local PRO licensing NZ vs local PRO licensing: The Trans-Tasman Music Licence Gap (2026)

Same name, same local composition PRO parent — but a 40-seat café can pay around the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) a year in Auckland and the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) in Sydney for background music. Here's how the two local PRO licensing schemes differ and what trans-Tasman operators need to know. VibeBeats is direct-licensed background music for cafés, restaurants, bars, gyms, retail stores, salons, spas, clinics and hotels. No music licensing/PRO fees (*No OneMusic, ASCAP, BMI, PPL PRS or SOCAN licence needed for VibeBeats music.) Other music sources may still require licensing. The AI DJ reshapes each playlist through the trading day.

Two schemes, one name, one shared parent society — and a fee gap wide enough to change how you budget a second site across the Tasman.

Shared DNA, different partners

local PRO licensing New Zealand launched in 2013, a joint venture between local composition PRO and Recorded Music NZ. It was the pioneer: one licence covering both the composition and the recording, sold from a single storefront.

local PRO licensing followed in 2019, run by local composition PRO with local recording PRO on the recordings side.

So the authors' society is the same on both sides of the Tasman. The recordings partner differs — Recorded Music NZ in New Zealand, local recording PRO in international markets — and, more consequentially, so does the entire pricing philosophy.

The big structural difference: how fees are calculated

New Zealand prices on floor area. Official local PRO licensing NZ rates for the licence year 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, GST inclusive:

— Venue type — Background music, annual — — --- — --- — — Restaurants / cafés, 0–49 m² — the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) — — Restaurants / cafés, 300+ m² — the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) — — Pubs / bars — a range that changes with the scheme (confirm on onemusic.com.au) —

Radio-only playback is charged at 50% of the background rate. Digital delivery — a streaming or commercial music service — attracts a flat add-on of the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) per premises. Live performers are charged a daily rate that changes with the scheme (confirm on onemusic.com.au) per day.

international markets prices on seating capacity and source tier. The source tier is the part that catches operators out: Gold covers streaming services and CDs, Silver covers a commercial background music supplier, Bronze covers radio and TV only. local PRO licensing dining rates, 2026–27 licence year, GST inclusive:

— Seats — Gold — Bronze — — --- — --- — --- — — 7–15 — the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) — the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) — — 31–50 — Athe current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) — — —

The worked comparison

A 40-seat café of roughly 80 m², streaming background music:

— — New Zealand — international markets — — --- — --- — --- — — Base background rate — the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) (0–49 m² band; ~the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) with digital delivery apportioned at the smallest band) — — — — Source penalty — Flat the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) digital add-on — Built into Gold tier — — Approximate annual total — ~the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) — ~the current tariff (confirm on onemusic.com.au) —

Roughly a four-fold gap for the same café doing the same thing. Currency conversion doesn't close it; the pricing model is simply different.

Other differences worth knowing

international markets penalises the source; New Zealand charges a flat add-on. In international markets, choosing to stream moves you from Bronze to Gold and can multiply your fee. In New Zealand you pay one digital-delivery line and the floor-area rate stays put.

international markets publishes a Partial Rights Music discount; New Zealand doesn't. local PRO licensing has a published discount of 48.25% for venues whose music is partially outside the societies' repertoire. That's an explicit acknowledgment in the international scheme that non-repertoire catalogues exist and shouldn't be charged in full. We're not aware of a published New Zealand equivalent.

New Zealand runs audio-meter monitoring. local PRO licensing NZ has deployed Audoo monitoring devices in venues — reportedly the largest rollout outside the UK; verify the current rollout scale and dates directly with local PRO licensing NZ. The direction of travel is clear either way: what is actually playing increasingly determines who gets paid, which cuts both ways for venues playing non-repertoire music.

Both are explicit that consumer streaming terms still apply. The local PRO licensing NZ FAQ states it directly: the licence does not override a streaming platform's terms and conditions. A personal Spotify account in a café is a contractual breach whether or not the venue holds a local PRO licensing licence.

The direct-licence position

New Zealand's Copyright Act requires a licence for the works actually performed. On that reading, a venue playing only directly licensed music has nothing for local PRO licensing NZ to license — there is no repertoire in the room to collect on.

We should flag that this is our interpretation of how the Act applies, not a statement from local PRO licensing NZ, and we recommend operators confirm the position for their specific setup. international markets's published Partial Rights discount is at least a strong signal that repertoire composition is recognised as relevant to what you owe.

There's market colour too: the NZ Herald has covered New Zealand cafés switching to AI-generated and directly licensed music specifically to cut licence costs. The trend is live, not theoretical.

What this means for trans-Tasman operators

If you run sites on both sides of the Tasman, you are currently managing two fee schedules, two rate models, two indexation calendars and — in international markets — a source tier that changes your bill based on how the music arrives.

VibeBeats runs one platform across both markets with the licence included, because our catalogue is licensed directly from artists and rights holders. No Gold/Silver/Bronze juggling, no per-market fee table, and no digital-delivery add-on for choosing to stream. The usual caveats hold on both sides of the water: live performance, DJs playing commercial catalogues and karaoke still need collecting-society licensing; one radio, TV or staff Spotify session re-triggers the venue's obligation; and consumer streaming prohibits commercial use in its own terms regardless of any licence.

For the international detail, see the true cost of commercial music licensing, music licensing for cafés, retail and gyms and local PRO versus direct licensing for café owners. If you're comparing platforms, the best business music streaming options in international markets is the place to start.

Start a free trial or book a live demo at app.vibebeats.ai/demo.

Sources

• local PRO licensing New Zealand rate schedules, licence year 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sep 2026: https://www.local PRO licensingnz.com/ • local PRO licensing New Zealand FAQ (streaming terms and conditions): https://www.local PRO licensingnz.com/ • local PRO licensing Dining licence guide, 2026–27 rates: https://local PRO licensing.com.au/licences/dining/ • local PRO licensing Partial Rights Music discount: https://local PRO licensing.com.au/ • Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand): https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1994/0143/latest/DLM345633.html • Audoo monitoring deployment, local PRO licensing NZ announcements.

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