Who do you pay to play music in a café?
A café usually pays up to three parties for music: an authors' society, a performers' society and a business music service. Where AI music fits.
A café that plays music to customers usually pays for up to three separate rights: the song, paid to an authors' collecting society; the recording, paid to a performers' society in many countries; and delivery to a business, paid through a business music service. A personal Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube account covers none of this, because it is licensed for private listening only. AI-generated music changes part of the picture, but not all of it, and the rules depend on your country.
Most cafés, salons and small shops still play music from a personal streaming account. It feels free and harmless, but it is neither. Playing a personal plan to customers is outside its terms, even if you pay your local music society every year. The confusion comes from the fact that a single song carries several sets of rights, and each one is paid for in a different way.
Who gets paid for the song itself?
The people who wrote a song are paid through collecting societies whenever it is played in public. That means the authors of the melody and the lyrics, and their publishers. A collecting society is an organisation that licenses music on behalf of its members and passes the fees on to them. Examples are ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR in the US, PRS in the UK, GEMA in Germany, SACEM in France, ECAD in Brazil and SGAE in Spain. A venue usually pays them an annual fee based on its size and type.
Who gets paid for the recording?
The label and the performers own the specific recording, and in many countries they are paid separately, through their own society. Examples are PPL in the UK and GVL in Germany. In the UK both layers are now sold together as one licence, TheMusicLicence. In the US, venues generally pay only for the song.
What does a business music service pay for?
A business music service pays labels and publishers for the right to stream their catalogue to businesses, and that is a large part of what its subscription covers. Such services typically charge $25–50 a month per location. A personal streaming plan never includes this right, which is why it cannot be used in a shop.
So a venue that plays commercial music by the book typically pays a business music service plus one or two collecting societies. Typical fees by country are in our guide to music licences for business.
| Layer | Who owns it | Who collects |
|---|---|---|
| The song | Authors and publishers | Authors' society (ASCAP, PRS, GEMA, SACEM…) |
| The recording | Label and performers | Performers' society (PPL, GVL…), where it exists |
| Delivery to a business | Labels and publishers | The business music service, through your subscription |
Are the rules for music in venues getting stricter?
Yes: collecting societies inspect venues, and new countries are introducing venue licences. The UAE, for example, starts annual music licences for cafés, hotels and gyms in December 2026. A venue that has never been asked about its music should not assume it never will be.
How does AI-generated music change who you pay?
AI-generated music takes the label and the performers out of the picture, but it does not settle the question of collecting societies. An AI-generated track has no label and no performer behind it, so nobody stands behind the recording layer. A service that generates its own music also has no label catalogue to pay for when it delivers that music to you.
The song layer depends on where you are. Societies license the repertoire of their members, and an AI-generated track has no registered author. But societies often charge venues a flat tariff rather than track by track. In some countries, Germany being the best-known example, a venue is presumed to play society repertoire unless it can show otherwise. Rules differ by country and are still changing for AI music. That is why no honest supplier can promise that you will never need to deal with your local society. How AI music compares with the other options goes into this in more detail.
Streamood is one such AI service. Part of each stream is generated for your description, and the rest comes from its own catalogue of tracks generated earlier. The models behind it were trained on licensed data, according to their providers. You can play the tracks as background music in your registered venues, save and reuse them, and use them in your venue's own short videos and social posts. Streamood does not sell a performance licence from a collecting society and does not decide whether your society charges you; that obligation stays with the venue, as it does with any music service. Plans are on the pricing page.
What should a café owner check first?
These five steps take about five minutes:
- Stop using a personal streaming account for customers to hear. It is the one option that is wrong everywhere.
- Find your local collecting society and its tariff for your type of venue.
- Ask them directly how they treat AI-generated music with no registered authors. Keep the answer in writing.
- Keep simple records of what you play and where it comes from.
- Choose a music source whose rights you understand, whether that is a licensed business service or AI-generated music.
Common questions
Can I play my personal Spotify in a café if I pay the collecting society?
No. The society fee covers the song, but a personal streaming plan is licensed for private listening only, and playing it to customers is outside its terms. You need a music source licensed for business use.
Do I still need a collecting-society licence if I play only AI-generated music?
It depends on your country. An AI-generated track has no registered author, but some societies charge a flat tariff for any music, and in some countries a venue is presumed to play society repertoire unless it can show otherwise. Ask your local society how it treats AI-generated music and keep the answer in writing.
Does a business music service pay the collecting societies for me?
It depends on the service and the country. Some services bundle society licences into the subscription; otherwise the venue pays the societies itself. Ask the service, in writing, which licences its price includes.
Why do some countries need two music licences?
Because the song and the recording are separate rights, often collected by separate societies: one for authors, one for performers. The UK sells both as a single licence, TheMusicLicence, while in Germany venues still pay GEMA and GVL separately.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country; for your specific situation, check with your local collecting society or a lawyer.
