Music licence for cafés and coffee shops: do you need one and what does it cost?
Most cafés play background music, which means TheMusicLicence, but independents are among the most likely to be over-charged. Here’s what’s fair.
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If you play radio, streaming or any commercially released music where customers or staff can hear it, your café needs TheMusicLicence: the combined PPL and PRS for Music licence. That’s true even for a small independent with a single speaker behind the counter. The good news: for a typical café the correct figure is modest, and if your bill looks a lot bigger than that, it’s usually a fixable error.
What drives the cost for a café?#
- How you play music. Radio or TV is the cheapest on the PRS side; streaming, CDs, a music system or a jukebox cost more; live acts and DJ nights are charged separately again.
- How many customers each room seats (PRS) and the audible floor area of the whole premises (PPL).
- Whether you also run a takeaway counter, which adds 17.5% to the PRS charge.
- Whether you were licensed before you started playing music (a first-year higher rate can apply).
What does it typically cost?#
A café pays two charges. PRS for Music’s Tariff HR (from 1 July 2026) prices background music per room, by the number of seats and how the music is played. PPL’s PPLPP210 prices it by the audible area of the whole premises: £204.19 a year up to 400m², then £25.52 for each further 50m².
| How music is played | Up to 30 seats | Each further 20 seats |
|---|---|---|
| Radio | £196.62 | +£65.50 |
| TV | £196.62 | +£65.50 |
| Streaming, CD or record player | £346.08 | +£115.35 |
| Music centre or radio-cassette | £393.26 | +£131.08 |
| Video player | £298.92 | +£99.68 |
| Audio jukebox | £393.26 | +£131.08 |
So a café with up to 30 seats playing the radio pays £196.62 to PRS and £204.19 to PPL: £400.81 a year before VAT, the same figure PPL PRS publishes. Switch the radio for a streaming playlist and the PRS half becomes £346.08, so £550.27 in total. A 50-seat café streaming music pays £461.43 to PRS, or £665.62 with PPL. If two kinds of equipment play in the same room, PRS reduces the combined charge for that room by 10%. If you’re open 26 weeks a year or less, PRS reduces it by a third. The minimum PRS royalty under Tariff HR is £77.17 a year, and all figures exclude VAT.
Work out your own figure with the cost calculator, which uses these tariffs.
Where cafés commonly overpay#
- Billed for live entertainment or ‘specially featured’ music when you only play background radio or streaming.
- A first-year higher rate (standard + 50%) still on the bill after year one.
- Storeroom, kitchen or staff-only areas counted in the customer-audible area.
- Never re-assessed after you changed how (or whether) you play music.
If any of that sounds familiar, run the numbers on our calculator or send us your invoice: we’ll check it against the official café/retail tariffs, and tell you honestly if it’s already right. One site? The free Invoice Check gives you a written verdict in five working days. Four or more sites? The estate review is free and we only charge if we recover money. See pricing.
- Do I need a music licence for my business? →
- The 50% higher royalty rate explained →
- How to check your music licence invoice →
Common questions
- Does a cafe need a music licence?
- Yes, if you play radio, streaming or any commercially released music where customers or staff can hear it, your cafe needs TheMusicLicence, the combined PPL and PRS for Music licence. That's true even for a small independent with a single speaker behind the counter.
- How much is a PRS licence for a cafe?
- A small cafe playing the radio, up to around 30 seats, is often in the region of £400 a year across PPL and PRS combined, ex-VAT. A CD player or jukebox pushes the PRS element higher, and live music higher still. The minimum PRS royalty under Tariff HR, which covers cafés and restaurants, is £77.17 a year.
- What drives the cost of a cafe's music licence?
- How you play music, since background radio or streaming is the cheapest and live acts or DJ nights cost more, the size of your customer area and seating, your opening hours and days, and whether a first-year higher rate applies from being licensed after already playing music.
- Where do cafes commonly get overcharged?
- Common issues include being billed for live entertainment or specially featured music when you only play background radio or streaming, a first-year higher rate still on the bill after year one, storeroom or staff-only areas counted in the customer-audible area, and never being re-assessed after a change in how you play music.
Want it checked or set up properly?
- Already paying? Send your latest invoice for a free check and a plain-English answer within five working days.
- Four or more sites? A free estate check, site by site, with a clear summary of anything that's off.
- No licence yet? We tell you exactly what to declare and make the application for you.
Get told when the rates change
PPL and PRS re-index their tariffs every year. Leave your email and we'll let you know when the main rates change (January and July), with a reminder to check your invoice. Nothing else, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Related guides
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.