia it's a OneMusic Australia licence via APRA AMCOS, and in Canada it's SOCAN.
Music in a shop, salon, gym or office feels like background noise until someone asks whether it's licensed. I've seen small business owners assume their personal streaming account covers them, and it's one of the most common gaps I come across. This is general information from the collecting societies' own pages, and those pages govern your situation.
Why playing music in public needs a licence
PPL starts from the basic point: recorded music is protected by copyright. Playing it for an audience, which includes customers in a shop or staff in a workplace, is a use the rights holders get paid for, and collecting societies issue the licences on their behalf.
ASCAP puts the online side plainly in its licensing FAQ: streaming music is a public performance that requires licensing. So the format doesn't let you off. Radio, a playlist or a stream played in a business can all need cover.
Who licenses business music in each country
| Country | Who issues the licence | The detail people miss (as of Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| UK | PPL PRS, through TheMusicLicence | It replaced two separate public performance licences, one from PPL and one from PRS |
| US | ASCAP, among the performing rights organisations | A commercial background music service generally means no ASCAP licence for background use, unless you charge admission |
| US, live music | Writers and publishers of the music performed, via licences | DJ nights and karaoke count as live music and need public performance licences |
| Australia | APRA AMCOS, through the OneMusic Australia licence | Separate licence types exist for education, theatrical performances, online use and more |
| Canada | SOCAN | SOCAN runs a Licensed to Play programme for businesses using music |
The catch: one UK licence, but two sets of rights
PPL explains that UK businesses previously needed two public performance licences. One came from PPL, representing performers and record companies. The other came from PRS, representing songwriters, composers and publishers. Today that's a single licence called TheMusicLicence, administered by PPL PRS.
That history explains the confusion I see. People search for a 'PRS licence' or a 'PPL licence' and assume they need to pick one. For playing music in a workplace or venue, PPL's own page points businesses to the one combined licence, because a recording carries rights for both the people who wrote the song and the people who recorded it.
What a background music service does and doesn't cover
ASCAP's FAQ has the most useful line for US businesses. Businesses that subscribe to commercial background music services generally don't need an ASCAP licence for background use, unless they charge an admission fee. That's a specific exception, and it's worth reading carefully.
It covers background use through a commercial service. It doesn't cover live music. ASCAP says that if you host live music of any kind, including DJ nights and karaoke, you're required to obtain public performance licences from the writers and publishers of the music performed. A café that uses a background service by day and runs a karaoke night on Fridays has two different situations to deal with.
And streaming online is its own question, because ASCAP treats streaming music as a public performance that requires licensing. If you're adding music to marketing videos, my guides to free background music for Reels and free podcast intro music are the better starting point than anything playing in your premises.
Getting your business licensed, step by step
- Write down every place music plays: the shop floor, waiting areas, phone hold, the staff room, events and anything streamed online.
- Note how it plays: radio, a personal streaming account, a commercial background music service, or live performers and DJs.
- Find the collecting society for your country: PPL PRS in the UK, ASCAP and its peers in the US, APRA AMCOS in Australia or SOCAN in Canada.
- In the UK, apply for TheMusicLicence rather than trying to buy separate PPL and PRS licences.
- In the US, check whether a commercial background service covers your background use, and whether you charge admission.
- License live music, DJ nights and karaoke separately, because ASCAP says these need public performance licences of their own.
Music for social video is a separate question
A licence to play music on your premises is about public performance in your business. Music in a Reel, a YouTube Short or a podcast is a different use, and APRA AMCOS lists online and audiovisual uses as separate licence types from publicly playing music in a business. If you post short video, my piece on whether YouTube Shorts can use copyrighted music covers that side.
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My advice
Don't assume your personal streaming subscription or the artist's goodwill covers your business. Go straight to the collecting society for your country, get the business licence that matches how you use music, and treat live nights and online content as separate items to check. It's a small admin job that removes an easy-to-avoid risk.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to play music in my shop?
Usually, yes. PPL says recorded music is protected by copyright, and in the UK businesses playing music in a workplace or venue are pointed to TheMusicLicence.
Is TheMusicLicence the same as a PRS licence?
It combines both. PPL says businesses used to need one licence from PPL and another from PRS, and TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS replaced the two.
Do I need a licence if I use Spotify at work?
The licence comes from a collecting society, not the app. ASCAP says streaming music is a public performance that requires licensing.
Do I need a licence for music on my website?
ASCAP treats streaming music as a public performance that requires licensing, and APRA AMCOS lists online use as its own licence type.
Who do I pay in Australia and Canada?
In Australia, APRA AMCOS issues the OneMusic Australia licence for publicly playing music in a business. In Canada, SOCAN runs its Licensed to Play programme.
Does a background music service cover me?
In the US, ASCAP says businesses using commercial background music services generally don't need a licence for background use unless they charge admission. Live music, DJ nights and karaoke still need licences.
