Do you need a music licence for your café or restaurant?
Yes — and here’s exactly who you pay, how it’s calculated, and how to stay 100% legal.
If you play music in a space open to the public, you need a licence for the public performance of that music. This applies to cafés, restaurants, bars, shops, gyms and hotels — regardless of whether the source is radio, TV, a CD or streaming.
Who you pay
Most countries have one or more collecting societies (PROs) that represent songwriters, performers and producers. You pay them for the right to play music publicly. Examples include SOKOJ/OFPS (Serbia), HDS ZAMP (Croatia — a single bill), GEMA/GVL (Germany), SACEM/SPRE (France), SIAE/SCF (Italy) and SGAE/AGEDI-AIE (Spain).
How it’s calculated
Tariffs are usually based on factors like floor area, capacity (seats), the type of use (background music vs. live/DJ), and sometimes the number of devices or location. Many societies offer discounts for early registration or trade-association members.
What a music service does — and doesn’t — cover
A business music service like MUSICDJ provides a catalog licensed for commercial use — the legal alternative to personal Spotify. But the public-performance fee to your local society is still your responsibility, by law. Anyone claiming “licence included / no fees” is oversimplifying; the honest path is to register and play with confidence.
MUSICDJ gives you the music plus menus, screens and a jukebox in one platform — and we’ll point you to the right licensing body for your country. Start free today.
