What concessions do hotels commonly miss on their music licence?

Bedrooms are charged in blocks so unused floors can keep being billed unless updated, there's a cap for small residential hotels that's routinely not applied, a seasonal reduction applies if you only open part of the year, a discount applies where a room has more than one music source, and the device or source type swings the charge substantially.

Where do hotels commonly overpay?

Common issues include paying for function or event rooms as though they're in use far more often than they are, areas billed that no longer play music or never did, live-entertainment tariffs applied to areas that only have background music, and the same misclassification repeated across a group of hotels.

Updated 19 July 2026 · 5 min read

Music licence for hotels: the areas you pay for and the ones you shouldn’t

A hotel is really several venues under one roof, and TheMusicLicence bills them that way. That’s where multi-area over-charges add up fast.

On this page

What drives the cost for a hotel?
What does it typically cost?
The concessions most hotels miss
Where hotels commonly overpay
Common questions

Hotels almost always need TheMusicLicence, and they’re among the most complex accounts because music is used in several distinct areas: the bar, the restaurant, public lounges, function and event rooms, spa or gym facilities, and sometimes background music in corridors and receptions. Each area can attract its own tariff and usage type, so a hotel bill is really a stack of smaller bills, and errors in any one of them repeat every year.

What drives the cost for a hotel?#

Each music-using area: bar, restaurant, lounges, reception, leisure facilities.
Function and event rooms, usually billed by the number of events or days of use.
Live music, DJs and events versus background music.
The number of sites in a group, and whether a first-year higher rate applies.

What does it typically cost?#

There’s no single figure: a small B&B playing background music in a breakfast room is worlds apart from a hotel with a busy events calendar. Because the total is built from several tariffs, an accurate number needs your invoice and a picture of how each area is used. We’ll work it out precisely rather than quote a guess.

The concessions most hotels miss#

The hotel tariff is the most concession-heavy in the whole estate, which is good news for you, because every concession is a place the bill can be too high. Worth checking on every property:

Bedrooms are charged in blocks (per set number of rooms, or part of a block), so a floor taken out of service, or rooms converted to storage, can keep being billed unless the count is updated.
There’s a cap for small residential hotels (limited letting bedrooms, facilities for residents only) that is routinely not applied where it should be.
A seasonal reduction applies if you only open part of the year.
A discount applies where the same room has more than one music source.
The device/source type: a TV or radio versus a video jukebox, swings the charge substantially, and it’s a single field that’s often recorded wrong.

Across a group of 8+ hotels, a single missed concession repeats on every property, which is exactly where the recoverable numbers get large.

Where hotels commonly overpay#

Paying for function/event rooms as though they’re in use far more often than they are.
Areas billed that no longer play music (or never did).
Live-entertainment tariffs applied to areas that only have background music.
The same misclassification repeated across a group of hotels.

Hotels are where the biggest recoveries tend to sit, precisely because the bills are complicated. Send us your invoices and we’ll check every area against the official tariffs. 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.

Common questions

What licences does a hotel need for music?: Hotels almost always need TheMusicLicence, and music is typically used in several distinct areas, such as the bar, restaurant, public lounges, function and event rooms, spa or gym facilities, and sometimes corridors and receptions. Each area can attract its own tariff and usage type, so a hotel bill is really a stack of smaller bills.
What concessions do hotels commonly miss on their music licence?: Bedrooms are charged in blocks so unused floors can keep being billed unless updated, there's a cap for small residential hotels that's routinely not applied, a seasonal reduction applies if you only open part of the year, a discount applies where a room has more than one music source, and the device or source type swings the charge substantially.
How is music licensing in hotels priced?: There's no single figure. It's built from several tariffs across each music-using area, so a small B&B playing background music in a breakfast room is worlds apart from a hotel with a busy events calendar, and function rooms are usually billed by the number of events or days of use.
Where do hotels commonly overpay?: Common issues include paying for function or event rooms as though they're in use far more often than they are, areas billed that no longer play music or never did, live-entertainment tariffs applied to areas that only have background music, and the same misclassification repeated across a group of hotels.

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 a free check Free estate check (4+ sites)Set up a new licence

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.

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.