Music licence cost calculator
In the UK most venues find out what TheMusicLicence costs only after the letter arrives. These are PPL PRS’s own published 2026 examples, so you can see the number first — and what it costs to sidestep it by changing the music rather than the paperwork.
What would TheMusicLicence cost you?
Priced for hair and beauty premises with up to 5 treatment chairs.
PPL PRS January 2026 published examples · checked 2026-07-21 · every figure shown excludes VAT unless it says otherwise
What a year of music costs, two ways
These are not two prices for the same thing. TheMusicLicence buys permission, not music — so the mainstream route is two costs, and only one of them has a published figure.
£238.33 + VAT a year for one venue — and that is the licence alone. It does not buy you any music.
TheMusicLicence, if you play mainstream music
£238.33 per year, ex VAT
£286.00 inc. VAT
Charged per venue, every year, for as long as music that PPL and PRS represent is audible on the premises — that is most commercial music, radio and TV.
Plus the music itself
No published figure
A licence supplies no music, and a consumer streaming subscription supplies no public-performance rights, so whatever you pay for the music sits on top of the figure above. We do not know what you pay, so this space stays empty rather than filled with a number we made up.
Or Sonosfera, and no PPL PRS bill
£149.90 per year, ex VAT
1 zone
One price for the music itself. Sonosfera's catalogue is fully rights-controlled and is not registered with PPL or PRS, so Sonosfera-only playback does not need TheMusicLicence. If you also play mainstream music, the radio, TV or live performers anywhere on the premises, that still does.
The PPL PRS figure is their own published example for the venue shape named above. Your actual bill depends on floor area, seating, devices, staff numbers and opening hours at the same time, so treat this as a reference point and not a quote — get an exact quote from PPL PRS. Sonosfera’s figure leaves out the additional-location discount, so multi-site estates pay less than shown.
Email yourself this breakdown
Common questions
- How much is a music licence in the UK?
- It depends on your venue type and size. On PPL PRS 2026 published examples, TheMusicLicence starts around £238.33 + VAT a year for a salon with up to five treatment chairs, £359.95 for a pub with an audible area up to 400 m², £400.81 for a café of up to 30 seats, £450.99 for a retail unit up to 100 m², and £747.29 for a gym up to 249 m². Your exact fee also depends on devices, staff numbers and opening hours.
- Do I need PPL and PRS separately?
- No. Since 2018 PPL and PRS for Music sell a single combined licence called TheMusicLicence, bought through PPL PRS Ltd. You no longer buy two separate licences for most UK businesses.
- Can I avoid a music licence legally?
- You cannot avoid the licence while playing music that PPL and PRS represent — that is most commercial music, radio and TV. What you can change is the music. Playback of a catalogue that is fully rights-controlled and not registered with those societies, such as Sonosfera-only playback, does not require PPL or PRS. If you also play mainstream music, radio or live performers anywhere on the premises, you still need to cover that.
- Is a music licence cheaper than a background music service?
- Usually not. TheMusicLicence is charged on top of whatever you pay to actually get the music — a streaming or in-store music subscription does not include public-performance rights unless it says so explicitly. That is why the two figures in this calculator are not like-for-like alternatives for mainstream music: one is a licence, the other is a licensed service.
- What happens if I do not have a music licence?
- PPL PRS can pursue unpaid licence fees and, in unresolved cases, copyright infringement proceedings. Enforcement is directed at the business playing the music, not at the streaming provider or the device manufacturer.
Other free tools
Music licence letter decoder
Plain-language read on who is contacting you, what they can and cannot do, and the three routes open to you.
12 countries
Can I play this in my business?
Two verdicts, not one: whether the provider’s own terms allow it, and whether your country’s societies still need paying.
12 countries
Venue music tempo checker
Tap along to what is playing and see how the tempo lines up with each moment of your day, with the research behind the ranges.
Any country
Calculadora de tarifas SGAE 2026
Tarifa por metros cuadrados del Libro de Tarifas SGAE 2026, con las tres tarifas que publica la SGAE y sin IVA.
España
In Spanish
This page is general information, not legal advice. Figures are PPL PRS’s published examples for specific venue shapes and are not a quote. For your binding fee, contact PPL PRS. For what Sonosfera costs, see pricing.