Music licensing
Country-by-country guidance for businesses that play music in public and commercial spaces.
29 Apr 2026
TL;DR Latin America is useful to discuss as one region, but it isn’t one licensing system. The safest practical rule for venue operators is that public use of…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR Europe is not one music licensing market. The broad pattern is familiar: venues often need to think about both the song side and the recording or neighbouring-rights…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR In the United States, venues using commercial music in public usually need public performance licences for musical works from the relevant performing rights organisations, which can include…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand are often grouped together commercially, but venue operators shouldn’t assume they work the same way for music licensing. Singapore openly reflects a split…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR Australia and New Zealand are two of the clearest markets in this pack for ordinary venue use. In Australia, OneMusic Australia is the natural starting point. In…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR If your business in Canada plays music in public, Entandem is usually the smartest place to start. It gives many venue operators a simpler front-end route into…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR If your business in the Netherlands plays music that customers or employees can hear, you should usually start with MijnLicentie. It often gives Dutch venues a combined…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR The UAE is no longer a market where venue operators should rely on vague or outdated assumptions about music use. The regulatory framework for collective music management…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR If your venue in India plays copyright music in public, you shouldn’t assume that buying music or using a streaming service is enough. Indian venue operators should…
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29 Apr 2026
TL;DR If you play copyright music in a shop, restaurant, hotel, gym, salon, office, café, or other commercial venue, you’ll often need permission to do it legally. The…
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3 Mar 2026
Last updated: March 3, 2026Note: This guide is informational and not legal advice. Requirements vary by country and by the music you play. Royalty-free music for businesses (often called…
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