1Do you need a music licence?
If customers can hear commercially released music, that is a public performance under section 106(4) of the Copyright Act, and you need permission. In practice that means licences from ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR, because a normal playlist crosses all four repertoires.
The exemption in section 110(5)(B) covers other businesses under 2,000 gross square feet, which almost no hotel meets once public areas are counted, excluding parking, or larger premises staying within six loudspeakers and no more than four in any one room. It applies to ordinary broadcast radio and television only. A streaming account, an internet radio station or a phone plugged into the system all fall outside it immediately. Our music licensing guide works through it in full.
RadioB2B removes the question. Every track is licensed at source through RadioPRO Ltd, a UK collective management organisation, and none is registered with a US performing rights organization, so no performing rights 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
$249 a year, per year, plus $149 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 License Certificate. It does not scale with your square footage or your occupancy, which is the mechanism that makes PRO fees climb.
For comparison, minimum ASCAP and BMI general licences alone totalled roughly $817 a year in 2026, before SESAC and GMR, and before any back-dated period they may assess. Bundled commercial music services typically run $27 to $45 per location per 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 17 U.S.C. 106(4). The 110(5)(B) exemption is effectively unavailable to hotels once lobby, restaurant, bar and pool areas are counted together.
How is a hotel priced?
By zone. RadioB2B is $249 a year for the first zone and $149 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.