Attention Shoppers: The Background Music You Hear May Not Be Licensed

Odds are, the majority of music you hear in business settings is being played "illegally." About 88% of businesses that play music for background noise are playing it using their personal accounts that are not authorized for commercial use. These personal accounts, such as Spotify, cost around $9.99/month, whereas to play this music with the correct licensing, it costs around $35/month. "Businesses that play music from consumer streaming services like Spotify are underpaying by as much as $2.65 billion, a new study estimates." This total takes into account the royalties that should be paid to the artists/composers as well as the music streaming companies such as Spotify and Apple Music. In most cases, businesses are violating the terms and conditions unintentionally, as most people don't know about this special licensing.