Fitness
22 April 2026
Discover the simple steps to help your business apply for a music licence and ensure it's compliant. Follow our guide to make the application process easy.
Music plays a powerful role in shaping customer experience. It can influence mood, increase dwell time, motivate staff and strengthen brand identity. For many businesses, music is an important part of daily operations, whether it’s played as ambience, entertainment or motivation. However, when music is used in a business setting, it is no longer considered “personal use” — and this raises the question: what is a music licence, and is a music licence a legal requirement?
In Australia, businesses that play music publicly may need a public performance licence or background music licence. This includes music played through TVs, radios, streaming services or digital devices. Understanding how to apply for a music licence and the cost of a music licence is an important step in ensuring a business is appropriately licensed.
Almost all popular music heard on TV, radio and streaming services is protected by the Copyright Act. The Act exists to ensure that people who make creative content — including musical works, sound recordings, films, and other creative works — are able to protect how their content is used. It grants music creators and copyright owners a number of exclusive rights, which means permission is required when music is used outside of personal listening.
A OneMusic licence provides this permission for eligible music uses in business settings. OneMusic licence fees vary depending on factors such as business type, location, floor area, audience size and how music is used. Businesses can obtain information about licence fees and usage types directly from OneMusic when applying for or renewing a licence.
If a business plays music in a publicly accessible space — such as a shop, café, gym, office, bar, salon or waiting room — that use is considered a public performance. This applies regardless of whether the music is played through:
A music licence ensures that the people who create the music — songwriters, composers, publishers, record labels and recording artists — are paid for how their work is used by businesses.
Complying with music licensing requirements is an important part of running a responsible and legally compliant business.
Key reasons compliance matters:
In Australia, businesses can obtain a licence through OneMusic which provides a streamlined way to cover the public performance of music across a wide range of business environments.
In short, if music adds value to your business, ensuring it is licensed correctly is part of doing business properly — protecting your operation while supporting the people who create the music your customers enjoy.
When applying for a OneMusic licence online, you will need the following information:
Multi-Location Businesses
Each location needs to be licensed by OneMusic. This can be set up in one of two ways.
1. Take out an individual licence per location.
2. Take out a ‘head office’ licence (providing all your locations are trading under the same ABN) and license them all under the one account.
If you already have a OneMusic licence but have since opened a new location, please contact us.
Licensees are required to notify OneMusic of any changes that may affect their licence. This includes (but is not limited to):
How to update information:
If a business’s music use increases or changes, the licence may need to be reviewed or upgraded. This may include:
Businesses should notify OneMusic as soon as changes occur.
Any adjustments to licence fees are determined based on the updated music use and may apply from the date the change commenced.
Maintaining accurate licence details helps ensure that your business remains correctly licensed for its music use.
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