Short answer: A nightclub should list every source that can become audible, then give each one a room, time and responsible person. The practical risk is the handover: house background music continues while the DJ line-checks, a video starts with its own soundtrack or a supplier leaves a personal account connected after close.
Use this register for the changeovers. For the wider licence questions, read the UK pub, bar and nightclub music-licence guide.
Original Sonosfera illustration; the people and venue are fictional and are not customers or endorsers.
Start with one row per source
| Source | Area and time | Responsible person | Handover action | Evidence or question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House background | Entrance and bar before featured music | Opening manager | Stop or isolate before supplier check | Approved source and ordinary plan |
| DJ setup | Main room during booked set | Promoter or duty manager | DJ confirms control after house source stops | Supplier agreement and source check |
| Live act | Stage and connected room | Promoter | Engineer receives and returns control | Performance and production checks |
| Karaoke | Side room or event area | Event lead | Host source starts only after room handover | Host terms, music and screen use |
| Music video | Bar screen area | Duty manager | Video sound kept separate from house source | Public-screening and source question |
| Staff playback | Office, store or prep area | Site manager | Personal source removed at close | Employee audibility and source terms |
Add a row whenever a supplier arrives with a new phone, laptop, USB drive or account. The register is evidence of an operating check; it is not a permission by itself.
Check the public-use and source questions separately
GOV.UK says a licence is usually needed for recorded music played in public or at a business and for many live uses. It also says the venue and the way music is used affect the position. Confirm the real programme with the relevant rights holder.
Then check the source agreement. A consumer subscription, DJ contract, live-act agreement and business catalogue each has its own scope. One answer should not stand in for the other.
This is preparation, not legal advice. Put an uncertain row on hold rather than hiding it in “venue system”.
Make every handover audible and visible
Write four actions beside each change:
- the outgoing operator stops their source;
- the incoming operator confirms their source and rooms;
- a manager listens at the doorway and shared bar boundary;
- the closing owner restores the ordinary house plan.
If two sources are audible together, the handover is not complete. Fix the route or stop one source; do not make both louder.
Where Sonosfera fits
Sonosfera can support approved catalogue background playback before featured entertainment or in a genuinely separate zone. Current product information lists one independent stream per zone, venue-mood playlists, daypart scheduling and phone control of each zone's vibe and volume.
It does not include the DJ's library, live acts, karaoke, music videos, radio, uploads or third-party playlists. Keep them as separate rows. The events and pop-ups guide helps define a temporary area, while current UK pricing shows the product route after the background boundary is clear.
Opening and closing card
Before doors: compare the register with tonight's running order, confirm every source owner, remove personal accounts from house devices and test the changeover from the guest route.
After close: stop supplier sources, disconnect temporary equipment, restore only the approved house source or silence, and log any source that changed from the register.
What if the DJ says the venue handles everything?
Compare the venue and supplier records. Each party should state what it controls. Resolve a conflict before the set begins.
Can the bar keep house music during the DJ set?
Only if the venue deliberately records that as a separate zone and confirms the real source and permissions. Listen at the boundary before opening.
