Background Music for Businesses

Once you have paid for your licence or arranged a direct debit, you will be legally permitted to play or perform the vast majority of commercially released music from around the world, in accordance with the terms outlined in your tariffs and TheMusicLicence Terms & Conditions.

Your licence confirmation will be sent to you either via email or post (depending on your chosen communication method).

If you would like to change your preferred communication method, please speak to Client Services.

Speak to our friendly team today

0116 290 0525

(8am to 6pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 3pm Friday)

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, permission is needed from the relevant copyright holders – those who create, record and publish music – in order to play or perform music in public.

Broadly speaking, this includes any presentation of music outside of a domestic setting. For example, it will include using music in the following ways as part of your business or organisation (for the benefit of customers and/or employees): playing recorded music via any device including the radio, TV broadcasts such as sports or other audio-visual content containing music; or putting on live performances of music.

There are a range of tariffs to cover the different uses of music across various venue types. However, the use of this music will require permission from the copyright holders and TheMusicLicence will give you that permission, covering the vast majority of commercially released music.

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

TheMusicLicence will cover you for the use of music played via the TV or radio, in accordance with the terms outlined in your tariffs and TheMusicLicence

If you do not think that the music you use is covered by PPL PRS you should ask for confirmation from your supplier. If you are unsure about whether you need TheMusicLicence for your music, please contact us.

It is easy to forget that music is used all the time within TV programmes, advertisements during commercial breaks and other broadcasts.

TheMusicLicence gives you permission to use the music contained in television programmes in public. A TV licence only allows you to receive the broadcast signal for the television. If you wish to use the TV in public, such as your business premises you will need a music licence.

Our parent companies receive reporting and information on recorded music played by the TV broadcasters, radio stations, music suppliers and UK businesses that they license. In some cases this information is provided on a track-by-track basis, which is then reviewed against the data they hold to identify the applicable performers and recording rightsholders members whom they should pay.

Where it is not feasible to receive track-by-track usage information, such as from smaller TV and radio stations and businesses, they use a combination of methods to identify the music that has been played. This includes the use of data captured at the point of licensing and through market surveys (in relation to the types of music used by different types of customer).

Your music licence fees are distributed to music creators via our parent companies PPL and PRS for Music.

PPL and PRS for Music are both collective management organisations. They issue licences and collect royalties for certain uses of copyright-protected music, on behalf of their many hundreds of thousands of members. They then distribute those royalties to members.

PPL represents record companies and performers for the use of recorded music, while PRS for Music represents songwriters, composers and music publishers for the use of musical compositions and lyrics (for both recorded music and live performances).

PPL and PRS for Music set up PPL PRS Ltd to offer a single joint music licence, on behalf of them both, for playing and performing music in public (see ‘What does playing music ‘in public’ mean?’).

Whatever your business – coffee shop, beauty or hair salon, cocktail bar or restaurant, clothing retailer or offices, factories and workplaces – playing music via the radio has the potential to enhance the experience you provide to your customers, visitors and employees.

The music you play can be as much a part of your brand image as your logo. It could be the deciding factor for a customer when choosing between you and your competitors!

PPL PRS Ltd was created to provide customers with a streamlined music licensing service – TheMusicLicence – with a single point of contact to make it easier to legally play and perform music in public. PPL PRS Ltd is equally owned by PPL and PRS for Music.

PPL PRS Ltd started trading in 2018. Prior to 2018, businesses and organisations would have had to purchase two separate licences from PPL and PRS for Music instead.

Whatever your business – coffee shop, beauty or hair salon, cocktail bar or restaurant, clothing retailer or offices, factories and workplaces - music has the potential to enhance the experience you provide to your customers, visitors and employees.

The music you play can be as much a part of your brand image as your logo. It could be the deciding factor for a customer when choosing between you and your competitors!

Purchasing TheMusicLicence for your music usage ensures you are legally entitled to play millions of commercially released songs and recordings from all over the world. And in doing so, you are also helping the writers and performers to be fairly rewarded for their work.

Get TheMusicLicence for your business or organisation and put the essential energy of music at the heart of your business!