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The basics
What TheMusicLicence is, who needs one and how the fee is worked out.
Music licence UK: what it is, who needs one and what it costs
Everything a UK business needs to know about the music licence: what it is, who needs one, what it costs, and how not to overpay.10 minDo I need a music licence for my business?
If customers or staff can hear music, the answer is usually yes. Here’s the honest version.4 minWhat is PPL PRS? TheMusicLicence explained for UK businesses
PPL, PRS for Music, PPL PRS Ltd, TheMusicLicence: here’s what each one actually is, and what it means for your business.6 minHow TheMusicLicence is calculated, and how its tariffs get challenged
The mechanics behind the invoice: two societies, separate tariffs, and a tribunal that has overturned tariffs before.7 minDo I need a music licence to play the radio, TV or Spotify at work?
The source of the music doesn’t change the rule: playing it in public does. Here’s the position for radio, TV and streaming.5 minLive music licence UK: the two permissions people mix up
Whether you need council permission and whether you need PRS or PPL permission are two different questions with two different answers.6 minIs PPL PRS legitimate? What the company is and how to check a genuine letter
PPL PRS Ltd is a genuine, registered UK company. That doesn't mean every letter claiming to be from it is real, so here's how to check.5 minA plain-English glossary of PPL PRS and music-licensing terms
The jargon, decoded. Every term that turns up on a PPL PRS letter or invoice, in plain English.5 min
Had a letter, call or demand?
What it means, what they can charge, and what to do next.
PPL PRS letter decoder: what your letter or invoice actually means
It looks scary and official. It isn’t a fine. Here’s how to read a PPL PRS letter or invoice line by line, and what to question.5 minPPL PRS keeps calling, but we don't play music. What should we do?
If you genuinely play no music, there's normally nothing to license. The trick is making sure that's true everywhere, then putting it in writing once.5 minBackdated up to six years: what a PPL PRS claim for prior use means
A backdated bill for years of prior use is many businesses’ first, frightening contact with PPL PRS. Here’s what’s actually enforceable, and what to do.5 minThe 50% higher royalty rate: what it is and when it’s wrong
A first-year surcharge you may owe once, but that’s often carried forward into years you don’t. Here’s how it works and how to check.4 minA debt collector or solicitor has written about PPL PRS. What now?
A collection letter is serious, but it isn't a court judgment. Here's how to respond so the facts are on record and nothing escalates by accident.6 minWhat happens if you play music without a licence?
A letter isn’t a fine, and you’re not about to be raided. Here’s what’s actually enforceable, and the level-headed way to sort it.4 minIs there a PRS licence loophole? The honest answer
There’s no magic loophole. But there are real, checkable errors on most multi-site bills, which is a different (and better) thing.4 min
What it costs
Published 2026 prices, what drives them and why bills go up.
How much does a business music licence cost in the UK?
TheMusicLicence isn’t a flat fee: it’s calculated from your premises and how you use music, which is exactly why overcharges are so common.5 minHow much is a music licence for a shop? 2026 UK costs by floor area
For a shop, the price follows the size of the area where customers can hear the music. Here are the 2026 figures.4 minHow much is a music licence for a pub? 2026 UK costs
A pub's background-music bill is really two charges built on two different measurements. Here's how each one works, with the published figures.7 minMaking sense of SFE: what PPL charges for DJ nights and discos, in plain English
Two numbers you can count yourself, one rate, and a calculator that shows every step. By the end you'll be able to check your own SFE bill.8 minHow audible area affects your music licence (and why it’s often wrong)
It’s the number that moves your bill the most, and the one most likely to be recorded incorrectly.4 minWhy has my music licence gone up this year?
Some of the rise is just annual re-indexing. A big jump with nothing changed is worth a closer look.4 minIs there VAT on a PPL PRS music licence?
Yes: 20% VAT is added on top of the tariff. What that means for you depends on whether you can reclaim it.3 minWhy your PPL PRS bill is so hard to check: 120+ tariffs, explained
One fee on the invoice; 120+ tariffs underneath. That gap is exactly why most bills can’t be sanity-checked at a glance.5 min
Checking your bill
How to spot an error, what to ask for, and how to get it corrected.
Received a PPL PRS invoice? How to check, query or correct it
Start with the facts on the invoice, then check what was declared. A surprising bill is not automatically a wrong one.6 minHow to check your PPL PRS music licence invoice for errors
A five-minute check of your invoice against the things that most often go wrong.5 minWhat is a PPL PRS Usage Summary, and why does it matter more than the invoice?
The invoice tells you what you pay. The Usage Summary tells you why. It's the document most businesses have never looked at.4 min5 ways businesses overpay for TheMusicLicence, and how to fix them
After auditing multi-site accounts, the same handful of overcharges come up again and again.6 minCan you get a refund from PPL PRS?
There's no general refund for music you didn't use. But there are several situations where money is genuinely owed back, and most people don't ask.5 minPPL PRS complaints and disputes: how to escalate an unresolved invoice query
Most invoice problems get sorted through a straightforward query. Here's what to do if PPL PRS's own process doesn't fix it.6 min
Paying less, changing or cancelling
Honest options, including when to cancel and what happens when a business is sold.
How to reduce your music licence cost: your options
Four realistic ways to lower a business music licence bill, and the one that recovers money without changing a thing about how you operate.6 minRoyalty-free music vs TheMusicLicence: which is right for your business?
‘Escape PPL PRS’ services are real and legitimate, but only if you’re happy to change your music. An honest look at the trade-off.5 minClosing, selling or cutting back? How to cancel or reduce TheMusicLicence
The rules are in the terms and conditions, and the dates matter. Miss them and you can end up paying for music you no longer play.5 minBuying or selling a business: what happens to the music licence?
A change of ownership is both a risk (inherited errors) and the perfect moment to get onto the correct tariff.4 min
By type of business
Tariffs, typical costs and common errors for your kind of premises.
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