How to play legal music in your business.

There are two types of rights you both need.

Commercial streaming rights.

Kollekt.fm takes care of these for you.

In a commercial business, consumer solutions for streaming such as Apple music, Spotify, Deezer & Amazon are non-compliant.

A lot of small businesses are unaware that this is illegal and risk steep fines. Moreover, when using non-compliant music streaming services, the artists you're playing are not compensated fairly for their work.

At Kollekt.fm we want to support the artists that are played in your venue. Therefore we take care of the rights to play music in your business. This is what we call: music with peace of mind.

Public performance rights.

You have to arrange this yourself, Kollekt.fm can help.

Next to streaming rights, playing music in a store or public space always requires a license from your local collecting society (PRO).

In most countries the cost of a license is determined by the size of the store where the music is played and payed for per square meter. Applying for the required license has to be done by a store owner itself and can be done online. In The Netherlands a license can be obtained at BUMA STEMRA.

We can help you to contact the right local PRO(s) and offer support with the sign up process.

Frequently asked licensing questions

What licenses should I have for my stores?

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Playing music in a store or public space always requires a license. In most countries the cost of a license is determined by the size of the store where the music is played. Applying for the required license can often be done online. For more info visit kollekt.fm/licensing or give us a call.

Why do I need a public performance license?

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Public performing rights apply when performances are considered "public", meaning that they take place in a public place and the audience is outside a normal circle of friends and family, including restaurants, retail stores, gyms etc. Public performances also include broadcasts or and other transmitted performance of a song.

In other words: If you play music in a public space, you need a public performance rights license. This license can only be acquired by the venue owner where the music is played and can not be obtained by Kollekt.fm.

How do I obtain a public performance license?

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To obtain a public performance license, contact your local collection society in order to use Atmosphere legally.

Quick links for our clients in The Netherlands and Belgium:

The Netherlands
BUMA STEMRA/SENA

Belgium
SABAM/SIMIM/UNISONO

Other Countries
List of local PRO's (.pdf)

Even though we can not acquire this license for our customers, we can inform you how to acquire a public performance rights license and support you in your application. Don't hesitate to contact us when there are questions.

Why can't I use Spotify or similar services in my business?

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"As laid out in our Terms and Conditions, Spotify is for personal entertainment only and not for commercial use. This means it can’t be broadcasted or played publicly from a business, such as radio stations, bars, restaurants, stores, dance studios, etc."
Spotify, 2020

As stated in the example above, from Spotify, the music on similar platforms like Spotify are licensed for personal use only.