Music Licensing for Retail Spaces

A retail business playing music is likely to need a music licence.

Why do retail shops need a licence?

If you are playing music, it is highly likely you need a music licence. Permission to play music protected by copyright is a legal requirement in a business/commercial setting.

You can get permission by purchasing a blanket licence from OneMusic, giving you legal access to the majority of popular music worldwide.

Alternatively, you can:

  •  Ask the music creators for permission for each piece of music you play and pay them directly, one by one- a time consuming and nearly impossible task.
  • Only play royalty-free music. It's often difficult to determine what music really is royalty free. It's not the safest option, and it's very limiting with what music you can play.

Over 33,330 Aussie goods and service ‘retail spaces’ hold a music licence with OneMusic Australia.

Doesn't my music streaming service cover music in my store?

Subscribing to a music streaming service, (paid subscription or free) is not the same as having a music licence. Background music suppliers simply provide the music, but not the licence to play to the public. The streaming services most of us use every day is for our personal use. Take Spotify, for example, this is clearly stated in their Terms and Conditions:

Your rights to use the Spotify Service

Access to the Spotify Services

"Subject to your compliance with these Terms (including any other applicable terms and conditions), we grant to you limited, non-exclusive, revocable permission to make personal, non-commercial use of the Spotify Service and the Content (collectively, "Access"). This Access shall remain in effect unless and until terminated by you or Spotify. You agree that you will not redistribute or transfer the Spotify Service or the Content."

Play it public and you need to pay a licence fee or get permission another way. The basic rule is if you are playing music to the public (e.g. to your clients and staff), music creators need to be paid public performance royalties - music licence fees.

You have the right to play the majority of popular and well-recognised music from around the world when you have a OneMusic licence.

Music has value – it entertains your customers, makes them want to stay longer and spend more at your store.

It contributes to your business brand and can influence the behaviour of your customers. The music creators require payment in exchange for their music being used commercially.

What are royalties?

The money from music licence fees goes to music creators. These are called royalties. OneMusic keeps track of the music being played in a huge database drawn from radio and television stations, performance reports, streaming services, music recognition technology like Audoo and data from background music suppliers.

 

What does a music licence cost?

Background music for retail spaces is based on both the size of your floor space, where music can be heard and what device you're using to play the music. 

What happens if I don't take out a licence?

Being without a licence is an infringement of copyright and can end in Court. Playing music for commercial use without permission can constitute an infringement of copyright which, if not rectified, may lead to legal action. A court proceeding may result in your business having to not only pay the licence fees due but other Damages and legal costs on top of that.

How do I know you're not a scam?

You can easily check if OneMusic is a scam. We understand that people need to be alert to online scams and do their research. Government websites can confirm our legitimacy:

Download our information guide
Get A Licence

Our retail community

 

Cat Leahy outside Feather and Drum Hat Co in Yackandandah, regional Victoria.

Cat Leahy outside Feather and Drum Hat Co in Yackandandah, regional Victoria.

 

Music is one of the foundations to creating atmosphere in my tiny little workshop/store front in Yackandandah. When I first open my store in 2021, I started to create playlists based on a few topics. The first topic was hilariously just “hats”, songs about hats. There’s actually more on that theme than you could imagine. People would come into the store and laugh when something like “You Can Leave Your Hat On” or “Raspberry Berret” come on. Good way to start a convo!”

Cat Leahy, Feather and Drum Hat Co. Yackandandah, VIC.

As a small business that promotes locally made gifts, it (using music) aligns perfectly with our brand values for us to champion payment local artists via licensing.

Katinka Dineen, Lily and Dot gift shop, Hobart

OneMusic is a proud partner of:

   

Logo block of our retail partners.

What retail media say about OneMusic

Music tips for retail

Social Media

How can I use music on social media, and is it covered by a OneMusic licence?

Personal/non-commercial use of music in social media videos is covered under our agreements with the social media platforms. Please refer to the music-use policy of the social platform in question for more information. 

Non personal/commercial use of music in a social media or YouTube video will require direct permission from the rights holders of the songs in question. These are separate to the rights provided via a OneMusic licence. Please see our guide on synchronisation rights.

Who is OneMusic?

The performing right organisations behind OneMusic have been licensing the use of music for almost 100 years. Launched in 2019, OneMusic is a joint initiative of APRA AMCOS and PPCA. In an effort to simplify the licensing process for customers, they created one licence to cover music use by songwriters, publishers, recording artists, record labels and composers.

 

 

Have a query? We’re here to help. Contact us:

getalicence@onemusic.com.au

1300 162 162

Get a licence
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