You pay for Spotify, Apple Music or another streaming service.

Does that mean you can connect your phone to the speakers in a café, shop or gym and play music for customers all day?

Not necessarily.

A personal streaming subscription gives you access to music for personal listening. Playing that music publicly can involve an additional set of permissions.

A blanket music licence gives a business, broadcaster, venue or other organisation permission to use a large collection of music under one agreement.

Instead of negotiating separately with every songwriter and rightsholder, the organisation pays for broader access to the catalogue represented by a licensing body.

Why is it called a blanket licence?

The word “blanket” means that the agreement covers a broad repertoire of music.

It does not usually relate to one specific track.

For example, a radio station could not realistically negotiate an individual agreement every time a presenter selected a different song.

A blanket licence creates a more practical system.

Amuse defines it as permission to play music from a rightsholder’s catalogue for a set period. Organisations using these licences can include radio stations, restaurants, bars and streaming services.

Where might you hear music covered by one?

Potential examples include music played in:

  • Shops
  • Restaurants
  • Cafés
  • Pubs
  • Offices
  • Hairdressers
  • Hotels
  • Gyms
  • Nightclubs
  • Radio stations
  • Television broadcasts
  • Live venues
  • Public events

The exact licence required depends on the country, type of organisation and way the music is being used.

How does it work in the UK?

In the UK, businesses and organisations will commonly encounter TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS.

PPL and PRS represent different rights involved in music.

Broadly:

  • PRS represents rights connected to musical compositions and songwriters.
  • PPL represents rights connected to recorded performances and sound recordings.

TheMusicLicence combines relevant public-performance permissions into one process for many UK organisations.

PPL PRS states that businesses will usually require a licence when playing music for employees, customers or visitors. UK government guidance similarly says a licence is normally needed when recorded or live music is played publicly.

Why is a personal streaming subscription not enough?

A consumer subscription is intended for personal use.

When music becomes part of a commercial or public environment, it can contribute value to that experience.

A restaurant may use music to create atmosphere.

A gym may use energetic playlists during classes.

A shop may use music to influence the mood of customers.

The public-performance licensing system recognises that the creators and rightsholders behind that music should be compensated for qualifying public use.

Paying for access to a streaming application does not automatically provide every separate copyright permission.

Who receives the money?

Licensing organisations collect fees and distribute royalties to the relevant rightsholders according to their rules and available usage information.

Depending on the music and use, beneficiaries can include:

  • Songwriters
  • Composers
  • Music publishers
  • Recording artists
  • Performers
  • Record labels
  • Other recording rightsholders

There are two important creative works involved in a typical released song:

  1. The underlying composition
  2. The particular sound recording

This is one reason music licensing can appear complicated. One song can involve multiple writers, performers, publishers and recording owners.

How do licensing organisations know what was played?

The method depends on the type of music use.

Large broadcasters and streaming platforms can provide detailed records.

Venues may submit setlists.

Other distributions may use surveys, samples or representative usage information.

It is not always possible to record every song played by every small business individually.

Collection societies therefore use different tracking and distribution methods depending on the market.

Does a blanket licence cover absolutely everything?

No.

“Blanket” does not mean unlimited permission for every imaginable use.

A public-performance licence may not give someone permission to:

  • Add a song to an advertisement
  • Use it in a film
  • Upload it to a video
  • Copy and sell the recording
  • Remix it
  • Sample it
  • Change the lyrics
  • Claim ownership of it

Those activities can involve different rights and licences.

The permitted use depends on the actual agreement.

What is a sync licence?

A synchronisation—or sync—licence permits music to be combined with visual media.

Examples include:

  • Films
  • Television programmes
  • Advertisements
  • Video games
  • Online videos

A café’s permission to play recorded music for customers does not automatically allow that café to place the same recording in a television advert.

The public use and the video use are separate.

Do concert venues need music licences?

Live music can generate public-performance royalties for songwriters and publishers.

Venues, promoters or event organisers may be responsible for the appropriate licensing arrangements, depending on the territory and event.

Performers may also need to submit setlists so the relevant society knows which songs were performed.

Fans do not normally need to purchase a separate music licence simply because they bought a concert ticket.

The licensing happens behind the scenes between the relevant organisations and rightsholders.

Do cover bands need permission for every song?

A venue’s public-performance arrangements may cover live performances of represented compositions, but that does not give a band every possible right to the song.

Recording and commercially releasing a cover, changing lyrics or using the song in a video can involve additional permissions.

The rules also vary between countries, so artists and event organisers should check the relevant local requirements.

What about royalty-free music?

Royalty-free does not necessarily mean that the music has no copyright or costs nothing.

It normally means the music is offered under a licence designed to avoid repeated royalty payments for specified uses.

The exact terms still matter.

Some royalty-free music permits commercial use. Other licences restrict advertising, broadcasting, large audiences or redistribution.

Why should music fans care?

Blanket licensing explains how music can legally become part of everyday public life.

It helps enable songs to be played across shops, restaurants, radio, venues and other spaces without requiring thousands of separate negotiations.

It also creates another route through which the people behind the music can be paid.

The next time an unexpected favourite starts playing in a café, there is an entire rights and licensing system operating quietly behind it.

You hear the song.

The blanket licence helps make that public use possible.