Music licensing isn’t something that can be done on your own unless you’re super connected with people who work with music supervisors (and even then, it requires a lot of time and effort). Thankfully, platforms exist to streamline the process for you.
Using licensed music for your business avoids costly fines and supports artists and creators by paying high royalties for their work. Learn more about the benefits of doing so:
Increased Brand Awareness
Music has become integral to many restaurants, bars, and shops. Most people don’t think about it, but a whole system exists for companies to play music legally. To use a song in a commercial space, it must be licensed through a performing rights organization (PRO). This allows the creators of that music to receive fair compensation for their work. You may have heard this in action if you ever listen to the soundtrack to a TV show, video game, or movie. Even small businesses, such as coffee shops and dentists’ offices, require a license to play music.
Using licensed music for your business is essential to avoid hefty fines. The good news is that some companies specializing in music for businesses handle all licensing issues and fees on your behalf. For artists, music licensing can be a great source of income. Whether through sync or mechanical/performance licenses, these can provide passive revenue for musicians.
Enhanced Customer Experience
The right music can help businesses push potential customers through their sales funnel. Whether it’s uplifting, energetic pop music in a retail environment or heartwarming, sentimental music in a residential apartment building lobby or elevator, licensed music can enhance the experience for the customer.
Music is more than just an art form for ASCAP’s 935,000+ members; it’s how they earn a living, put food on the table, and send their children to school. So, it’s important to pay their royalties. When businesses break music copyright law by playing unlicensed music, they not only risk fines but also devalue the overall brand experience for their customers.
To make sure your business plays music legally, find a PRO that manages the licenses you need. For example, you’ll need a synchronization license if you use music in a commercial setting such as an office, lobby, or elevator. This license allows companies to pair pieces with audiovisual media outputs like films, video games, and television. This includes on-hold music for business calls.
Increased Sales
Music is a very personal thing for most people, so the idea that it becomes a commodity – bought and sold, protected by intricate licensing laws regarding when and how it can be used – might seem absurd to some. But that’s how it is for musicians and content creators who want to profit from their work.
Whether for television, major or independent films, advertisements, video games, or a commercial, when someone wants to license your music, they must get permission from the copyright owners. This means that the songwriters and composers who created those songs are owed a royalty.
Getting this permission can be complex and expensive. That’s why many business owners opt for a music licensing company, which can save them the time and hassle of negotiating these contracts. It can also help them avoid the costly fines that might occur if they violate copyright law. This can be especially beneficial for small businesses, who may not have the resources to deal with these issues independently.
Increased Brand Reputation
Music is integral to most bars, restaurants, and other entertainment establishments. However, only some of these businesses have a legal license to play that music. Using published pieces in a commercial setting requires a public performance license. Music licensing fees support the writers, composers, and artists who create the music we enjoy daily.
These fees are collected by “performing rights organizations” or PROs. Businesses that don’t have a public performance license risk fines and other legal action.
Fortunately, some companies specialize in providing licensed music for business use. These services make it easy for business owners to create a great ambiance with professionally designed music playlists for any space. And the best part is that these services handle all licensing issues and fees on your behalf! They even have playlists created explicitly for corporate use that are screened to remove offensive lyrical content.
Increased Customer Loyalty
Music is essential to a customer’s experience when they visit a business. It creates an atmosphere and evokes emotion, which helps to drive customer loyalty. Companies can use licensed music in their stores to ensure their music is being used legally. This will help them avoid potentially expensive fines in the future.
A few licenses are required to use music for commercial purposes. One is a public performance license, which allows businesses to play music in public avenues such as radio and television. Another is a synchronization license, which will enable companies to use a song in audiovisual content such as videos and presentations.
The purpose of these licensing fees is to provide musicians and composers with compensation for their work. This is done through performing rights organizations (PROs). These PROs manage the licenses that allow businesses to use copyrighted music in their firms and locations.
