Playing background music in your business has many benefits, from creating a great first impression to helping to improve productivity and morale for your workforce. However, buying a licence to play music can be expensive and is often something business owners struggle to afford. As a result, they either endure the impact of silence. Or the stress of playing music illegally and risking a hefty fine.
This blog post looks at what royalty-free music is and who can use it. The benefits and whether it complies with PRS and PPL licensing requirements. Along with the pitfalls of not using a reputable supplier for your royalty-free music.
What is Royalty-Free Music?
If you’re a business owner and want to play music for your staff and visitors to listen to as they work or visit your premises, the artists or rights holders are entitled to be paid for you playing their music. This can be done either through a PRS PPL music licence or with royalty-free music.
Royalty-free music isn’t registered with PRS PPL, so they don’t collect royalty payments for the artists. Instead, they are paid by a music licensing company a flat fee rather than being paid each time a track is played. This means the music creator still gets paid, but it tends to be much cheaper for the business owner. It’s a more straightforward process as they aren’t responsible for making the payments to each artist.
How Does it Work?
Royalty-free music is provided by companies such as Background Sounds. Business owners make an annual or monthly payment to them via a subscription. They, in turn, pass payment on to the royalty-free licensing company representing the artist. The business is then entitled to play music from the provider’s playlist.
Is Licence-Free Music Legal?
It is legal to play music without a licence as long as you are paying someone else to pay the artist, and you have the correct kind of service that enables you to play it. If you want to play background music in your business that has been created by someone else, it’s only fair that the artist is paid for their creativity.
Playing licence-free music doesn’t mean that the artist is giving their creations away for free. It just means that how you pay for it is different to buying the licence yourself. And the key is making sure you are using a reputable supplier.
For example, although you may pay for a streaming service such as Spotify, you can’t play that music in your business. This is because the terms of your agreement are for personal use only. If you did, you would be playing music illegally and may be liable to pay a big fine.
Playing music through a subscription from Background Sounds is legal because we have entered into a licensing agreement that ensures you have permission from the copyright holders to use their music.
Who Can Use Non-PRS PPL Music?
Any business can use non-PRS PPL music as long as they have a licence or subscription to play it from a company such as Background Sounds. This will ensure you legally play royalty-free music.
There’s a huge range of genres for licence-free music and our playlists range. From classical, soul to indie and rock, trance and EDM and so much more. Our clients include retailers, hair and beauty salons, offices, activity centres, gyms, restaurants, hotels and cafes. Who love the range of music our subscription service provides.
What Are the Benefits of Playing Royalty-Free Music?
The key benefit for businesses in playing this kind of music is cost. A music licence can cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds, depending on the type and size of the premises you’re playing music in.
Playing royalty-free music through a subscription service such as Background Sounds is far cheaper than obtaining a music licence. A monthly subscription is a cost-effective way of paying for background music and helps with cash flow during quieter months.
Another benefit of this type of music is the range of music available there are hundreds of tracks and plenty of playlists to choose from. So you’re not playing the same songs on repeat, allowing you to create the right ambience for your business.
Music Subscription for Businesses With Background Sounds
If you’re paying another company to stream royalty-free music and play it in your business, choose one that provides the necessary documentation to satisfy PRS PPL. So you’re not at risk of paying an expensive fine.
Background Sounds is one of the UK’s leading royalty-free music subscription businesses. We can provide our customers with a certificate that confirms their royalty-free subscription. It satisfies the PRS PPL requirements and will give you peace of mind whilst using our service. It’s the best way to legally play royalty-free music.
We have a vast range of music styles, which means we have something to suit any type of business. From restaurants and offices to beauty salons and retail premises.
Our flexible monthly music subscription gives you excellent value for money and peace of mind that the licensing side of things is taken care of. Prices start from £15 plus VAT per month giving you access to over 65+ curated playlists which we update regularly.
But don’t just take our word for it. Take our 7-day free trial and listen for yourself. You’ll get access to our full playlist and there’s no requirement to add any payment details to start the trial. If it’s not for you, there’s no pressure to take out a subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is royalty-free music free?
No, royalty-free music is not free of cost. The term royalty-free refers to how the artist is paid, not whether the music costs money.
With royalty-free music, the artist is paid through a direct licensing agreement with a music provider rather than through per-play royalties collected by PRS or PPL. Businesses pay a subscription or licence fee to the royalty-free provider, which covers the legal right to use the music in a commercial setting.
2. Do I still need a PRS or PPL licence if I use royalty-free music?
No, provided the music is genuinely PRS and PPL free. If the music is not registered with PRS or PPL and is supplied by a legitimate royalty-free provider, you do not need to buy TheMusicLicence to play it in your business.
However, it is important to use a reputable supplier that can provide written confirmation or a certificate of compliance, as PRS and PPL often request evidence.
3. Can I use Spotify or Apple Music instead of royalty-free music in my business?
No, personal streaming services cannot legally be used in a business. Services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music are licensed for personal use only. Even if you pay for a premium subscription, their terms and conditions do not permit public performance in commercial premises.
Using these services in a business setting without the appropriate licence may result in copyright infringement and potential fines. Businesses must either purchase TheMusicLicence or use a compliant royalty-free music service designed specifically for commercial use.
Questions?
We’re always happy to chat with customers, as we appreciate that if you are just discovering royalty-free music, you may have many questions. Please get in touch with us, we can chat about any licensing concerns you have, your tech setup and subscription options. Email support@backgroundsounds.co.uk
Background Sounds is a specialist provider of royalty-free music. We work with small businesses looking to play music without the need to buy a PRS PPL Music Licence. You can access the service via online streaming when you take a subscription. You can find out all you need to know on our home page
