MLCMusic Licence Consulting
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Updated 18 July 2026 · 4 min read

How 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.

For most businesses, the floor area where music can be heard by customers — the “audible area” — is the single biggest driver of what TheMusicLicence costs. Get it wrong by a band and you can overpay for years.

What should count

Broadly, audible area is the space where your music can be heard, measured wall-to-wall — which can legitimately include toilets, corridors, back-of-house and outdoor areas where music carries. It’s placed into tariff bands, so being near a band boundary — or having the wrong figure recorded — makes a real difference to the fee.

The steps between bands are real money. On the PRS shops tariff (RS, 2026) the standard annual charge runs roughly £246.80 up to 100m², £359.90 for 101–200m², and £473.70 for 201–300m² — so an over-stated area that pushes you up a band can cost around £110+ a year on the PRS side alone, before the PPL step is added. (Figures exclude VAT and re-index annually.)

What often shouldn’t be included

  • Storerooms, stockrooms and cellars.
  • Staff-only areas, offices and back-of-house.
  • Corridors, plant rooms and other non-customer space.
  • Areas that are no longer in use after a downsizing or refit.

How to check yours

Compare the audible area recorded on your invoice against the space where music is genuinely audible to customers today. If it looks high — or hasn’t been updated since a change to your premises — it’s worth a proper review.

Not sure? Send us your invoice and we’ll check the audible-area basis for free. No savings, no fee.

Think you're overpaying?

Run a group of 4+ sites? Send us your invoices for a free estate review — no savings, no fee. Just one site? The £99 Single Invoice Check gives you a written verdict in five working days.

Free estate review (4+ sites)One site? £99 check

Related guides

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.How to reduce your music licence cost: your optionsFour realistic ways to lower a business music licence bill — and the one that recovers money without changing a thing about how you operate.Royalty-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.

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and MLC is an independent consultancy — not affiliated with PPL PRS Ltd, PRS for Music or PPL.