Short answer: A music licence for a cafe is not a single fixed UK price. PPL PRS currently gives a background-music example of £400.81 plus VAT per year for specified smaller cafés and restaurants, while the same page's headline says prices start at £1.47 a day. Those figures have different or unclear bases; get a quote for your seating, area and music use rather than treating either as your bill. Source: PPL PRS restaurants and cafés page, checked 6 October 2026.
Sonosfera at a glance
Sonosfera is for cafés that want original background atmosphere rather than named chart hits. UK pricing is £14.99 a month per zone, or £149.90 a year on the annual plan (GB pricing page, checked 6 October 2026). No PPL PRS licence needed for Sonosfera music under an active plan: your subscription is your licence for Sonosfera's own catalogue, while radio, Spotify or live music you add still need their own licence. Sonosfera does not supply named chart hits. Compare the UK plans or try the café music before deciding whether the catalogue fits.
The useful starting question is what the café actually plays throughout the week. A subscription can cover one catalogue while a weekend performer, staff playlist or radio creates a separate licensing question. Check all of those sources before cancelling an existing licence.
Reading the current PPL PRS café example
On 6 October 2026, the PPL PRS café page showed the following:
| Published figure | Stated scope | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| £400.81 plus VAT annually, described as £1.10 a day | An example for background music only, up to 30 seats and up to 400 square metres | A scoped illustration, not an automatic quote for your café |
| Starting from £1.47 a day | Headline claim on the same page | Do not assume it uses the same basis as the annual example |
| Footnote: cost example correct as of September 2026 | Date of the published example | Check that your quote uses the applicable current tariff |
The page does not make the discrepancy clear enough to turn those figures into one reliable starting price. Larger seating areas, other uses and different facts require their own assessment. Compare what each payment covers before calculating a saving: a subscription and a licence quote may cover different music.
GOV.UK says a licence is usually needed to play recorded music in public or at a business. The source, rights and use still matter. Sonosfera's cover applies only to its own catalogue, not to music from another source.
Choose a route that fits the café
| Route | When it fits | What to check before buying |
|---|---|---|
| Mainstream commercial catalogue | You need recognisable recordings or specific artists | The business playback plan and the applicable public-performance licence |
| Sonosfera original catalogue | You need a consistent background mood, schedules and separate zones | Active plan, registered location, zone count and whether any outside music remains |
| Another background-music provider | Its particular catalogue suits the room | Written rights scope, site limits, price basis and certificate |
| Radio, your own files or live performance | You deliberately want that source | Assess the source and use separately; do not borrow another catalogue's cover |
A personal Spotify subscription is not a commercial route. Spotify's own support page says personal accounts cannot be played publicly from a business. Paying for TheMusicLicence does not turn a personal service into a business playback product.
For a familiar catalogue, Soundtrack is one option to investigate, but its UK licensing page says public-performance licences are not included. For an alternative background catalogue, Background Sounds publishes £15 plus VAT monthly or £150 plus VAT annually, checked 6 October 2026, and a certificate on request. For its own catalogue, its home page says no PRS PPL licence is needed. Compare the actual music and written scope rather than assuming two background suppliers are interchangeable.
Do an all-source café audit
Walk through a full week with the shift lead. Include opening, quiet periods, busy service, cleaning and special events. Record what is played and who can switch it. A verbal rule to use one service is weak if a spare phone still starts a different playlist.
| Source or event | Room and time | Person responsible | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chosen background catalogue | Seating area, opening to closing | Shift lead | Plan, invoice, address and written scope |
| Radio or personal playlist | Any room where staff sometimes switch it on | Manager | Separate source and licensing decision |
| Live performer | Weekend event | Event organiser | Relevant licence/permission checks for that use |
| Other audio | Promotional event or customer request | Manager | Decision before it is played |
For Sonosfera, put the active plan, location details, certificate and Terms together. Use the café product page to audition a suitable mood. If your café also runs an instructor-led class, the current Terms cover Pilates, yoga and fitness classes using Sonosfera music at plan locations; check any music the instructor adds separately.
If your café publishes promotional videos, check the music's content terms. Sonosfera's Terms §2 allow recording social content at your venue with its music playing, livestreaming from the venue, and featuring its music in your business's own ads and promotions. Downloading, copying or extracting tracks from the service is prohibited. Other suppliers differ; the Epidemic Business pricing guide separates its content subscriptions from its venue product.
Give the next shift a clear handover
Keep the handover beside the music controls. Write the approved source, the person who can change it, the location of the documents and what to do when a customer asks for a song outside the catalogue. For example: “Use our chosen café service. Ask the manager before connecting another source. The plan and permissions are in the music folder.”
During the trial, listen from the busiest seating area and from the till. Check whether conversation is comfortable and whether staff can change the mood and volume. Sonosfera offers schedules and phone control; a second independent listening area is a zone, so check that need when comparing the price. Do not buy a second stream simply because you own a second speaker.
Plan everyday playback with the café daypart schedule. For terrace seating, read the outdoor café licence guide; for other venue types, use the UK music licence cost hub.
Questions about café music licensing
How much is a PRS licence for a cafe?
The combined PPL PRS background-music example is £400.81 plus VAT a year for a café or restaurant with up to 30 seats and 400 square metres or less. Checked 6 October 2026, its footnote says the cost example is correct as of September 2026. The same page separately says starting from £1.47/day, with a different or unclear basis; neither figure is a quote for your café or a PRS-only bill. Source: PPL PRS café page.
Do I still need PPL PRS if I only play Sonosfera?
No PPL PRS licence needed for Sonosfera music under an active plan: your subscription is your licence for Sonosfera's own catalogue, while radio, Spotify or live music you add still need their own licence. Keep the locations on your plan current and assess any other sources separately.
Is the published café example my final cost?
No. The £400.81 plus VAT annual example has stated seating, area and background-only conditions. The same page has a different headline daily figure. Get a current quote using your own venue facts rather than extrapolating either figure.
Should I cancel my existing licence immediately?
First complete the all-source audit and confirm the scope of your chosen route. If outside music remains, resolve its licence separately. Keep documents showing what changed and when; do not rely on a staff member remembering the arrangement.
Where should I compare the subscriptions?
Use the UK comparison hub, business services guide and Spotify alternatives guide. Compare the same billing period, locations and independent zones.
Check Sonosfera's current UK plans and try the catalogue in your café. Choose it only if original background music suits the room.
Sources
- PPL PRS: restaurants and cafés, checked 6 October 2026
- GOV.UK: licence to play live or recorded music
- Sonosfera Terms, updated 5 October 2026
- Spotify: public and commercial use
- Background Sounds pricing, checked 6 October 2026
