Sonosfera vs Epidemic Sound: Which Fits UK Businesses? (2026)

Two music services. Two completely different licences. Knowing which one applies to your situation takes about five minutes — and getting it wrong costs considerably more.

The short answer: Sonosfera is built for UK businesses with physical premises — salons, shops, clinics, gyms. It covers eligible Sonosfera catalogue playback at £19.99/month, with outside music, radio, DJs, uploads, and third-party playlists kept separate. Epidemic Sound is built for digital content creators — YouTube channels, podcasters, social media marketers. Its commercial plan covers sync rights for online video, not the music playing through your shop speakers. Most UK businesses with a physical space need the former.

Fast facts

• TheMusicLicence — issued by PPL PRS Ltd, the joint body formed by PPL (representing record labels and performers) and PRS for Music (representing songwriters and publishers) — covers public performance in UK physical premises and starts from approximately £238.33 per year + VAT for small venues (PPL PRS business tariffs)
• Sonosfera is priced at £19.99/month and covers eligible Sonosfera catalogue playback in supported UK commercial settings (Sonosfera pricing)
• Epidemic Sound charges from ~£13/month (Personal) to £25+/month (Commercial) — covers sync rights for digital content, not physical premises (Epidemic Sound plans)
• Epidemic Sound's library contains 40,000+ tracks and 90,000+ sound effects (Epidemic Sound)
• GOV.UK states that most businesses playing music in public need a licence unless they play only music that does not require one (UK Government music licensing guidance)

At a glance

What is the main difference between Sonosfera and Epidemic Sound?

The difference is the type of licence, not the music itself.

Public performance rights cover the act of playing music in a physical space where people can hear it — a shop, salon, waiting room, gym, or café. In the UK, this is managed through two collecting societies: PPL (for recorded music and performers) and PRS for Music (for songwriters and publishers). They issue a joint licence called TheMusicLicence. If you play commercial music in your business without it, you are infringing copyright regardless of what streaming service you use.

Sync rights (synchronisation rights) cover the act of pairing music to moving images — YouTube videos, Instagram Reels, TikTok clips, podcasts, and ads. This is a legally distinct right.

Epidemic Sound specialises in sync rights. Their library is cleared for digital content use, which is why YouTube creators use it — their channel gets whitelisted and copyright claims disappear. But sync clearance does not extend to physical public performance. A track licensed for your YouTube video is not automatically licensed for your salon speakers.

Sonosfera operates on a direct-licensing model for eligible Sonosfera catalogue playback. Outside music, radio, DJs, uploaded files, and third-party playlists remain separate.

Does Epidemic Sound cover UK music licensing for physical premises?

No. Epidemic Sound's Personal and Commercial plans cover digital sync rights for online content. They do not cover public performance rights under UK law.

If you play Epidemic Sound music through your shop speakers, you are still required to hold a valid licence covering those tracks. For most commercial music, that means TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. The only exception is if you play exclusively music that is genuinely cleared for physical public performance without royalties — which is a specific subset of the market, and not what Epidemic Sound's general library offers.

Their website and terms of service are clear on this point: the licence covers online content use. Physical performance is outside their scope.

Can I use Epidemic Sound in my salon or shop?

Not without additional licensing.

If you subscribe to Epidemic Sound and play their music through your salon speakers, you would still need TheMusicLicence (or an equivalent) to cover the public performance. That starts from approximately £238.33 + VAT per year for small venues.

Add that to Epidemic Sound's Commercial plan (~£300/year) and you're looking at roughly £540+ per year before VAT — for a setup that was not designed with physical premises in mind.

A service built specifically for physical premises, like Sonosfera, documents eligible Sonosfera catalogue playback in one monthly fee. Outside music sources, radio, DJs, live performers, uploads, and third-party playlists remain separate.

Which is cheaper for a UK business: Sonosfera or Epidemic Sound?

It depends on your actual use case, but for physical premises the numbers are straightforward.

If you only need music for a physical space:

• Epidemic Sound Commercial (£300/year) + TheMusicLicence (£238+ + VAT/year) = roughly £540+ per year minimum
• Sonosfera (£19.99/month) = ~£240/year, Sonosfera catalogue scope documented

If you only need music for digital content (YouTube, social media):

• Epidemic Sound Personal (£156/year) or Commercial (£300/year) is purpose-built for this
• Sonosfera does not cover digital content use

If you need both:

You likely need two services, or a separate approach for each use case. That edge case is covered below.

For a detailed breakdown of what licences actually cost, see our guide on music licence costs for small businesses.

Do I still need TheMusicLicence with either service?

With Sonosfera: Eligible Sonosfera catalogue playback is covered in supported UK commercial settings. Outside music remains separate.

With Epidemic Sound: Yes, if you are playing their music in a physical space. Their licence covers digital content only. Public performance in physical premises requires separate licensing under UK law.

TheMusicLicence is the joint licence issued by PPL PRS Ltd on behalf of PPL and PRS for Music. You can check current tariffs directly at pplprs.co.uk.

For a plain-English explanation of how these bodies work, see our guide to PRS and PPL licences explained.

Can I use Epidemic Sound for business social media AND in my shop?

You can use Epidemic Sound for your social media content — that's exactly what it is designed for. The Commercial plan covers YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, podcasts, and online ads.

You cannot use it as a substitute for physical premises licensing. So if your business does both — say, you run a salon and also post treatment videos to Instagram — you would need:

1. Public performance rights for the salon floor (Sonosfera, or Epidemic Sound + TheMusicLicence separately)
2. Sync rights for your video content (Epidemic Sound Commercial, or royalty-free alternatives)

Some businesses handle this with two subscriptions. Others use Sonosfera for in-premises music and keep their social media audio separate — YouTube's Audio Library is free and covers most basic video needs.

The question worth asking is: what is the primary use? Most salons, clinics, and shops spend far more time playing music to customers than producing video content. Solving the physical space problem first is usually the right call.

Is Epidemic Sound royalty-free for UK businesses?

Partially, and the distinction matters.

Royalty-free is a licensing model, not a music type. It means you pay once (or via subscription) and do not owe per-play royalties to the rights holder. Epidemic Sound operates a subscription-based royalty-free model for digital content — you subscribe, you use their music in videos, you don't owe extra fees per view.

But "royalty-free for digital use" is not the same as "exempt from UK public performance licensing." Under UK law, playing music in a physical business space triggers public performance rights regardless of the underlying licensing model of the recordings. The only way to avoid TheMusicLicence entirely is to use music that is genuinely cleared for physical public performance without royalties — a specific subset of the market.

See our longer piece on royalty-free vs licensed music for a fuller breakdown of what these terms actually mean.

What about playing Spotify in my business?

Worth covering briefly, since it comes up constantly.

Spotify's Terms of Service (Section 4) explicitly prohibit commercial use. A personal or family plan does not cover playing music in a business, regardless of whether customers can hear it. The same applies to Apple Music, Amazon Music, and any other consumer streaming service — none of them licence music for public performance.

If you're currently using Spotify in your shop, you are in breach of their terms and potentially infringing copyright. Our guide on whether you can play Spotify in your salon covers this in detail.

Edge cases: when you might need both services

There are legitimate scenarios where a business genuinely needs both types of licensing.

A salon that creates YouTube content. The salon floor needs public performance licensing. The YouTube channel needs sync rights. Two different problems, two different tools.

A retail brand with a video marketing strategy. In-store music is one need. Branded video content is another. Epidemic Sound's stem editing tools — which let you remove vocals or isolate instruments — are genuinely useful for video production work. Sonosfera doesn't offer this because it's not built for that use case.

A co-working space or events venue with regular filming. If you frequently film events in your venue, both types of rights may apply simultaneously.

In these cases, the honest answer is that you may need both. Epidemic Sound's Personal plan covers individual creators, so if the social media side is handled by one person, the cost stays manageable.

What should you do next?

1. Identify your primary use case. Is the music for your physical space, your social media, or both?
2. Check your current licensing status. If you're playing music in a physical UK business without a licence, sort this now. Start with GOV.UK's music licensing guidance.
3. Compare costs honestly. For physical premises, add up TheMusicLicence + your current music subscription. If the combined total exceeds £240/year, a catalogue-scoped commercial service may make more financial sense.
4. Check what you actually need for video. If your social media output is light, YouTube's free audio library or a Personal Epidemic Sound plan may be sufficient.

If your primary need is music for a physical UK business space, Sonosfera offers a 14-day free trial with certificate-ready Sonosfera catalogue scope. You can browse the playlist library to check whether the music suits your environment before committing. Licensing details are on the legal page.

If you need music for video content creation, Epidemic Sound is the better tool — it was built for that purpose.

Neither service is universally "better." They solve different problems. Getting clear on which problem you actually have is the whole job.

Further reading:

• Best background music services for salons
• PRS and PPL licence explained
• What does a music licence actually cost for a small business?
• Can I play Spotify in my salon?
• Royalty-free vs licensed music: what's the difference?

Sources:

• GOV.UK: Music licensing for business
• PPL PRS Ltd: Business music licensing tariffs
• Epidemic Sound: Plans and pricing
• Legislation.gov.uk: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988