Sonosfera vs PPL PRS: The Direct Licensing Explained
When business owners see our price (£19.99/mo) compared to PPL PRS (£300+/year), they often ask:
"Is this legal? It sounds too good to be true."
We get it. You don't want to risk a fine. But Sonosfera isn't a loophole. It is a legitimate, recognized model of copyright licensing called Direct Licensing.
Here is the plain English explanation of how we help you bypass the PPL PRS bill. (For the basics, see Can I Play Spotify in My Salon?)
The "Blanket" vs The "Direct"
Think of Music Licensing like TV Licensing.
PPL PRS (The Blanket Licence) PPL PRS collects money on behalf of millions of artists and record labels (Sony, Universal, Warner). Because they represent almost everyone, they charge you a "Blanket Licence" to play anything from their catalogue.
- Pros: You can play Ed Sheeran, The Beatles, and Taylor Swift.
- Cons: It is expensive (£300+).
Sonosfera (The Direct Licence) Sonosfera represents a specific group of independent artists who are NOT members of PPL or PRS. These artists come to us and say: "I want to license my music directly to businesses." We pay them directly from your subscription fee.
- Pros: It is much cheaper (£19.99/mo).
- Cons: You can't play Ed Sheeran. You can only play our artists.
The Legal Logic
Copyright law requires you to have permission from the copyright owner to play music in public.
- If you play The Beatles, the owner is a Record Label represented by PPL. You need a PPL licence.
- If you play "Chill Lofi Beat #4" by a Sonosfera artist, the owner is the artist represented by Sonosfera. You need a Sonosfera licence.
You do not need both.
If you promise to only play Sonosfera music (and no radio/commercial tracks), you do not need the PPL PRS licence.
Want to skip the complexity? Try Sonosfera free for 14 days — £19.99/month, all licensing included.
The "Car Insurance" Analogy
Ideally, PPL PRS is like the biggest insurance company in the UK. Sonosfera is a specialist insurer.
