What music can I play without a licence in the UK?
You do not need a licence to play royalty-free music. Check if your business or organisation needs a licence on the PPLPRS website. The way you get a licence to play live or recorded music has changed. You now need a single licence from PPL PRS , instead of separate licences from PRS for Music and PPL .
Do I need a music licence? Under The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, permission is needed from the relevant copyright holders – those people who create music – in order to play or perform music in public.
What is the fine for playing music without a licence in the UK?
If you are found to be playing copyrighted music in public spaces without a licence, you could face fines of up to £5,000 for each infringement. Also, remember that even if you own the CD or download the songs being played, you still need a licence in order to use them publicly.
Depending on the rights, terms, and platform, you need to pay a one-time fee or a subscription to use royalty-free music. For example, services like Splice, Epidemic Sound, and Tracklib offer different plans and pricing, each with its own benefits.
Do I need a music licence for my pub or bar? You might not realise it, but music is protected by copyright, and businesses and organisations have to get permission from the music creators to play or perform their works in public.
Because genuine 'royalty free' music is either not protected by copyright, or the owners have chosen not to seek public performance royalties, it is often the case that a public performance music licence will not be required when that music is the only type played publicly at the premises.
That's why the copyright laws require different licenses for commercial and non-commercial use. It's not legal to use Spotify in public places for any size and type of business including hotels, retail stores, restaurants, bars, offices, medical clinics, gyms, salons, spas or schools.
What music can you play without a license in the UK?
You do not need a licence to play royalty-free music. Check if your business or organisation needs a licence on the PPL PRS website. The way you get a licence to play live or recorded music has changed. You now need a single licence from PPL PRS , instead of separate licences from PRS for Music and PPL .
Yes. Having the appropriate music licence is a legal requirement, you are infringing copyright laws if you play live or recorded music in public without a licence.
What Is Royalty-Free Music? It's music you can play in your business without buying a licence. You can do this because the artists, musicians and composers are not registered with PRS and PPL which means they don't collect royalty payments for the music creators.
Simply put - as long as your venue has an alcohol license, then you should be covered. It's still worth checking in with your venue as some venues may have certain restrictions on their license, such as a sound limiter or certain noise restrictions. Check out our handy guide here for more information on that topic!
As long as you and a few family members or friends are the only people listening to the music you play, you do not need permission or a license to play music. It is only when the music you play is heard in public that the legal necessity for a license arises.
DJ licenses are also known as public performance licenses, and they grant you permission to play a song in public while ensuring that the artist receives royalties from the song. Even retail stores need to obtain this type of license in order to play a song in their store for customers.
Mainstream music services such as Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, Napster, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Qobuz, or Deezer are only licensed for private use.
Search the public register. The Licensing Act 2003 requires licensing authorities to keep a register of all applications that it receives and licences that it has issued. To search for a current licences or applications, it is recommend to use the advance search to avoid lengthy results, please see image below.
Q: I've heard that DJs are live music under the Live Music Act and I might not need permission for recorded music. Is this true? A: A DJ who is mainly playing tracks would not be classed as 'Live Music' but might if he or she was performing a set which largely consisted of mixing recorded music to create new sounds.
Whether you're playing music in the office, using a workplace radio or the on-hold system via your telephone; you'll usually need a music licence. In order to play or perform music legally in your office or workplace you may need TheMusicLicence.
Music in community buildings (run by voluntary organisations) can be used for different events and activities. Whether you're playing music at functions in community centres or for entertainment purposes in village halls, you'll usually need a music licence for your community building.
What is the fine for playing music without a licence?
It's against the law to use music without gaining permission from its owner, whether from the artist or the record label to which they are signed. If you continue to play copyrighted music without a licence, you could face a hefty fine of anything from £100 to £1000 or even be prosecuted.
Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, permission is needed from the relevant copyright holders – those people who create music – in order to play or perform music in public. Playing the radio in your business is classed as a public performance whether this is for your customers, your staff or both.
Background Sounds is one of the UK's leading royalty-free music services, providing business owners with non-PRS PPL music they can play legally. We have a wide range of genres and over 50 expertly curated playlists.
Why can't I use Amazon Music, Spotify, or Apple Music in my business? Mainstream streaming platforms are licensed for private, non-commercial listening. They do not include the public performance licenses needed to play music in a business.
The purpose of Spotify and Apple Music is for personal use and non-commercial use. As a result, you cannot play music using Spotify or Apple Music in your cafe.
