Music licensing for UK venues: PRS and PPL explained

The short answer

If recorded music can be heard in your venue, whether it comes from speakers, a TV, a radio or a jukebox, you almost certainly need a music licence. Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, playing music anywhere outside a domestic setting counts as a public performance, and public performance needs permission from the people who own the rights. That applies even if only your staff can hear it, and even if nobody pays to get in. For most UK venues, the practical route is a single licence called TheMusicLicence, issued by PPL PRS Ltd.

Who are PRS and PPL?

Every commercial track carries two separate sets of rights, and a different organisation looks after each one.

• PRS for Music represents the people behind the song itself: songwriters, composers and music publishers. When a song is performed or played in public, PRS collects royalties on their behalf.
• PPL represents the people behind the specific recording: performers and recording rightsholders, typically record labels. When that recording is played in public, PPL collects royalties for them.

The distinction matters because one song can exist as many recordings. Play a cover band's live version and the songwriter's rights are engaged; press play on the original studio recording and both the song rights and the recording rights are engaged. That is why businesses historically needed two separate licences, one from each organisation.

What is TheMusicLicence?

In 2018, PPL and PRS for Music set up a joint venture, PPL PRS Ltd, to sell a single combined licence called TheMusicLicence. Instead of dealing with two organisations, two invoices and two renewal dates, a venue deals with one. TheMusicLicence covers the playing and performance of virtually all commercially released music in your premises, from background playlists to live performances, and the fee is split between PPL and PRS behind the scenes so the right people get paid.

When do you need it?

You normally need TheMusicLicence if any of the following happen at your venue:

• Background music through speakers, in any area customers or staff can hear
• TVs or radios on in the bar, dining area or waiting areas where music is audible
• Live music nights, DJs, karaoke or open mic sessions
• Event nights with walk-on music, stings or announcements over music
• Music on hold on your phone system
• Music in staff-only areas such as kitchens and back offices

There are limited situations where a licence may not be needed, such as music played as part of an act of divine worship, or music whose rightsholders are genuinely not represented by PPL or PRS (some royalty-free catalogues work this way). These exceptions are narrow and easy to get wrong, so if you think one applies to you, confirm it directly with PPL PRS before relying on it.

Note that TheMusicLicence is separate from your premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 and separate from a TV Licence. Holding one does not cover you for the others.

What affects the cost

There is no single flat fee, and published figures go out of date quickly, so we deliberately are not quoting prices here. Broadly, PPL PRS calculates your fee from factors such as:

• The type of business you run (a pub is assessed differently from a shop or a gym)
• How music is used: background listening, featured music, live events, DJs or karaoke
• The size of the areas where music is played, measured by floor area or capacity
• How often featured or live music happens, for example the number of event nights
• The devices involved, such as speakers, TVs, radios and phone systems

The only reliable way to know what your venue would pay is to get a quote from PPL PRS directly, based on your actual premises and usage.

How to get licensed

Getting covered is straightforward: contact PPL PRS through their website or by phone, describe your venue and how you use music, and they will calculate a fee and issue the licence, which is typically renewed annually. If your usage changes during the year, for example you start running weekly live events, tell them, as your licence needs to reflect what actually happens in the room.

Common misconceptions

• "I bought the CD or the download, so I can play it." Buying music gives you the right to listen to it privately. It does not give you the right to play it in public. Public performance is a separate right that stays with the songwriters, performers and rightsholders, which is exactly what the licence pays for.
• "My personal Spotify or Apple Music subscription covers it." Consumer streaming accounts are licensed for personal, non-commercial use, and their terms generally prohibit playback in a business. Using one in your venue would typically breach the service's terms as well as copyright law, even if you hold TheMusicLicence. We unpack this fully in our guide to playing a streaming service in a business.
• "Only my staff can hear it, so it doesn't count." Music played to employees is still a public performance in copyright terms. A radio in the kitchen needs covering just as much as the playlist on the main floor.
• "My premises licence already covers music." A premises licence deals with regulated entertainment and alcohol under licensing law. Music copyright is a completely separate regime, and you can be fully compliant with one while infringing the other.

What happens if you play music unlicensed?

Playing music in public without the required licence is copyright infringement. PPL PRS actively contacts and visits businesses to check compliance, and if unlicensed use is found you can expect to be asked for backdated fees, potentially with additional charges on top, and in persistent cases civil legal action for infringement. The cost and hassle of putting it right afterwards is reliably worse than simply getting licensed in the first place, and being properly covered means the writers and performers behind the music you build your atmosphere on actually get paid.

Quick answers

Where VibeDeck fits in

A quick note on our own software. VibeDeck plays your venue's own imported music files, offline, across your zones. It does not include, grant or replace any public performance licence: whatever you play through VibeDeck, you are responsible for holding the appropriate licences for your premises, exactly as you would with any other playback system. Sorting TheMusicLicence and sorting your playback setup are two separate jobs, and this guide covers the first.