Do cafes need a music licence?
A cafe needs permission for music played publicly, but the required arrangement depends on the music service, catalogue, country, and venue.
The short answer
Usually yes, but the exact answer depends on the country and the way the cafe uses music. Playing music where customers can hear it is generally a public use, not the same as listening at home. A cafe should confirm two separate permissions:
- The music service must allow business or customer-facing playback.
- The cafe must satisfy any local public-performance or related-rights requirements.
One permission does not automatically replace the other. A commercial music service may include some catalogue and recording rights while leaving a national licence or other local obligation to the business. The reverse is also possible: a local licence may permit public performance, but it does not make a personal Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube account suitable for the cafe.
WIPO describes collective management organisations as bodies that license protected works and collect fees for represented rights holders. The organisation, tariff, and scope of the permission depend on national law and the rights represented in that market. Do not copy a licensing answer from another country.
Why a cafe can need more than a subscription
Music has more than one rights layer. The underlying song may have rights belonging to composers, lyricists, and publishers. The particular recording may involve performers and record companies. WIPO’s overview of music rights explains why the right to access a track through an app is not identical to the right to play it publicly in a business.
This is why a personal subscription is not enough. Spotify’s own public-use guidance says the consumer service is for personal, non-commercial use. Apple’s Media Services terms say services and content are for personal, non-commercial purposes and do not transfer commercial or promotional rights. YouTube’s terms restrict viewing and listening to personal, non-commercial use and prohibit publicly screening videos or streaming music from the service.
The practical rule is simple: check the provider terms and local rights separately. A service that says commercial playback is included is making a provider-level statement. It is not a universal statement about every collecting society, event, territory, or use of the music.
What local licensing can cover
The correct local arrangement may depend on details such as:
- The country where the cafe operates.
- Whether the music is background music, live music, a DJ set, radio, television, or an event.
- The size and type of the customer area.
- Whether there is one cafe or a group of locations.
- Whether the cafe uses recordings, music videos, or music outside the provider’s catalogue.
- Whether the cafe plays music online as well as inside the premises.
Denmark shows how the system can work in practice. Koda and Gramex state that businesses playing music publicly, including restaurants and cafes, need a music licence for protected music. Their guidance also says that a streaming service used in public should be approved for commercial use. Koda’s restaurant and cafe licensing page describes a licence for music, television, and live-music events, while noting that the arrangement is based on how the business uses music. This is an example of a national system, not a rule that should be applied unchanged in every market.
If the cafe is in another country, identify the official collecting society or licensing authority there. Check whether it represents composition rights, recording rights, or both, and ask whether the provider’s commercial rights statement changes the fee or reporting requirement. Keep the answer in writing.
Common mistakes
Treating a paid consumer account as a licence
Payment proves that an account is active. It does not prove that the account may be used for public commercial playback. A Premium, individual, or family plan should not be treated as a cafe licence unless the provider’s terms expressly say so.
Assuming royalty-free means obligation-free
Royalty-free usually describes how a provider charges for certain works. It does not necessarily mean that every local public-performance, neighbouring-rights, event, or reporting obligation has disappeared. Read what the catalogue licence covers and what it excludes.
Forgetting events and extra zones
A background-music arrangement may not cover a live concert, DJ night, ticketed event, television, music videos, or a separate outdoor area. Ask before adding a new use. A second location can also require its own account, player, licence, or reporting.
Losing the documentation
Keep the provider’s terms, invoice, catalogue or rights statement, local licence, renewal date, venue details, and approved use in one place. Recheck the documents when the cafe changes country, provider, music source, number of locations, or event format.
A practical licensing checklist
Before playing music for customers, confirm:
- The source is intended for business playback, not just personal listening.
- The provider states which commercial rights are included.
- The cafe has checked the official licensing body for its country.
- The local permission matches the venue, area, music type, and opening use.
- Live music, DJs, television, outdoor areas, and special events have been considered separately.
- Every additional location has been assessed.
- Staff know not to connect personal accounts or unapproved sources.
- The documents have an owner and a review date.
If a rights organisation or provider contacts the cafe, do not ignore the message and do not assume that a generic invoice is automatically correct. Ask what use, rights, location, dates, and repertoire the request concerns. Compare it with the cafe’s written provider terms and seek qualified local advice when the scope is disputed.
MelloJam is a browser-based background music service for customer-facing businesses. Its catalogue is designed for commercial ambience, and the commercial playback rights covered by the catalogue are included with every plan. Explore background music for cafes or open the MelloJam player. Local public-performance obligations remain country-specific, so verify them with the relevant official body before opening.
For the platform question, see whether cafes can play Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. For a simple operating setup, see how a cafe can play music without special hardware.
Official sources