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, 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.
2Programming a calm floor
Pharmacy is not a trade where music should push anyone. The schedule exists to keep the room from feeling clinical, and to keep the counter private.
| Period | What works |
|---|---|
| Opening | Quiet instrumental near 65 BPM. Prescription collection starts early and is rarely social. |
| Mid morning | Light acoustic around 75 BPM as the retail floor gets busier. |
| Lunchtime | Hold near 85 BPM through the busiest counter period, when the queue is longest. |
| Afternoon | Back to 75 BPM for the quiet stretch and the consultation appointments. |
| Close | Warm and slow under 70 BPM for the last hour. |
You can try the scheduler on the live console on our home page before signing up for anything.
3Zones: shop floor, counter, consultation room
Each independently controlled output is a zone, and each runs its own station and volume.
- The retail floor on the schedule above, quiet enough to read a label over.
- The dispensing counter, where a steady low bed of sound stops a queue overhearing a conversation.
- A consultation room on ambient programming, for vaccinations and private advice.
- The dispensary itself, out of customer earshot, on whatever the team prefers.
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.
5Health campaigns and service messages
Record your own audio and schedule it into the rotation. A flu vaccination prompt during the season, a repeat prescription reminder at the counter zone only, or opening hours over a holiday period that stops on its own.
6What it costs
$149 a year, per year, flat, music included. 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 pharmacies need a music license?
Yes, if commercially released music is audible to customers. That is a public performance under 17 U.S.C. 106(4), and it applies to a pharmacy exactly as it does to any other shop.
Can music help keep consultations private?
It helps, and it is a recognised use. A low, lyric-free bed of sound near the counter raises the background level enough to blur a quiet conversation from a few feet away. It supports privacy practice, it does not replace it, and it is no substitute for a consultation room.
Should pharmacy music have lyrics?
Near the counter, usually not. Words compete with a customer trying to follow dosage advice and with staff confirming a name or a prescription. Instrumental programming is the safer default there, even if the retail floor carries something warmer.
What does it cost?
A flat $149 a year, including the music. Four separate PRO licences start at roughly $817 a year before SESAC and GMR, and none of them supplies you with any music.
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.