{"id":247,"date":"2023-04-20T07:39:20","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T07:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/?p=247"},"modified":"2025-12-08T11:41:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T11:41:03","slug":"how-to-legally-play-music-in-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/how-to-legally-play-music-in-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How to legally play music in business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As a business owner, you inevitably will have to deal with copyright law. Do you turn on Spotify in your shop? Or play a YouTube compilation of jazz classics to create a welcoming ambiance for guests of your cafe? If this is the case, you should consider music licensing for business.&nbsp;This guide helps you reveal how you can legally meet the music needs of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"#1\">How does music licensing work<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#2\">What do music performance rights organizations do?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#3\">How to legally play music in your business<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#4\">How much does a business music license cost?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#5\">Licensed music on Moodby Play<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large Responsive Responsive--isDesktop Responsive--isLaptop Responsive--isTablet\"><a href=\"https:\/\/play.moodby.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-3-4-1024x400.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-3-4-1024x400.png 1024w, https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-3-4-300x117.png 300w, https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-3-4-768x300.png 768w, https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-3-4-1536x599.png 1536w, https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-3-4-2048x799.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large Responsive--isMobile\"><a href=\"https:\/\/play.moodby.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"643\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/mob_1-4-643x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/mob_1-4-643x1024.png 643w, https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/mob_1-4-188x300.png 188w, https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/mob_1-4.png 686w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 643px) 100vw, 643px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\" id=\"1\"><strong>How does music licensing work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every song you hear has a team behind it\u2014songwriters, composers, performers, and publishers\u2014all of whom deserve to be paid for their work. Copyright law ensures they have control over how their creations are used. The moment a track is recorded, it\u2019s automatically protected as copyrighted music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to music usage, there are two main categories: personal and business. Listening through your earphones? No problem. But the moment your playlist plays through speakers in a public space, it may qualify as a public performance\u2014meaning businesses need proper licensing to avoid copyright infringement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/navigating-the-world-of-music-licensing\/\">Music licensing<\/a> grants businesses legal permission to use tracks for specific purposes, like setting the right ambiance in a hotel lobby. Commercial music licenses cover streaming in public venues, and failure to comply can result in legal fines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With millions of copyrighted songs worldwide, organizations exist to monitor and manage their usage. This is where performance rights organizations step in, ensuring fair compensation for the music industry while helping businesses stay compliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\" id=\"2\"><strong>What do music performance rights organizations do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) and Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) serve as intermediaries between rights holders and businesses, granting licenses for legal music use in public spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These organizations collaborate with publishers, artists, and labels, managing their music catalogs either fully or partially. This allows a single organization to represent a vast range of music companies under its umbrella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CMOs primarily focus on licensing music for commercial use, collecting fees, and distributing royalties to the industry\u2019s stakeholders. Beyond licensing, they also enforce copyright law, taking legal action against businesses that play copyrighted music without proper authorization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\" id=\"3\"><strong>How to legally play music in your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two legal ways to stream background music in your business:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Create your own original music<\/strong> and become a copyright holder yourself.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Obtain a license<\/strong> for tracks created by others.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>But what about <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/background-music-streaming-services-which-will-fit-your-venue\/\">royalty-free music<\/a><\/strong>? It\u2019s a fair question. While using non-copyrighted music means you don\u2019t need a license, it doesn\u2019t always mean it\u2019s free\u2014you typically pay for access to royalty-free catalogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And classical music? Beethoven won\u2019t sue you, but the orchestra, publisher, or label behind a recording of his work still holds rights\u2014and they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"How to legally play music in your business?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"There are two legal ways to stream background music in your business: 1) Create your own original music and become a copyright holder yourself. 2) Obtain a license for tracks created by others. While using royalty-free music typically doesn\u2019t require a separate license, access to royalty-free catalogs often requires payment. Classical music compositions may be public domain, but recordings of them are usually copyrighted by orchestras, publishers, or labels, so permission is needed for legal use.\"\n      }\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\" id=\"4\"><strong>How much does a business music license cost?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The cost of a music license varies by performance rights society, but several key factors influence pricing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Type of business<\/strong> \u2013 Different industries, like beauty salons or retail stores, may have specific tariffs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Usage<\/strong> \u2013 Whether you\u2019re playing recorded tracks or live performances affects licensing fees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Venue size<\/strong> \u2013 A small caf\u00e9 pays less than a large hotel chain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Number of employees<\/strong> \u2013 Relevant if streaming music in an office.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Playback devices<\/strong> \u2013 Fees may differ based on whether you use TVs, audio systems, or other equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For exact pricing in your region, contact your local CMO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\" id=\"5\"><strong>Licensed music on Moodby Play<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to stream copyrighted music, consider <a href=\"https:\/\/play.moodby.com\/\">Moodby Play<\/a>. We provide high-quality royalty-free music for restaurants, cafes, hotels, pubs, and other venues. Discover an extensive library of music stations with popular genres and moods curated by local experts. <a href=\"https:\/\/play.moodby.com\/?utm_source=organic&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=legal-music\">Try for free<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This guide helps you reveal how you can legally meet the music needs of your business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,22,10,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-music-for-bars","category-guides","category-music-for-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9130,"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions\/9130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moodby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}