Choosing the right background music for a bar or pub is a crucial business decision. For small business owners, platforms like Spotify or Apple Music are not legally compliant. Your venue is considered a “public performance,” which means you must use a licensed commercial streaming service. Your choice in music service directly impacts your brand, customer spending, and legal standing.
Why You Need Professional Music for Bars
Licensed background music is more than just noise; it is a vital tool for controlling the environment inside your venue. Using a commercial music service provides three key business advantages:
1. Enhancing the Atmosphere and Brand
The audio in your bar is a key part of its identity. Whether you run a cozy pub, a high-energy taproom, or a chic cocktail lounge, the music should match the vibe. A professional service provides carefully curated, ad-free stations across hundreds of genres. This allows you to define your brand, from trendy house beats to classic rock hits, ensuring your customers have a clear and memorable experience.
2. Boosting Sales and Dwell Time
Research confirms that the right music affects customer behavior. A good soundtrack encourages patrons to feel relaxed and engaged. This atmosphere makes them more likely to stay longer and order more drinks, directly increasing your total sales. Furthermore, adjusting the tempo can be strategic: slower, more relaxed music during quiet hours can encourage calm spending, while upbeat tracks can energize a busy weekend crowd.
3. Legal Compliance and Avoiding Fines
Personal streaming accounts are strictly for private use. To legally play music in a commercial space, you need a public performance license. Licensed music services manage these fees, paying royalties to performance rights organizations (PROs) like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC on your behalf. Using a licensed service protects your business from expensive fines and ensures you are compensating the artists whose work enhances your venue. (More information on music licensing.)
Make an informed choice! Compare music providers for your business on our Compare Page—free and simple.
Advanced Features of Commercial Music for Bars
When comparing licensed music providers, look beyond the playlist count. The best services offer operational features that simplify management and improve the customer experience in complex bar environments.
Managing Sound with Multi-Zone Control
Many bars, especially those with outdoor patios, tasting rooms, or separate dining areas, require different moods or volumes in different physical spaces. The top music services offer multi-zone control. This allows a single account to schedule and manage separate playlists simultaneously across distinct areas of your venue. For example, you can play calm jazz in the restaurant dining area while running upbeat party hits in the main bar, all controlled from one simple dashboard. (More details on multi-locations and zones.)
Seamless Transitions from Background to Live Music
Bars frequently feature live acts or guest DJs. When the licensed streaming service is paused for a live performance, bar managers need to be certain they remain legally compliant. A commercial service will manage the blanket licensing for its background library, but live music often falls under a separate set of rules related to the venue’s performance rights. A great music provider should offer clear guidance on how to manage this transition without legal risk, ensuring a smooth handoff between your scheduled tracks and the live performer.
Reliability: Offline Playback and Filtering
Internet outages are common in busy commercial spaces. Services that offer offline playback are invaluable. They pre-download a cache of music to the local player device, ensuring your music never cuts out, even if the Wi-Fi temporarily drops. Additionally, robust filtering tools are key. For bars that host daytime events or cater to families, you must ensure you can easily filter out explicit lyrics without losing the quality of your playlist. (More details on music for business playback options.)
Exploring Legal Music Alternatives for Bars
While commercial streaming services are the most popular option for background music, bar owners have other fully licensed alternatives to consider.
Jukeboxes and Customer-Driven Playlists
Digital jukeboxes (such as TouchTunes or AMI) are a powerful alternative, especially for classic pub and dive bar environments. Jukebox companies handle all required music licensing, and their main benefit is customer engagement. Patrons can pay a small fee to choose the music, guaranteeing they hear what they like. However, you give up creative control, and the music may not always align perfectly with your brand. Having a fully licensed music for business provider gives you the control you need to maintain a great atmosphere in your bar.
Considering Royalty-Free Options
Some businesses opt to use 100% royalty-free music libraries combined with a mandatory blanket performance rights license paid directly to PROs. This can sometimes lower your streaming subscription costs, but it means you won’t be playing music from major, recognizable artists. This solution is best suited for businesses focused on establishing a completely unique, non-mainstream sound. Probably not the best option for a bar where customers are looking for popular music they recognize. (More information on types of music to play in businesses.)
Frequently Asked Questions about Music for Bars and Pubs
Q: Why can’t I just mute the music and use a physical jukebox?
A: Even if you use a physical jukebox, you are still required by law to have the appropriate public performance licenses (like those provided by ASCAP and BMI) to play music in a public business setting. The jukebox company usually covers the reproduction license, but the venue still needs the performance license, which can often be part of your overall licensing or handled by a professional music for business provider.
Q: How do multi-zone music systems work in a bar?
A: Multi-zone systems allow you to divide your physical space into two or more independent audio areas (zones) that run off a single music service account. You need a compatible audio receiver and speaker setup that can handle multiple inputs. The licensed music software then lets you assign different playlists and schedules to each zone, ensuring the music matches the specific mood of the main bar, the patio, or the restroom areas. (More details on “zones” and multi-location management.)
Q: What is the risk of using a personal streaming service like Spotify in my bar?
A: The primary risk is facing an audit and lawsuit from a Performance Rights Organization (PRO). PRO representatives may visit your venue unannounced. If they find you using a non-commercial service like Spotify, they can issue fines that often start in the thousands of dollars per unlicensed song. These fines significantly exceed the cost of a licensed commercial subscription. To be clear, there is no Apple Music for Business, Spotify for Business or Amazon Music for Business.
Q: Do I still need a separate PRO license if my commercial music provider says “licensing included”?
A: Most commercial music providers (like the ones compared on MusicForBusinessFinder.com) cover the vast majority of performance licenses required (the PRO fees) as part of your monthly subscription. However, it is always crucial to check the terms of your service agreement to confirm if they cover all necessary performance rights in your specific country or region.
Q: Which part of U.S. copyright law covers the need for music for bars to be licensed?
A: The core legal mandate for music licensing in a commercial setting comes from the “exclusive right of public performance,” which is one of the rights granted to a copyright owner under the U.S. Copyright Act. Specifically, 17 U.S. Code § 106(4) grants copyright holders the exclusive right to perform their musical work publicly. The legal definition of what it means to perform a work “publicly”—which includes playing music at a place open to the public, like a bar—is defined in 17 U.S. Code § 101. You can review the full legal definition of “publicly” here: 17 U.S. Code § 101 – Definitions (Cornell Law School)