Key Takeaways
- Playing mainstream commercial Christmas music in your business including via streaming platforms, your TV, radio or CDs requires a PRS PPL Music Licence.
- Royalty-free Christmas music is a legal alternative with no need for a PRS PPL licence.
- Background Sounds offers seven dedicated Christmas playlists, all included in every subscription.
- 75% of shoppers report a more enjoyable experience when Christmas music plays, and 42% linger longer. (Mood Media, 2024).
- A Background Sounds monthly cancel-anytime subscription costs £15 + VAT and is ideal for businesses that only need Christmas music for the festive season.
- Background Sounds offers a free 7-day trial to all customers with no card details required at sign-up.
Christmas music is one of the most powerful tools a retailer, café owner or salon owner has during the festive season. It creates atmosphere, triggers nostalgia, boosts customer mood and, when chosen well, can keep customers in your space longer and potentially spending more.
But playing Christmas music legally in a commercial setting is not as straightforward as pressing play on your favourite songs. If you are using a mainstream streaming service, the radio or CDs, you are required to hold a PRS PPL Music Licence, a cost many independent businesses would rather avoid, particularly for music they only need for a few weeks of the year.
Royalty-free Christmas music solves both problems, providing music that enhances customer experience without the expense of a PRS PPL music licence.
This guide explains how it works, what playlists are available and how to find the right festive soundtrack for your business, legally, and without the expense of a traditional PRS PPL music licence.
Why Christmas Music Is Worth Getting Right
According to Mood Media’s 2024 Festive Music Survey, 75% of shoppers report a more enjoyable shopping experience when Christmas music is playing, 42% linger longer in stores filled with seasonal melodies, and 44% are more likely to return to stores that play festive music they respond to.
Separately, a large-scale study by Audoo and GEMA tracking over 130,000 tracks across hundreds of venues found that background music increased retail sales by an average of 8% (Mood Media, 2024; Audoo / GEMA, 2025).
Christmas music also carries nostalgic associations that no other element of the retail environment replicates. Research published in The Conversation, drawing on multiple academic studies, explains that festive music reliably triggers nostalgia, which has been shown to reduce shoppers’ resistance to spending and create a psychological state in which customers value the emotional experience of shopping more than conserving money. In that state, customers browse longer and purchase more readily.
What to Consider When Choosing Your Christmas Music
Before selecting your playlists, three things are worth thinking through:
- Volume: The same rules apply at Christmas as any other time of year. Your music should be loud enough to create atmosphere but quiet enough that customers can hold a comfortable conversation without raising their voices.
- Variety: Research consistently shows that the same tracks on repeat is one of the fastest ways to frustrate both customers and staff. A selection of playlists that you can rotate across the week keeps the atmosphere fresh. If you are running a golden quarter campaign from October to December, variety across those ten weeks is essential.
- Brand fit: Not every Christmas playlist suits every business. A calm, instrumental selection suits a premium gift shop or boutique salon differently from an upbeat vocal mix that suits a busy high street retailer or café. Choose a playlist that fits your brand, not just one that sounds festive.
Christmas is the biggest shopping season of the year for most retailers (source BRC). With the migration to online shopping and fewer people eating out. It’s never been more important to enhance your space with a well-designed festive playlist that suits your brand and matches the experience your customers expect from you.
Royalty-free Christmas playlists, when designed well, can provide all the benefits of commercial Christmas music without the cost.
Background Sounds Royalty-Free Christmas Playlists
Background Sounds has seven dedicated Christmas playlists, all included in every subscription at no extra cost.
Retail Festive Mix
Not every business wants wall-to-wall Christmas music, particularly in October and early November when the season is just beginning. Retail Festive Mix features one festive track every three songs, giving you a subtle seasonal feel without committing to a fully festive atmosphere.
Ideal for easing into the golden quarter or for businesses that serve a mixed demographic with varying appetites for Christmas music.
Upbeat Christmas
Our most popular festive playlist. Modern, upbeat Christmas tracks with catchy rhythms and contemporary arrangements. Works best in busy retail environments, hair salons and cafés during peak trading hours. It’s mid-to-high energy without being overwhelming.
Swing Style Christmas
A joyful collection of swing-style Christmas classics for an easy-going festive atmosphere. Feels festive without feeling generic; it’s great for adding character and variety.
Instrumental Christmas
A beautiful, delicate collection of instrumental orchestral and piano traditional Christmas classics. Ideal for premium retailers, jewellers, boutique salons or any environment where the music needs to be present but unobtrusive. Creates a distinguished, calm festive atmosphere that suits extended browsing.
Cosy Jazz Christmas
Warm, intimate jazz-style interpretations of Christmas classics. Works beautifully in independent cafés, coffee shops, bookshops and any business where a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere is the goal. Sophisticated and welcoming.
Festive Mix
If you enjoy variety, this playlist will suit you perfectly; it’s a superb selection of tracks picked from across the Christmas playlist library. If you want variety without switching between playlists, Festive Mix does the work for you.
Mellow Christmas
A gentle collection of vocal and instrumental festive songs, warm, quiet and undemanding. Suits quieter trading periods, early mornings, late afternoons or any environment where a lower-energy atmosphere is appropriate. Also works well as a cool-down playlist later in the day after more energetic options earlier on.
Do You Need a Licence to Play Christmas Music in Your Business?
Yes, if you are playing mainstream commercial Christmas music. This includes:
- Any streaming service: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music
- Radio or TV (including talk-only shows)
- CDs or downloaded music from mainstream artists
Playing any of these in a commercial setting requires the business to purchase a music licence from PRS and PPL. It’s also worth noting that a personal Spotify account, even a paid premium one, is licensed for private use only. Playing it in your shop, café or salon breaches their terms of service and UK copyright law.
If PRS PPL identifies you playing unlicensed music, you will be required to pay the standard licence cost plus a 50% penalty for the period you were unlicensed. PRS PPL actively monitors commercial premises.
Royalty-free music removes this liability entirely.
With Background Sounds, the artists are paid through a licensing company rather than through PRS and PPL. This means you have no PRS or PPL licence obligation, as they don’t collect royalties for our artists. All paid subscribers automatically receive a certificate of subscription as documented proof of compliance.
For a full breakdown of your licensing options, read our complete guide to: What music you can play without a licence in the UK.
Subscription Pricing
Background Sounds offers two subscription options, both with full access to all playlists, including all seven Christmas playlists.
Monthly Subscription (cancel anytime) £15 +VAT per site – buy now
Annual Subscription (saver deal) £150 +VAT per site – buy now
The monthly cancel-anytime subscription is particularly well suited to businesses that only need music for the festive period. Join when you want to start playing festive music and cancel when you don’t. No penalty for cancelling, no minimum term.
Try It Free for 7 Days
Not sure yet? Every new customer gets a free 7-day trial with full access to all playlists, including all seven Christmas playlists. No card details required and no obligation to continue. It’s the simplest way to hear whether the service works for your business before committing to anything.
Questions? Get in touch at support@backgroundsounds.co.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a music licence to play Christmas music in my shop?
Yes, if you are playing mainstream commercial Christmas music, whether that’s via a streaming service, TV, radio or CDs, you need both a PRS and a PPL licence.
However, if you use a royalty-free music service like Background Sounds, you do not need a PRS or PPL music licence. For peace of mind, all paid subscribers receive a roylaty-free music certificate that you can send as evidence of music usage to PRS and PPL.
What is royalty-free Christmas music?
Royalty-free Christmas music is professionally produced festive music; the difference is that the artists are paid through a licensing company rather than through PRS and PPL. This means businesses can play the music legally without a PRS PPL music licence because they are not collecting royalties on the artist’s/ copyright holder’s behalf.
It is a legal and widely used alternative to the PRS PPL licence and is used in businesses across the UK.
Does Christmas music really make customers spend more?
The research consistently says yes! A 2024 study by Mood Media found that 42% of shoppers lingered longer in shops that played Christmas music and 12% actively increased their spending.
A UK survey of 1,502 adults by Shift found that 18% say Christmas music encourages them to buy more gifts. The effect is driven by the mood uplift and nostalgic associations that festive music triggers; customers in a positive emotional state browse longer and purchase more.
Can I subscribe just for the Christmas period?
Yes, Background Sounds offers a monthly cancel-anytime subscription at £15 + VAT per month/site.
There is no minimum term and no cancellation penalty. You can join in the month you want to play festive music and cancel when you don’t, paying only for the months you use. Many of our customers only use the service at Christmas, returning year after year.
How many Christmas playlists does Background Sounds have?
Seven dedicated Christmas playlists: Retail Festive Mix, Upbeat Christmas, Swing Style Christmas, Instrumental Christmas, Cosy Jazz Christmas, Festive Mix and Mellow Christmas. Each is designed to provide a different festive soundscape. All are included in your subscription whether you opt for monthly or annual.
Will the music sound like proper Christmas music or generic filler?
The Christmas playlists at Background Sounds are professionally produced and curated by expert music profilers specifically for commercial environments. They sound like professionally curated festive playlists and not generic background music.
If you’re unsure, you can take a free 7-day trial and have a listen. Sign up for your free trial here.
Further Reading
- How Background Music Boosts Retail Sales in the Golden Quarter. The commercial case for using music strategically.
- What Music Can I Play Without a Licence (UK). Full breakdown of PRS PPL licensing and royalty-free alternatives
- How to Choose the Right Background Music for Your Business. A practical guide to genre, volume, tempo and variety.
References
About Background Sounds
Background Sounds is a specialist provider of royalty-free music. Working with business owners 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.
This post was originally published in October 2025 and was last updated in August 2026.
