Do cafes need a music licence?
A cafe needs permission for music played publicly, but the required arrangement depends on the music service, catalogue, country, and venue.
Make the decision for the actual cafe
A cafe has to make music work alongside morning service, lunch peaks, conversations, coffee equipment, and customers who stay to work or study. The right answer therefore depends on the room, the people using it, and how long the music plays. A short preview in an empty space is not enough.
Cafe music should support conversation and the pace of service. It can change through the day without making the room feel like a different business.
Practical points to check
- Confirm the rights included with the streaming service.
- Check whether local collecting-society obligations still apply.
- Do not assume that royalty-free means free of every local obligation.
- Keep licensing information current if the catalogue or country changes.
Use music intended for a business
MelloJam is a browser-based background music service for customer-facing businesses. Its catalogue is designed for low-fatigue commercial ambience, and the commercial playback rights covered by the catalogue are included with every plan.
For cafes, start with lists such as Warm Cafe and Morning Cafe. One concurrent player costs $9 per month, and up to 10 concurrent players cost $19 per month. Local public-performance obligations can still vary by country and should be checked separately.
Explore background music for cafes
Open the MelloJam player or compare plans.
Source on collective music rights
WIPO explains how collective management organisations license protected works and collect fees for represented rights holders. The exact system and obligations depend on the national context.
Source: WIPO: Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights