Do dentists and GP surgeries need a music licence?

Yes, if they play music that patients or staff can hear, including in waiting rooms, reception areas and staff-only spaces. PPL's PPLPP085 tariff covers waiting rooms and receptions specifically, and PRS for Music's permission is needed separately for the songs.

How much does a waiting room music licence cost?

PPL's flat fee under PPLPP085 is £193.42 a year per area, ex-VAT, effective from 1 September 2026. PRS for Music's charge is separate and depends on the tariff applied to your reception area, commonly its General Purposes tariff, priced by seating and equipment.

Is there a separate PRS for Music charge for a waiting room?

Yes. PPL and PRS for Music are separate organisations charging separately, even on one combined invoice. PRS for Music doesn't publish a tariff named for waiting rooms; most surgeries are charged under its General Purposes tariff instead.

Do care homes need a music licence?

It depends on exactly how and where the music is used, and we haven't found a current published PPL PRS source that sets out clear treatment for care homes specifically. Ask PPL PRS directly for the position on residents' rooms, communal lounges, staff areas and organised entertainment, and get it in writing.

Does playing music only for staff still need a licence?

Usually yes. PPL PRS treats music played outside a domestic setting as a public performance even where only employees can hear it, so a staff-only back office playing background music generally still needs TheMusicLicence, the same as a patient-facing waiting room does.

Updated 24 September 2026 · 6 min read

Music licence for dentists, GP surgeries and care homes

Waiting rooms have a published flat-fee tariff. Care homes are more varied, and we won't guess at treatment we can't verify.

On this page

PPL: PPLPP085 (from 1 September 2026)
PRS for Music: no tariff named specifically for waiting rooms
What PPL PRS's own worked example shows
Care homes: we won't guess, and neither should you
How to check what you're being billed
Sources
Common questions

A dentist, GP surgery or clinic that plays music in its waiting room or reception needs TheMusicLicence. The specific PPL tariff for that is PPLPP085, Background Music, Waiting Rooms and Reception Areas, priced as a flat annual fee per area rather than by floor size. PRS for Music's side is charged separately, and generally isn't billed under a tariff named for waiting rooms specifically.

PPL: PPLPP085 (from 1 September 2026)#

PPL's waiting room and reception tariff is a single flat fee of £193.42 per area, ex-VAT, for the public use of sound recordings solely as background music in that setting. It's effective from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027. A 50% surcharge applies if you were playing recordings before obtaining the licence, and the minimum PPL licence fee applies where relevant.

PRS for Music: no tariff named specifically for waiting rooms#

PRS for Music doesn't publish a tariff called "waiting rooms." For most surgeries and clinics, background music in a reception or waiting area is licensed under PRS's general-purpose Tariff 'GP', which prices rooms differently depending on whether seating is provided for all occupants (which fits a waiting room) and on the playback device, rather than as a single flat fee.

PRS Tariff 'GP', section 3.7, rooms with seating for all occupants, up to 30 seats, standard annual royalty ex-VAT. Source: PRS for Music Tariff 'GP' 2025.09, effective 1 September 2025.

Equipment	Annual PRS royalty
Stand-alone television	£187.28
Television with satellite/cable	£280.90
Television system	£374.54
Radio only	£187.28
Record/CD/tape player or digital music service	£329.61

Each further 20 seats (or part) adds a further charge under the same tariff, at roughly half the base rate again. If your waiting room and reception are billed under a different PRS tariff, that isn't necessarily wrong; ask PPL PRS to confirm which tariff and why, since the correct one depends on how the space and the rest of the premises are used.

What PPL PRS's own worked example shows#

PPL PRS's health care sector page states that a healthcare premises using music via TV or radio in an open reception area and a waiting area of up to 19 seats could do so for as little as £319.79 a year (plus VAT), and that a premises with an audible area of no more than 600m² could play music via a traditional radio or TV in a 19-seat waiting room plus two further surgery rooms for around £523.98 a year (plus VAT), correct as of September 2026. The same page confirms that staff-only areas, such as a back office, also usually need a licence, not just spaces patients use.

Care homes: we won't guess, and neither should you#

PPL PRS's published Health Care sector page names doctors, dentists and clinics, covering reception areas, waiting rooms and staff areas. It doesn't set out published treatment for a residential care home's communal lounges, residents' own rooms, organised activities or visiting entertainers. Whether, and how, each of those needs a licence depends on exactly how and where the music is used, and we haven't found a current PPL PRS source that states a clear position for care homes specifically. We're not going to state an exemption we can't verify from an official current source.

If you run a care home, ask PPL PRS directly for the tariff and treatment that applies to each area separately (residents' private rooms, communal lounges, staff areas, organised entertainment), and get the answer in writing before assuming any part of the home is free of charge. Don't treat this guide, or anything else you read online, as confirmation either way.

How to check what you're being billed#

Compare the area, seating count and equipment on your Usage Summary against what's actually in your reception or waiting room today. If you have one site and want a written verdict, the free Invoice Check reviews one invoice and tells you the result either way. If you run four or more sites, the initial estate review is free; any success fee for work that follows is agreed in writing before we act. MLC is independent and is not affiliated with PPL PRS, PPL or PRS for Music.

Sources#

Common questions

Do dentists and GP surgeries need a music licence?: Yes, if they play music that patients or staff can hear, including in waiting rooms, reception areas and staff-only spaces. PPL's PPLPP085 tariff covers waiting rooms and receptions specifically, and PRS for Music's permission is needed separately for the songs.
How much does a waiting room music licence cost?: PPL's flat fee under PPLPP085 is £193.42 a year per area, ex-VAT, effective from 1 September 2026. PRS for Music's charge is separate and depends on the tariff applied to your reception area, commonly its General Purposes tariff, priced by seating and equipment.
Is there a separate PRS for Music charge for a waiting room?: Yes. PPL and PRS for Music are separate organisations charging separately, even on one combined invoice. PRS for Music doesn't publish a tariff named for waiting rooms; most surgeries are charged under its General Purposes tariff instead.
Do care homes need a music licence?: It depends on exactly how and where the music is used, and we haven't found a current published PPL PRS source that sets out clear treatment for care homes specifically. Ask PPL PRS directly for the position on residents' rooms, communal lounges, staff areas and organised entertainment, and get it in writing.
Does playing music only for staff still need a licence?: Usually yes. PPL PRS treats music played outside a domestic setting as a public performance even where only employees can hear it, so a staff-only back office playing background music generally still needs TheMusicLicence, the same as a patient-facing waiting room does.

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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.