1Do you need a music licence?
If customers can hear commercially released music, that is a public performance under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and you need permission. In practice that means TheMusicLicence, the single joint licence PPL and PRS for Music sell together through PPL PRS, because a normal playlist crosses both of their repertoires.
There is no small premises exemption in the UK. The two provisions that came closest, sections 67 and 72(1B)(a) of the Act, were both repealed, the latter by regulation 4(1) of SI 2010/2694. So floor area, seat count and the number of loudspeakers make no difference, and it makes no difference whether the sound comes from a radio, a CD or a streaming account. If it can be heard by customers, it is licensable.
There are also no statutory damages here, as there are in the United States. A rights holder claims damages or an account of profits, with costs and an injunction on top, and PPL PRS can back-date a licence over any period you were playing music without one.
RadioB2B removes the question. Every track is licensed at source through RadioPRO Ltd, a UK collective management organisation, and none of it is in the PRS for Music or PPL repertoire, so no public performance royalty arises on what you play through the service.
2Twenty-four hour programming
Hotels are one of the few venues where the building never fully closes, so the schedule has to cover the overnight hours as well.
| Period | What works |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | Quiet acoustic near 65 BPM in the restaurant, brighter in the lobby where guests are checking out. |
| Late morning | Lobby lifts to around 85 BPM as the arrivals and meetings traffic builds. |
| Afternoon | Downtempo through the lobby and pool areas, warmer and slower in the spa. |
| Evening | Bar picks up to 105 to 115 BPM while the restaurant stays at 70 to 80 BPM. |
| Overnight | Very low ambient in the lobby and corridors. Presence without intrusion. |
You can try the scheduler on the live console on our home page before signing up for anything.
3Zones are the whole point
Every independently controlled output is a zone, and hotels typically need more of them than any other venue type.
- Lobby and reception, the zone guests judge the property by.
- Restaurant on its own service schedule.
- Bar and lounge, which needs more energy earlier than the restaurant does.
- Spa and treatment rooms on ambient and nature programming.
- Pool and terrace, where outdoor levels behave differently.
- Corridors, lifts and gym, each low and unobtrusive.
- Function and meeting rooms, muted by default and switched on when booked.
4Hardware you already own
There is nothing to buy and nothing to install. The player runs in any browser and casts directly to Sonos, Chromecast and AirPlay. There are iOS and Android apps as well, so staff can change a zone without opening a laptop, and when the internet drops the player keeps going from a cached queue rather than leaving you in silence.
5Guest announcements
Record your own audio for the lobby or pool zones. Restaurant opening times, a spa offer, or a notice about a private event, scheduled to the hours it matters.
6What it costs
£179 a year, per year, plus £129 per extra zone. That covers the full catalog, background music video channels for any screens, the scheduler, your own announcements, staff accounts and the Music Licence Certificate. It does not scale with your square footage or your opening hours, which is the mechanism that makes a PPL PRS bill climb.
For comparison, TheMusicLicence costs £15 to £28 a year plus VAT for each bedroom, with every public area charged separately, and PPL PRS can back-date a licence over any period you were playing music without one. Licence free playlist libraries in the UK sit at about 15 pounds a month plus VAT, and licensed services that still leave you owing PPL PRS run from about 22 to 40 pounds a zone a month. See how the routes compare.
Try it in your own space
Fourteen days free, no card required. Build a day's schedule, cast it to the speakers you already have, and hear how the room changes before you decide anything.
7Questions
Do hotels need a music license?
Yes. Every public area where guests can hear commercially released music is a public performance under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. There is no small premises exemption in the UK. The two provisions that came closest, sections 67 and 72(1B)(a) of the Act, were both repealed, so floor area and loudspeaker counts make no difference.
How is a hotel priced?
By zone. RadioB2B is £179 a year for the first zone and £129 for each additional zone, so a property with a lobby, restaurant, bar and spa is four zones. There is no charge based on room count or floor area.
Can each area run different music at the same time?
Yes. That is the core of it. Every zone has its own station, its own 24 hour schedule and its own volume, all controlled from one login.
Can our group manage several properties together?
Yes. One dashboard covers every property, with per-site schedules, staff accounts and usage reporting. Above fifteen locations we price groups directly.
Cost figures are indicative 2026 published minimums and typical market pricing, not quotations. General information, not legal advice. See our Terms of Use and Service Agreement.