Music is a simple but effective way for business owners to create a specific ambiance in their store, which can influence the behavior and mood of their customers.
Slow business music encourages customers to linger and look through the store more while songs in a major key sound happier to most shoppers. However, when you’re setting up the sound system for your store, where do you source your music?
This chart breaks down the more affordable offerings of each commercial music streaming provider at a glance:
You Must License Your Business Music
In the modern world, it seems easy enough to purchase a couple of wireless speakers, hook them into your smartphone or tablet, and then stream music from your favorite playlists. But, you cannot simply use a personal music streaming service in your retail location.
U.S. Copyright Law
Artists and publishers have rights enshrined by the U.S. Copyright Office.
Per copyright law, protected works require a license (and potentially, a fee) for outside use. If you don’t have a license and play the song anyway, you could face penalties as outlined in the copyright law.
Penalties & Fines
Remedies for copyright infringement are typically handled in courtrooms. The owner of the copyright is entitled to a sum of not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per violation as the court considers just. If the court finds that the infringement was willful, the court can include statutory damages of not more than $150,000.
A bar in Dublin Square faced a lawsuit in 2023 for playing music without a license. The bar owners settled the case for an undisclosed amount, but the original complaint asked for thousands of dollars in damages.
In 2023, a restaurant in Carencro was sued by a performing rights organization (PRO) for live performances of just two holiday songs. The PRO reached out to the company and asked the owners to sign up for a license. The owners declined, and the case went to court. The PRO asked for damages between $750 and $30,000 per song, plus attorneys’ fees. The case is pending.
How to Legally Stream Music in Your Business
Because of how music licensing works, one option is to work with a music streaming service that works with commercial business entities. If you don’t, you can face legal action and steep fines.
Fortunately, there are several commercial music streaming services that allow you to play fully licensed, ad-free, and curated music in your business. Each commercial streaming service offers some similar options, but there are important differences between them, including price.
Cheapest Music Streaming for Businesses
These major commercial streaming services offer robust libraries at affordable pricing structures. Each music-for-business streaming provider offers ad-free, business-appropriate playlists and stations as well as large libraries of music. You can also customize your own playlists that are curated to your business type, time of day, and seasonal offerings.
While prices are listed below, always check with the provider directly to ensure the most up-to-date pricing and terms.
Pandora for Business
Pandora was one of the first internet-based music streaming services, which works similarly to radio stations, but with an important difference; users tell Pandora what genre or artist they are interested in, and the program generates a “station” based on that information. Pandora uses the Music Genome Project to connect the user’s original musical taste to similar songs, which can then receive a thumbs-up or thumbs-down from the user. This streaming service became immensely popular, and led to small business owners creating stations to play music in their retail or restaurant space. Since this practice is illegal, Pandora expanded to manage licensing specifically for businesses.
Pandora for Business works much like the original program, but with no ads, no lengthy contracts, and access to the libraries of several PROs.
Pandora for Business does not have a free trial period, but if you are not satisfied with the music player and the streaming service, you can cancel your account within 14 days and get your money back. The monthly service costs $26.95, and you get a free music player when you sign up.
Pandora for Business uses a dedicated player that the company says will connect to your audio system in minutes. If you’re concerned about connectivity problems, you can also use a personal device (like a tablet) to connect to the music. You could then connect to speakers or a sound system via Bluetooth technology.
SiriusXM for Business
SiriusXM is satellite radio streamed through the internet, so it can be played on multiple devices. There are thousands of channels on the personal version of this program, offering commercial-free music, talk radio, sports broadcasting, news, and more. Business owners wanted access to this content, so SiriusXM for Business was formed.
SiriusXM for Business takes care of licensing music, talk programs, and other broadcasts for you. You can get 30 days free to try SiriusXM for business, and after that, the monthly cost is $26.95. You do not have to sign a long-term contract, so if you pay the subscription price but are unsatisfied with the product, you can cancel anytime.
SiriusXM for Business can run on an app, so you can connect via a personal device (like a tablet) and connect to speakers via Bluetooth. You can also connect to the SiriusXM library via Sonos and get more control over the sound quality. Connecting to speakers via this method is quick and easy too.
Sirius XM also provides a satellite player, so you can connect with the library despite a weak internet connection. However, it’s not clear how quickly this method connects to speakers.
Mood Media
After purchasing Muzak in 2011, the company acquired the patents for certain approaches to creating musical landscapes in business locations. Mood has a large library of instrumental music that they reference to create customized soundscapes for any business, to keep customers relaxed, happy, and enjoying the in-store experience. They also use other methods to create a full ambiance for your brand, including scent, colors, light, and social media interaction. Mood
Media has no annual contract, but the monthly cost ranges from $26.99 to $35.99 per month, depending on the tiered plan you choose.
Mood Media offers a player that stays connected to the library even when your internet goes down. It’s not clear how quickly this connects to existing sound systems. You can also tap into the library via your personal device (like a tablet) and connect to speakers via Bluetooth.
Pandora CloudCover
This music streaming service works much like Rockbot, but is more affordable for all levels of business. With a large and growing library of legally licensed music for business, Pandora CloudCover is becoming more and more popular. Pandora CloudCover offers a 14-Day free trial, and then, several levels of plans are available. The basic music plan starts as low as is $16.95 per month when prepaid annually. Multiple locations can be managed for just $21.50 per month. In-store messages, so you can communicate with your customers, can be added, raising the monthly cost to just $26.95 per month when prepaid annually. If you have needs that aren't met by these plans, enterprise offerings can be customized and include volume and extended term discounts.
Tap into the music via a personal device (such as a computer or mobile device) and connect to the speakers via Bluetooth. Pandora CloudCover makes it easy to integrate with speakers made by Sonos, just in case you don’t have any of your own.
What Should You Consider When Choosing a Partner?
Focusing on the cheapest streaming music for business isn’t always wise. In addition to thinking about price, you must also consider other critical features for your business. They include the following:
- Library size. If you’re playing background music around the clock, repeating songs multiple times could annoy both your customers and your staff. A large library could help you avoid this problem.
- Appropriate choices. Some of the companies we’ve mentioned offer music designed specifically for business. That means the songs don’t have explicit lyrics or suggestive content.
- User interface. As a business owner, you should be able to do things like add users, adjust the volume, change the songs, and more via one interface. The company you choose should be easy for you to control.
- Options. Some of the companies we mentioned have important features, such as audio messaging, hold music, scent marketing, and video advertising. The more options you have, the more you tend to pay. If you want all of these features and can afford them, choosing might be easier. If you will never use these options, paying more might not be wise.
References
What You Need to Know About Music Licensing for Your Business. (March 12, 2013). Entrepreneur.
About the Music Genome Project. Pandora.
Homepage. Pandora for Business.
Pandora Music Service. Pandora for Business.
SiriusXM: Music for Business. SiriusXM.
Mood Media to Acquire Muzak for $305 Million. (March 24, 2011). The Wall Street Journal.
Homepage. Mood Media.
Homepage. Pandora CloudCover.
Music. Pandora CloudCover.
Manage and Monitor Locations. Pandora CloudCover.
In-Store Messaging. Pandora CloudCover.
504. Remedies for Infringement: Damages and Profits. Chapter 5: Copyright Infringement and Remedies. U.S. Copyright Office.
Live Band Played Two Copyrighted Songs at Prejean’s. (February 2023). The Acadiana Advocate.
Dublin Square Settles Copyright Infringement Lawsuit. (February 2024). The State News.