Hotel, B&B and Guesthouse Music Licence
Music in hotels, B&Bs and Guesthouses can be an essential part of the entertainment experience.
Whether you’re playing music in main reception areas, dining rooms, kitchens for your staff, or music and televisions in hotel guest bedrooms you’ll usually need a music licence.
By obtaining TheMusicLicence you’ll be able to play PRS for Music and PPL music legally, and enjoy its benefits whilst ensuring that its creators are fairly rewarded for their work.
Create harmony in your hotel
Music can lift the atmosphere, define your brand, bring customers or guests and employees together through engagement and help your business stand out from your competitors.
Introducing music to your business could be highly beneficial and could help your organisation fulfil its potential.
You could use music to create the right ambience in your hotel, and in turn, set the tone, boost the mood and create a more welcoming atmosphere. The right soundtrack could reflect both your guests and your staff. By learning which style of music heightens that ‘feel good’ factor at different times, you could create a space which is as much known for its atmosphere as it is for its excellent service.
But using music in your accommodation business is about more than just creating an enjoyable atmosphere. When used effectively, music has the potential to bring people together and help your business stand out from your competitors.
Introduce music and help to turn a lounge into a live lounge, a hotel bar into a dancefloor or cocktails into a concert…
Music & customer experience
-
- Help to set the tone, boost the mood and create a more upbeat atmosphere.
- Create a more familiar environment which could allow customers and guests to feel more at ease and relaxed. By having televisions or devices with access to music in your guest bedrooms, this could help to create a more homely feel for your customers.
- Provide an opportunity for your customers and guests to feel more engaged, making their experience with your business more memorable, helping to boost loyalty and retention.
- Help to improve customer satisfaction.
Music & brand awareness
Branding is important – and exciting!
There’s lots to consider but music could make a big difference. Carefully curated playlists that relate to your business can distinguish your brand – especially compared to competitors that don’t play music.
Like your business, music is unique. A tailored soundtrack could help to give your business an identity, define your brand and create uniformity across your organisation. Relatable music could also complement your brand. Whether your business is upbeat and lively, serene and romantic or relaxed and laid back, the music you choose can help you create exactly the right atmosphere and can be important to your individuality.
Playing music could help you stand out and distinguish you from your competitors. It could be considered just as important as your company name or décor.
Music & employee engagement
It’s not just your customers and guests who could benefit from the music that’s played as it could have a considerable benefit to your staff too.
Music has the power to bring us together. Whether using music to connect your staff with your guests, helping employees’ bond with their employers, or creating a positive morale boost throughout a team, the social benefits of music are powerful and long-lasting.
88% of people agree that music lifts the mood and creates a more welcoming atmosphere. *
Music could help to improve the concentration and productivity of your staff members by potentially creating a more positive and uplifting environment. It could make staff feel more engaged and potentially more valued, particularly if they have a choice in the music selection.
Offering your staff a chance to get involved on selecting what music you play could help re-enforce your brand and culture. 93% of people agree that music has a positive effect on their business. *
Listening to music at work could relax and focus the mind, potentially preventing that ‘stressed out’ and overwhelmed feeling. Music could also help to improve the efficiency and quality of work, improve satisfaction and overall engagement of your employees. In a survey conducted by PPL PRS, 82% of employees said they would prefer a workplace that plays music. **
Music could help to create a friendly and more welcoming atmosphere which could help to drive collaboration with colleagues and interaction with customers and guests, potentially leading to improved levels of service and a better customer experience overall.
“Music has a big impact on employee engagement and retention…the teams are in there as much as our guests are, so they enjoy that atmosphere and it helps them connect with the brand they are working in.”
– Liam Wood, Head of Learning and Development, New World Trading Company
Live music & entertainment
Live music has the power to bring people together, be it in a small guest lounge, bar or a huge outside space. Hosting live music and events could help to create a community and mean customers return time and time again.
Not only could live entertainment help to create an engaging and entertaining environment for your customers, but it could also help to distinguish your business from others, help you stay ahead of the competition, and may be why your customers choose your business over others.
Hosting live events in your bar or social areas could help to attract fans of the music, genre or style of music that is used; particularly if you showcase artists and local talent through live performances. PPL PRS charge for live entertainment based on the number of sessions you have, so you could trial this and see how your guests respond.
Live events also give artists the opportunity to perform and could act as an important platform for upcoming talent to showcase their work. While this could strengthen the music scene in your community, it also has the potential to increase the reputation and popularity of your business.
TheMusicLicence not only covers the use of recorded music for background use, it also covers live music performances, and specially featured entertainment, such as festivals, classical concerts, dance performances, theatrical performances, open mic nights, karaoke, comedy shows and film screenings; you can appeal to a wide range of audiences and the entertainment you choose could be tailored to what your specific customer base will enjoy.
References
* Research performed by PPL PRS in relation to TheMusicLicence February – March 2020.
** Attest survey carried out by PPL PRS to 1000 UK adults dated 7 September 2023, working within Professional Sectors.
How is the cost calculated?
The cost of TheMusicLicence depends on a number of factors, including your type of venue and how you use music in your day-to-day operations, whether that be for background purposes or other usages such as music on hold.
Background music in your premises
Starts from...Background music in your premises
Starts from...Specially Featured Entertainment
Starts from...*Cost example correct as of February 2025
Quote Checklist
Before contacting us, please ensure you’ve read our Quote Checklist for each section that is applicable to you, and have the relevant information ready so we can provide an accurate quote for your workplace music licence.
Music in guest bedrooms
- Music in guest bedrooms
Background music – all premises
- The Areas where music is audible, such as receptions, bars, dining rooms etc
Background music – 16+ bedrooms
- The square meterage of each area where music is audible
- Number of seats in bar and restaurant areas where music is playing
- Types of devices used to play music, such as radio, CDs, TV etc
Live music
- The annual expenditure used for Live music
- The capacity of the room you hold your live music sessions
- The total number of live events for the year
Get a quote
If you’ve got all your information ready, please contact us or complete our Get TheMusicLicence form to arrange a quote.
Call us on 0116 290 0525
(8am-6pm, Monday-Friday)
Hospitality Brochure
Read our full guide to using music in your hospitality based business here
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Thinking about playing music in your hotel, B&B or guesthouse and want to know more?
What is TheMusicLicence?
What is TheMusicLicence
Do I need a music licence?
Do I need a music licence?
Where does my money go?
Where does my money go?
How do I get TheMusicLicence?
Call us on 0116 290 0525
(8am to 6pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 3pm Friday)
Alternatively you can complete the online form and an adviser will be in touch.
