Music Licensing for Stores, Shops, Boutiques and Other Retail Establishments
BMI Makes It Simple to License the Music Used in Your Retail Establishment
A BMI music license gives you copyright permission to play over 22.4 million songs in BMI’s
award-winning repertoire. Here’s how you can get started:
ONLINE FORM
Fill out our Online Form and a BMI Representative will get back to you with more information.
Music Matters When Shopping
Research shows that music has a positive impact on the overall shopping experience. Ninety-three percent of consumers said that the right song has the power to change their mood or make their day, and 85% enjoy their shopping experience more with music, according to a study by BMI and Leger, The Research Intelligence Group1.
Whether the music in your store is recorded, on TV or radio, performed live by a DJ, or an instore acoustic performance, permission must be granted from the copyright owner. This is where BMI can help.
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.
- To see if your state association is a member of BMI’s Discount Program, click here.
- Simplicity Eliminates complex reporting
- Convenience
- Pay your bill online securely and easily.
- Schedule your payments by choosing the billing plan that is right for your business. You can also opt for automated payments.
Common Questions About Music Licensing in Retail
To learn more about music licensing and how it affects your retail establishment, please see these frequently asked questions below. You can also review our complete list of Licensing FAQs or contact a BMI representative.
Any public performance of music whether performed live, recorded or through a television or radio. Common music uses in retail establishments include TVs, background music and live events including DJs and musicians.
As long as there is common ownership, one license can be used for multiple locations.
No. Since it’s the business or organization that is authorizing the performance of music, BMI offers a license to the owner of the establishment to ensure that the business or organization has the necessary permission to publicly perform BMI music.
Although your digital music subscription gives you access to an enormous catalog of music it does not provide the necessary copyright clearance to play those songs in a public setting. Once you decide to play any copyrighted music publicly, you need permission from the copyright owners.
Many commercial music services are licensed with BMI for the audio-only programming they provide to the business. The business must confirm that a particular CMS is appropriately licensed with BMI.
A music license with another performing right organization allows you to perform only copyrighted music represented by that organization. It does not cover public performances of the award-winning music licensed by BMI. This is because each songwriter or composer may belong to only one performing right organization (PRO) at any given time, so each PRO licenses a unique repertoire of music.
Yes, but those agreements do not authorize the performance of TV, cable and radio to the public by businesses and other organizations. However, there are certain exemptions provided by copyright law, including the size of your establishment, how many TVs you have in each room, their screen size, how many speakers you have and if you charge a cover charge. Contact a BMI Representative to learn if these uses need to be licensed for your business.
Additional Resources
1A survey of 2,244 Americans was completed online between May 17-24, 2016. A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/-2.1%, 19 times out of 20.