Do I Need a Music Licence to Play the Radio in My Business?
It's free in your car. It's free on your phone. It's free in your kitchen.
So surely it's free to play the radio in your shop, right?
Wrong.
In the UK, playing the radio in a business environment is one of the most common ways owners accidentally break copyright law.
Here is the simple truth: Yes, you need a music licence to play the radio. (For the full picture, see our guide: Can I Play Spotify in My Salon?)
Why Isn't It Free?
When you listen in your car, that is "private use." The radio station has already paid royalties to broadcast the music to you privately.
When you play that same station in a salon, cafe, or shop, you are re-broadcasting it to the public. This is a "public performance."
Because your business benefits from the atmosphere the music creates (happier staff, relaxed customers), the law requires you to pay the artists for that benefit.
That means you need TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS.
"But I Have a TV Licence!"
This is the biggest confusion we see.
A TV Licence (paid to the BBC) covers the cost of the infrastructure and the BBC programming. It allows you to legally receive the broadcast signal.
A Music Licence (paid to PPL PRS) covers the copyright of the music protected within that broadcast.
If your TV plays any music—theme tunes, background music in soaps, adverts with jingles—you need a PPL PRS licence on top of your TV licence.
Key takeaway: A TV Licence allows you to turn the TV on. A Music Licence allows you to let the public hear the music coming out of it.
The Cost of the Radio
Many business owners are shocked to learn that playing the radio costs exactly the same as playing CDs or a commercial Spotify playlist. If you have a small salon, the licence will cost you roughly £335 per year.
That's nearly £30 a month.
Ask yourself: Is listening to adverts worth £30 a month?
Commercial radio is full of interruptions. News. Traffic. Ads for other businesses. Inane DJ chatter. You are paying a premium price for a sub-par experience. And if you skip the licence, the fines can reach thousands of pounds.
