Royalty-free music is a fantastic alternative to paying PRS PPL to play music. You get to save money whilst still harnessing all the benefits of background music. But it’s important to ensure you are using the best royalty-free provider.
In today’s economic climate, we’re seeing an increasing number of businesses (of all sizes) considering using royalty-free music. They have looked at the cost of their PRS PPL music licence and no longer feel it is justified or affordable. They need to cut costs and save money quickly. Swapping to a royalty-free music service is a fast way to significantly reduce the cost of music in business, and it’s likely there’s a saving of hundreds often thousands to be had in doing so.
If this is you, and you are considering royalty-free music, we want to help. We’ve compiled our five top tips so you know what to look for when considering suppliers.
We’ll look at…
So, grab a cuppa and let us walk you through what you need to have an eye on…
5 Top Tips on How to Choose the Best Royalty-Free Music Provider in 2026
1. Legal Compliance
Our first and most important tip.
If it’s the only one you take, ensure you use a supplier that can confirm your music is licensed as royalty-free music. They can do this by issuing you a certificate.
Why is this important?
PRS PPL, who operate the music licence, will request evidence. They do this if you are playing music without a music license. This is to ensure you are complying with copyright law.
2. Music Variety
There has never been a better time to use royalty-free music in your business. The quality and variety are at an all-time high thanks mainly to independent artists looking to monetise their work in new ways.
We’re seeing more and more niche genres of music becoming available. Take Italian royalty-free music, an initial struggle for us to source but we now have some!
Look for a supplier with plenty of playlists covering a variety of genres and styles. This will give you a greater selection to swap between.
3. Regular Music Updates
This may not seem like a big deal, but trust us, your staff will thank you. A huge gripe from staff in the hospitality and retail sectors is that they listen to the same songs on a loop. Varied music will lift cognitive fatigue, energise and motivate your staff.
And, as they say… happy staff = happy customers.
A decent royalty-free music service will regularly add new songs and playlists to its music library. If you can’t find information on how often they add new music to their library ask!
4. Customer Support
Choose a music supplier that provides great customer support. One that will promptly help you and your staff if you experience audio or technical issues while using the service.
A great place to get an idea of customer satisfaction is to check out their customer testimonials. You can check out our customer testimonials here
5. Free Trial
A free trial is a great way to check whether the service is the right one for you. It gives you time to get feedback from your staff and customers and to check your audio set-up.
Following your free trial, you will have confidence in what you are buying and that the service works for you.
Take Background Sounds, for example. We offer a free, no-obligation trial of our royalty-free music service for 7-days.
If you liked what you have read so far, why not give it a go? We’ll give you full access to our playlist library and be on hand to help with audio set-up and answer questions.
Summary – How to Choose the Best Royalty-Free Music Provider in 2026
In summary, royalty-free music is a superb option. Especially for businesses that want to harness the power of music without the expense of a PRS PPL music license. But, not all suppliers of royalty-free music are equal. We recommend taking the time to find the best supplier fit for your business.
As specialists, Background Sounds recommends looking at the following
1. Legal compliance in the form of a certificate
2. Variety of styles and genres in the music library and regular music updates
3. Flexible payment option
4. Great customer support
5. Free Trial
Follow these tips, and you’ll have a great royalty-free service. An array of great tunes, and you will save £££ on the cost of playing music in your business.
Try Before You Buy!
We offer every customer a free 7-day trial of our service. It’s a great risk-free way to try royalty-free music in your business and test your audio setup.
Click here to get your free trial started
You don’t have to add your card details and there’s no hard sell from us. What are you waiting for?
FAQs: Choosing a Royalty-Free Music Provider
1. Do businesses need a PRS or PPL licence when using royalty-free music?
No, businesses do not need a PRS or PPL licence if they use properly licensed royalty-free music designed for public performance.
A legitimate royalty-free music provider licenses music directly from artists and rights holders and supplies a certificate of compliance confirming the music can be played legally in commercial premises. You can present the certificate to PRS and PPL if they request proof during an inspection.
We do not advise using a supplier who cannot issue a royalty-free music certficate confiming their music is royalty-free.
2. What makes a royalty-free music provider suitable for commercial premises?
The best royalty-free music providers for businesses offer legally compliant music and a professionally curated library designed for public environments.
Key features to look for include:
- Music licensed specifically for businesses
- A wide range of genres, styles and moods
- Regular music and playlist updates
- Playlists suitable for your industry
- Clear documentation confirming legal compliance
3. How can businesses verify that royalty-free music is legally compliant?
Businesses should always request written proof of compliance from their royalty-free music supplier.
This typically comes in the form of a royalty-free music certificate or confirmation email with company information and license dates included. If a supplier is unable to supply confirmation when you request it, we do not advise using this music in any business.
Further Reading
Check out this post if you want to know more about the legalities of playing music without a PRS PPL Music Licence – Alternative to the Music Licence
Background music is a key tool in any business’s marketing tool kit. Find out what you need to consider to supercharge the impact of your music. Check out 5 Top Tips – Selecting the Best Background Music
Questions?
Do you need more guidance or want to chat? No problem, we’re always happy to chat with customers who want to explore playing royalty-free music in their business.
Get in touch, email support@backgroundsounds.co.uk
About Us
Background Sounds is a specialist provider of royalty-free music. Working with small businesses looking to play music without the need to buy a PRS PPL Music Licence.
The service is offered via online streaming and can be accessed when you take a subscription. You can find out all you need to know on our home page here.
