Music Licensing for Family Entertainment Centers
BMI Makes it Simple to Use Music In Your Family Entertainment Center
Family entertainment centers (FEC) have evolved, offering many activities both indoors and outdoors. It’s important that your BMI music license align with the many ways you entertain your customers. The BMI music license for Family Entertainment Center(s) gives your business access to more than 18.7 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.2 million songwriters, composers and music publishers.
ONLINE FORM
Fill out our Online Form and a BMI Representative will get back to you with more information.
Music Matters in Family Entertainment Centers
Music adds value to your business and creates the ambiance that keeps customers coming back.
So, regardless of whether music is performed by a live band, DJ, karaoke, jukebox or other recorded use such as streaming, radio, or TV’s, permission must be granted from the copyright owner. This is how songwriters and composers are paid, and this is where BMI can help.
The BMI music license for FECs covers facilities with indoor and/or outdoor* activities such as:
- Competitive, arcade and redemption games
- Rides and other attractions, which may include, but is not limited to:
- Bowling
- Video Games
- Laser tag
- Go-carts
- Bumper cars
- Batting cages
- Mini golf
*Outdoor attractions are defined as activities held outside which are NOT covered, heated or air-conditioned.
To qualify for this license your business must meet the following:
- Attendance is not counted
- No regular daily admission is charged for entrance into the premises.
- Charges are assessed for playing games, riding rides and other uses.
- No more than (50%) of gross revenues are derived from food and beverage operations
- Your Family Entertainment Center(s) does NOT include venues with full-service nightclubs, health clubs, dance studios or similar facilities.
BMI’s Music License Saves You Time & Money
- SAVE TIME & MONEY A BMI license saves you the time and expense of contacting each songwriter or composer for permission to play their music publicly.
- 10% Timely Payment Discount if you return your payment within 30 days.
- FLEXIBILITY Our flexible payment options allow you to pay annually, bi-annually or quarterly.
- SIMPLICITY Eliminates complex reporting and allows you to make music use changes online or over the phone.
- CONVENIENCE You can manage your account online as well as securely pay your bill online or by phone.
Still have questions?
Check out some of the more frequently asked questions from BMI customers like you.
From time-to-time BMI updates our licenses in response to changes in the marketplace. Over the years the Bowling and Family Entertainment markets have evolved beyond what was considered in our previous bowling and Indoor Recreation licenses. For this reason, we have created a new license that better addresses this evolving marketplace in one single License.
The fees under the Family Entertainment License do not cover this form of featured music as it is not a standard use in the industry. For this form of entertainment, you will need a BMI Festival/Promoter/Venue license.
Your annual BMI FEC license fee is based on a few factors, which are listed below.
- For FECs that only offer bowling, the fee is based on total number of lanes.
- The fee for Indoor Attractions is based on whether you offer bowling and the total indoor square footage, not including bowling lanes, of your FEC.
- For Outdoor Attractions, the fee is based on the number of outdoor activities that you offer your patrons.
Yes, if that business wants to play any BMI music. A music license with another performing rights organization only allows you to perform copyrighted music represented by that organization. Only a BMI License will cover the public performances of the award-winning BMI repertoire. This is because each songwriter or composer may belong to only one performing right organization at any given time, so each PRO licenses a unique repertoire of music. For a look at 100% BMI works, go to bmi.com/songview.