Licensing & royalties
Commercial Music License
A commercial music licence is written permission to use music in a business context — public playback in a venue, advertising, client deliverables or any use that supports commercial activity.
In practice
For venues the document should be named to the business, state the address, and be presentable to an inspector. That is what turns a digital receipt into usable proof. For agencies, the key clause is whether client work is covered and whether the client inherits any rights when the campaign ends.
Real questions
Do I need a licence to play music in my shop?
Yes. Public playback is a separate use from private listening, and consumer streaming subscriptions explicitly exclude it.
Does a commercial licence replace collecting society fees?
Only if the music is not registered with a society. With unregistered catalogues, the owner licenses you directly and no society is entitled to collect.
Can I use one licence across several venues?
Only if the licence lists them. Multi-site use is usually priced per location.
A consumer streaming account is not a commercial licence
Terms of service for consumer music apps prohibit business playback. Using them in a venue is the most common and most easily detected infringement.
Related terms
Own the track instead of renting it
Sonify Music sells exclusive buyouts of catalogue tracks: one payment, full ownership, the track removed from sale and a named certificate of ownership.