60-Second Check
Do I actually need a music licence?
Answer a few quick questions. No email required.
Do you play any music at your business premises where customers or staff can hear it?
The Three-Letter Alphabet Soup
Two rights. Two routes.
Music licensing varies by country, but the underlying rights are the same. Here's the plain-English version.
Songwriters & composers
Composition societies represent the writers and publishers behind a song. Names vary by country, including ASCAP and BMI in the US, PRS for Music in the UK, SOCAN in Canada and equivalent societies in Australia and New Zealand.
Music licensing bodies by country — and what VibeBeats replaces
Every country has its own collecting societies. Here's who they are, what they charge for, and what changes when you play VibeBeats.
| Country | Songwriter / publisher society | Recording / performer society | How venues usually get licensed | With VibeBeats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Australian composition society | Australian recording society | Single combined licence covering both | No separate licence needed for VibeBeats music |
| New Zealand | NZ composition society | Recorded Music NZ | Single combined licence covering both | No separate licence needed for VibeBeats music |
| United States | ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR | None for venues (SoundExchange covers digital radio only) | Separate license from each PRO | No ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR license needed for VibeBeats music |
| United Kingdom | PRS for Music | PPL | TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS Ltd (single licence covering both) | TheMusicLicence not required for VibeBeats-only playback |
| Canada | SOCAN | Re:Sound | Entandem (single invoice covering both) | No SOCAN fee for VibeBeats music. Re:Sound is a statutory fee under Canadian law and may still apply — ask us about coverage. |
Australia
- Songwriter / publisher society
- Australian composition society
- Recording / performer society
- Australian recording society
- How venues usually get licensed
- Single combined licence covering both
- With VibeBeats
- No separate licence needed for VibeBeats music
New Zealand
- Songwriter / publisher society
- NZ composition society
- Recording / performer society
- Recorded Music NZ
- How venues usually get licensed
- Single combined licence covering both
- With VibeBeats
- No separate licence needed for VibeBeats music
United States
- Songwriter / publisher society
- ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR
- Recording / performer society
- None for venues (SoundExchange covers digital radio only)
- How venues usually get licensed
- Separate license from each PRO
- With VibeBeats
- No ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR license needed for VibeBeats music
United Kingdom
- Songwriter / publisher society
- PRS for Music
- Recording / performer society
- PPL
- How venues usually get licensed
- TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS Ltd (single licence covering both)
- With VibeBeats
- TheMusicLicence not required for VibeBeats-only playback
Canada
- Songwriter / publisher society
- SOCAN
- Recording / performer society
- Re:Sound
- How venues usually get licensed
- Entandem (single invoice covering both)
- With VibeBeats
- No SOCAN fee for VibeBeats music. Re:Sound is a statutory fee under Canadian law and may still apply — ask us about coverage.
Live music, DJs, karaoke, TV/radio and consumer streaming apps (Spotify, Apple Music) still need the usual licence from these bodies. VibeBeats replaces the recorded background-music licence only. VibeBeats is not affiliated with or endorsed by any collecting society; names are used for identification only.
What Your Venue Really Pays
The Chart Music vs VibeBeats math
Pick your venue. See the shape of the bill.
- —Priced by floor area, capacity, headcount or usage
- —Annual tariff reviews & increases
- —Separate music platform + PRO licence still required
- —Retrospective invoicing if you're caught unlicensed
- ✓No music licensing/PRO fees*
- ✓No hardware or install
- ✓Curated playlists, AI voice ads, branded radio
- ✓Certificate of compliance for peace of mind
*No separate public-performance music licence needed for VibeBeats music. Other music sources may still require licensing.
What we hear every week
The four expensive myths
We've heard all of these from venue owners around the world. Every one of them is wrong — and every one has cost someone a retrospective invoice. The most common of the four is the belief that Spotify for Business exists as a plan you can simply upgrade to.
"Spotify Premium covers my business"
Spotify's own terms say it's for personal use only. Playing it in public is a copyright breach — Premium doesn't change that.
"The radio is free to play in my venue"
Broadcast radio in public premises can still trigger local music licensing obligations. Free to listen does not mean free to broadcast.
"My playlist is only background music, it doesn't count"
If customers or staff can hear it, it counts. There's no 'volume exemption' under the Copyright Act.
"I'm too small for a PRO to notice"
Licensing organisations audit cafés, salons and small retailers in many countries. Invoices may be issued retrospectively for unlicensed periods.
Your subscription is your licence.
Every VibeBeats subscriber gets an official Certificate of Compliance — a signed PDF you can print, frame or forward if any music licensing organisation (ASCAP, BMI, PRS or others) ever asks. No more nervous letters, no more "am I paying twice?".
- Direct-licensed music — not registered with performing rights organisations
- Signed PDF, ready to email or print
- Covers your premises for the full term of your subscription
- Master and publishing rights included — valid worldwide
Already a subscriber, or checking someone else's? Verify a certificate number to confirm it's live.
Certificate verification
Check to see if you're verified
Every paid VibeBeats venue is issued a Certificate of Compliance with a number starting VB-. Landlords, franchisors, auditors and licensing field officers can confirm it in seconds — the check returns the licensed business, the premises it covers, the date of issue and whether the certificate is currently valid.
Deep dives
Every question, answered.
Bookmark these — they cover the exact questions venue operators keep asking us, market by market.
Skip the licensing headache
VibeBeats is commercial music streaming built for businesses worldwide. No music licensing/PRO fees (*No separate public-performance music licence needed for VibeBeats music.) Other music sources may still require licensing. No Spotify risk. No hardware.
Licensing by venue type
See industry-specific guidance for your business:
Music licensing for business