Music Licence for Salons in Australia: OneMusic Guide
Australian salons need a music licence to legally play background music. See OneMusic costs, APRA AMCOS enforcement, and how to avoid the fee entirely.
Akash Kumar is a salon owner turned software founder. After years of running a hair and beauty business in the UK — and getting caught out by PPL/PRS licensing letters — he built Sonosfera to solve the problem he lived through firsthand.
Music Licence for Salons in Australia: OneMusic Guide
Getting a music licence for your salon in Australia means one thing: OneMusic. It is the single body that covers both songwriter royalties and recording artist rights. A small salon pays approximately AUD 172 per year. Sonosfera eliminates this requirement for approximately AUD 39/month with all licensing included.
In 2019, Australia merged its two licensing bodies into one system. It is much simpler than the UK licensing model, but you are still paying a fee just to press play.
Here is exactly how the Australian Copyright Act applies to your salon, what OneMusic charges, and how to bypass the fee entirely.
Information notice: This article is general information based on publicly available sources from OneMusic Australia and APRA AMCOS. It is not legal advice. If you're unsure about your specific premises, contact the relevant licensing body.
Accuracy: Last reviewed on 7 April 2026. If you spot an error, email corrections@sonosfera.app.
Fast facts on Australian salon music licensing
Who needs it: Any commercial space playing recorded music for staff or clients.
The legal basis: Section 31 of the Australian Copyright Act 1968 requires a public performance right.
The cost driver: Floor space. A 55 sqm salon pays double what a 45 sqm salon pays.
The exception: You do not need a OneMusic licence if you exclusively play direct-licensed music.
What is a OneMusic Australia music licence for salons?
OneMusic Australia is a joint licensing initiative launched in 2019 by APRA AMCOS and PPCA. It gives Australian businesses a single licence to legally play commercially released music in public. Salons fall under the specific "Hair and Beauty" tariff category.
Before 2019, Australian business owners had to buy two separate licences. APRA AMCOS covered the songwriters, and PPCA covered the recording artists. Australia actually got this right by merging them. The UK still forces businesses to deal with two separate bodies.
Convenience does not mean it is cheap. You still need this licence to play the radio, CDs, or commercial streaming platforms. If customers hear the music, the performance is public.
How much does a OneMusic music licence cost for a salon in Australia?
A OneMusic licence for an Australian salon starts at approximately AUD 171.94 per year for spaces up to 50 square metres. If your salon is between 51 and 200 square metres, the cost doubles to approximately AUD 343.88 per year.
Feature
1-50 sqm Salon
51-200 sqm Salon
Annual OneMusic Fee
AUD 171.94
AUD 343.88
Licensing bodies covered
APRA AMCOS & PPCA
APRA AMCOS & PPCA
Commercial streaming app
Not included
Not included
Total estimated yearly cost
AUD 400+
AUD 570+
The pricing scales based on the size of your customer-facing area. This includes the cutting floor, waiting room, and reception. Staff-only break rooms are usually calculated differently. You must renew this fee annually, and the rates typically increase with inflation. For context, this is cheaper than the UK cost breakdown, but it remains a strict overhead.
Can I just play Spotify in my Australian salon?
No, playing a personal Spotify account in an Australian salon is illegal. Spotify's terms of service explicitly ban commercial use. Even if you pay for a OneMusic licence, using a consumer Spotify account in your business still breaches copyright rules.
This is the most common mistake salon owners make. They assume paying APRA AMCOS covers everything. It covers the public performance right, but it does not give you a legal source of music.
To stay compliant, you need a commercial music service on top of your OneMusic fee. We cover this trap extensively in our guide on playing Spotify in an Australian salon.
Not sure if your business actually needs a music licence?See the legal option
Play music legally without APRA AMCOS admin headaches.
Do I need a OneMusic licence if I rent a chair?
Usually, the salon owner holds the OneMusic licence for the entire premises. If you rent a chair and the salon already has a valid background music licence, you do not need to buy a separate one for your specific chair.
The physical space dictates the licence. If the music plays through a central speaker system, the landlord or primary leaseholder pays the fee.
If you operate a private room within a larger complex and control your own music, APRA AMCOS expects you to hold the licence. Always check your rental agreement to see who holds liability for copyright compliance.
What happens if you play music without a OneMusic licence?
Playing unlicensed music in an Australian business violates Section 31 of the Copyright Act 1968. APRA AMCOS actively audits businesses. If caught, you face demands for backdated licence fees, civil damages, and potential court orders to stop playing music.
APRA AMCOS has a dedicated licensing compliance team. They visit high streets, check social media stories, and respond to reports from the public.
Ignoring their letters is a bad strategy. The debt escalates quickly. Copyright infringement carries strict financial penalties that far exceed the cost of simply buying the licence in the first place.
How to get a music licence for your salon in Australia — or skip it entirely
You can legally bypass OneMusic by playing direct-licensed music. Because the artists and producers license their tracks directly to platforms like Sonosfera, APRA AMCOS and PPCA have no legal right to collect royalties for those specific songs.
This is the only legal route for Australian salons that want to avoid the OneMusic fee. If you do not play the top 40 chart hits controlled by major record labels, you do not owe them money.
You simply subscribe to a direct-licensed platform. The platform pays the artists directly. You get great music, and OneMusic gets nothing. You can read the exact licensing details of how this works.
OneMusic vs Sonosfera: Which is better for salons?
OneMusic allows you to play famous chart hits but costs up to AUD 344 per year, plus the cost of a commercial streaming app. Sonosfera costs approximately AUD 39/month (~£19.99/month) and includes all legal licensing, bypassing OneMusic entirely.
The decision comes down to whether you genuinely need Taylor Swift playing in the background. Most salons just want a curated, high-quality atmosphere.
Feature
OneMusic Route
Sonosfera Route
Licensing required
Yes (AUD 172-344/yr)
None (Included)
Music source needed
Yes (Extra monthly cost)
Included
Total monthly cost
~AUD 35-50 total
~AUD 39 flat
Setup time
Days (Application process)
5 minutes
When you browse our playlists, you find high-quality tracks built specifically for commercial spaces. It solves the legal problem and the atmosphere problem in one step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need a music licence for my salon in Australia?
A: Usually, yes. If customers or staff can hear recorded music in your salon, you need permission to play it in public. In Australia, you get this through OneMusic, unless you exclusively use a direct-licensed service.
Q: Does a TV in my salon require a OneMusic licence?
A: Yes. If you have a TV in your waiting room playing broadcast channels, MTV, or music videos, that counts as a public performance of music. You need a OneMusic licence to cover it.
Q: How do APRA AMCOS know if I play music?
A: APRA AMCOS employs compliance officers who visit commercial districts. They also monitor business social media accounts, make phone calls to premises, and receive reports from the public or competing businesses.
Q: What is the difference between APRA AMCOS and OneMusic?
A: APRA AMCOS is the organisation that collects royalties for songwriters and composers. OneMusic is the joint venture they created with PPCA (who represent recording artists) to sell a single, combined licence to businesses.
Q: Can I play royalty-free music without OneMusic?
A: Yes. If you only play royalty-free or direct-licensed music where all rights are cleared at the source, you do not need a OneMusic licence. APRA AMCOS cannot charge you for music they do not represent.
Stop risking a fine. Start saving money.
Try Sonosfera free for 14 days.From AUD 39/month (~£19.99). All licensing included.
About the author
Sonosfera is founded by a UK salon owner who has handled day-to-day compliance decisions around customer experience, in-store audio, and licensing since 2018. This article is written from that operational perspective and cross-checked against the official sources linked throughout. It is not legal advice.
