When it comes to operating a business, music licensing isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. Whether you run a storefront shop, a hotel, a gym, or a restaurant, your first-priorities are most likely your product or service and running things day to day. 

But as many businesses know, in order to play music in your business a license is legally required and infringement of copyright can be very expensive. The traditional route for most businesses is to either pay an annual blanket license from your local collection society/PRO or to retain the services of a background music provider. 

The collection society/PRO license gives businesses the right to play most music from major pop acts as well as wide amounts of independent music. However, for many businesses this license doesn’t make much sense economically as they are paying to license music they might not ever play. The same also applies for legacy background music providers, the amount required for both the license and the service may not be ideal for many businesses as they are bundling in hardware and programming along with licenses from multiple collection societies/PRO’s, thus the costs can quickly become unfeasible for many businesses. 

At Rightsify, we provide businesses with what is called a ‘direct public performance license’. Meaning the music we license to businesses comes directly from independent rights holders, so with a license from Rightsify you are able to save significant costs on music licensing by only paying for the music you use. We also provide all business customers with an official licensing certificate that certifies that you have a public performance license from Rightsify.

Have any other questions about licensing? Contact us. 

Ps. We just launched our new annual license for small business for only $99.99 / year. 

Playing music in your business helps add energy and creates a unique environment, whether it’s chill house music at a hotel, classical and jazz at a restaurant or vocal pop in a retail store. Regardless of the business type, music can help hone the identity of who you are and what your business is selling.

Connecting with your Customers:

When businesses choose music, it varies on the type and size of the business, but more often than not, it’s about the right music that matches a brands identity. In this article we outline some advice and tips on the right music for businesses to play. Whether you’re a small business owner or a regional chain, playing the right music is key to connecting with your customers, keeping employees engaged and growing your business. 

One of the first steps in choosing the right music is knowing exactly who your customer is. Some will assume playing standard top-40 radio music is a neutral offering but this is couldn’t be further from the truth. Sometimes overbearing and loud music can turn customers off and top-40 radio music generally isn’t a one-size fits all solution, therefore it’s vital to create and identify what music matches well with your business.

Music Styles:

– Hotels:

Hotels are some of the biggest music users in terms of businesses, being that most hotels have multiple zones, whether it be the lobby, bar, restaurant, pool or the elevators and hallways. 

The type of music depends on the style of the hotel. For example, a luxury business hotel in a city would mostly have house, lounge and jazz music spread across each zone while a family resort would be better off playing vocal pop and indie-rock. 

– Restaurants

Music in restaurants is a key component in dining. You want music that creates the right atmosphere while not being overly-intrusive. For a luxury or upscale dining experience, smooth and soft jazz music works well and for a chain or fast-food restaurant more upbeat pop or dance music works well. 

– Cafes

Like with Restaurants, cafes depend on the surrounding area and there needs to be a delicate balance of how prominently the music is heard. For an urban cafe where customers are more likely to take their coffee to go some more hip, upbeat music like house or lounge would work well, if it’s a more social and relaxed type of coffee shop then perhaps some jazz and smooth vocal music would be best,

– Retail

When you walk through a shopping mall you tend to get a full musical experience by walking between shops, from fashion retailers to shoe stores and upscale jewelry stores, each of these stores have a more specific customer base so the music styles obviously vary. 

A fashion retailer for example, would be playing current and upbeat music, most commonly house and other styles of dance music, while a jewelry store will go with something more traditional such as classical or jazz.

 – Supermarkets, Grocery Stores and Convenience Stores

This all depends on location and style, but a suburban grocery store will generally change their music styles on the time of day based on the habits of shoppers. For example, a smooth classical or jazz sound in the morning followed by more upbeat pop and vocal music throughout the day. 

Playing Music in your Business:

Most businesses play music from their own personal collection in the case of small businesses, while brands and chains generally work with a background music service provider that provides them with music and hardware for playing music in their business. In all cases, in order to play music in your business you need a license. In the US the three main collection societies, or PRO’s are ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, in the UK it’s PRS and PPL, and in Australia it’s APRA and PPCA.

At Rightsify, we provide businesses with both uniquely designed music and an official music license certificate so they can play music that fits their business style while saving costs on music licensing. We offer a mix of pre-made playlists for business types as well as custom playlists designed exclusively for your business. For more information on how Rightsify can provide music for your business, contact us today.

These days it seems that we are going through somewhat of a Podcast Renaissance. Far from being the niche content they were with the original release of the iPod, these days there are podcasts for everything. Whether it’s a celebrity hosted talk show, sports, political talk-radio style podcasts, or even fictional/audiobook style podcasts, there’s something there for everyone.

Music Licensing:

Regardless of the genre or format a podcast may be in, all podcasters have one common issue and that issue is music licensing. The laws and official procedures for licensing music in podcasts have been hazy for quite some time. Some assume it requires a standard synchronization license from rights holders. Some assume that a blanket public performance license from a PRO or collection society is all you need. Some even assume that approval from the artist will take care of things.

Unfortunately, the answer is none of the above. The reason podcasts differ from other types of music usage is because of the method of which they are delivered, via download. When a song is downloaded and placed onto a podcast this is considered a ‘reproduction’ right which is something a standard sync license or public performance license does not cover, hence the complex process of clearing music rights for podcasts. 

How To License:

While many podcasters have to jump through hoops to legally clear songs for use in their podcasts or end up settling for royalty-free stock music, at Rightsify we offer a premium music selection and a simple, 100% licensing solution for podcasters and podcast networks. By licensing all rights in one place, you can ensure that the music used in your podcasts is completely licensed and legal.

Have a question about the Rightsify Podcast License? Get in touch with us today. 

After rolling out our In Store Music service last week, Rightsify for Business, we are today rolling out our On Hold Music and Messaging Services. 

Like with In Store Music, representing your brand and communicating with customers is vital to succeeding as a business, so when a customer calls your business and is put on hold, it’s ideal for them to bet met with both custom made music and messages. Studies show that if a caller is met with silence, 90%* of them will hang up within 40 seconds, studies also show that 70%** of business callers are put on hold for an average of 45-60 seconds. This creates an opportunity to keep your callers engaged and to provide them information about your products and services while they are On Hold. 

At Rightsify, we provide music, voice-overs and script services to businesses and brands. Whether you are looking for a specific accent, a certain music style or multi-lingual voices, we can make it happen for you.

For more information on how you can start broadcasting your brand today, get in touch with us and we’ll get back to you shortly.

*North American Telecommunications Association

**AT&T