There is no single price for a restaurant music license. Fees depend on capacity, how you use music and how often. Here is how the four U.S. PROs build their bills, and how to budget without guesswork.
The first time a performing rights organization calls, emails or sends a letter, most restaurant and bar owners ask two questions: do I really have to pay, and how much? The first answer is usually yes, if you play music your customers can hear. The second answer is "it depends," which is frustrating until you see exactly what it depends on. This guide breaks down how the fees are built, what makes them go up or down, and how to budget and respond calmly.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rates and license terms change, so always confirm current figures directly with each organization.
Why a restaurant can get several music bills
In the U.S., songwriters and publishers license public performances mainly through four performing rights organizations: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR (Global Music Rights). Each one licenses only the songs in its own repertoire. BMI states on its restaurant licensing page that a license with another PRO only allows you to perform music represented by that organization.
Because popular songs are written by members of different PROs, and many songs are split between writers at different organizations, a venue playing mainstream music can need licenses from more than one of them. Each license is a separate agreement with its own invoice.
This has become a policy issue. In its November 2025 letter to Congress on PRO issues, the U.S. Copyright Office summarized comments from bars, restaurants and venue groups reporting extra financial and administrative costs as new PROs entered the market. Some licensees raised specific concerns about two newer organizations, AllTrack and Pro Music Rights, and the transparency of their repertoire data.
What actually drives the fee
There is no single national price list for "a restaurant." Each PRO publishes rate schedules for different kinds of businesses, and your fee is calculated from how you use music. The factors the PROs name themselves include:
- Capacity or occupancy. BMI lists occupancy as a core factor for bars and restaurants, and ASCAP names capacity.
- Type of music use. ASCAP distinguishes live from recorded music and audio-only from audiovisual use such as TVs. BMI lists music type as a factor.
- Frequency. BMI lists frequency, and ASCAP mentions how many nights a week a venue hosts live music.
ASCAP also says it offers more than a hundred different license types and that most licensees take blanket licenses with an annual flat fee. On the low end, its FAQ says smaller operations may pay as little as a dollar or two a day, and elsewhere on the same page it mentions $2 to $3 a day. According to ASCAP's licensing FAQ for bars and restaurants, restaurants of the same size with the same use of music pay the same rates whether they are in Oshkosh or New York City.
On the BMI side, the BMI restaurant and bar licensing page describes a fee structure based on occupancy, music type and frequency, savings of up to 10 percent for members of partner associations, and a one-time 10 percent saving for new customers who license and pay in full through its online Licensing Center.
We are not quoting dollar amounts here on purpose. Rate schedules are updated, and your number depends on your specifics. The reliable way to get it is to request a quote for your exact profile.
A budgeting worksheet you can fill in tonight
Before you talk to anyone, write down your venue's music profile. It makes quotes comparable and helps you spot errors.
- Gross square footage. Under federal copyright law this means the entire interior plus any adjoining outdoor space used to serve customers, such as a patio, but not space used only for parking.
- Legal capacity or seat count.
- Recorded music. What source, which rooms, and which hours.
- TVs. How many, screen sizes, and whether the sound is on.
- Live music. Nights per week, and whether you charge a cover.
- DJs, karaoke or dancing. How often.
- Repertoire. Which organizations' songs you actually play. Songview, the shared ownership database launched by ASCAP and BMI, is expanding to cover GMR and SESAC works, which makes this easier to check.
Send the same profile to each PRO whose music you use and ask for a written quote and the full license terms.
Four common scenarios
The quiet café with recorded music only
A streaming app or playlist is not covered by the small-business exemption, which applies only to radio and TV broadcasts. You either need licenses for the repertoire you play plus a source that permits business use, a business music service that includes licensing for its own music, or a catalog that does not involve PROs. For many small cafés, the background source is the only music use, so choosing it well can remove most of the cost.
The neighborhood restaurant with TVs
If your TVs show broadcast, cable or satellite programming and you meet the conditions in section 110(5)(B) of the Copyright Act, the TV audio may be exempt. For a food service or drinking establishment that means under 3,750 gross square feet, or larger with no more than 4 TVs, no more than 1 per room, no screen over 55 inches, and no more than 6 loudspeakers with no more than 4 in any one room. Background music from any other source is a separate question.
The bar with a Friday band
Live music changes the picture. Cover songs belong to their writers, and ASCAP's position is that the venue, not the band, is the party that obtains the license. Even bands that mostly play originals may include PRO-affiliated writers. If you host live music, expect to need PRO coverage for those nights regardless of what plays the rest of the week.
The venue that does brunch, dinner and a late DJ
Each use adds a factor. It often helps to separate the everyday background music from event music, license the events properly, and keep the background source simple and fully documented.
When the letter or the rep arrives
ASCAP describes its usual process as an introductory letter or email followed by a phone call, and says it files infringement suits only after repeated attempts to get a business licensed. In other words, the first contact is the start of a conversation, and how you handle it matters.
- Do not ignore it, and do not sign on the spot. Ask for the written terms and the rate schedule being applied.
- Compare their profile with yours. Check square footage, capacity, live-music nights and TV counts against your worksheet.
- Show what you actually play. If your background music comes from a pre-licensed service or a PRO-free catalog, have the subscription and license documents ready.
- Remember the scope. A license from one PRO covers only that organization's repertoire.
- Check your state's rules. Commenters in the Copyright Office inquiry noted that 27 states have laws that specifically govern how PROs license businesses. It is worth reading what your state requires.
- Get advice if the claim is disputed. A copyright attorney can review the claim, and your state restaurant or hospitality association may have guidance for members.
Where background music fits into the budget
BMI's restaurant FAQ is candid about what commercial music services cover: they typically include a BMI license only for the music they provide, so live performances, DJs, personal playlists and TVs with sound still need separate licensing.
That is why the background source matters. Recorded background music usually runs every hour you are open, while live music may be one or two nights a week. If your everyday music comes from a catalog that is original and not registered with any PRO, the PRO question for those hours disappears. WeavyAudio's catalog is original and owned by WeavyAudio, and each subscription includes a license to publicly perform it at the registered location, as described in our Terms of Service. You would still license live nights or TV audio separately if you have them.
For a dinner room, our dinner and late night collections are good places to hear whether an original catalog fits your concept. If it does, you can compare WeavyAudio's flat per-location pricing against the quotes on your worksheet.
FAQ
How much does an ASCAP license cost for a small restaurant?
It depends on capacity and how you use music. ASCAP's FAQ puts its lowest fees at a few dollars a day for smaller operations. Request a quote based on your exact profile.
Do restaurants in big cities pay more?
ASCAP says restaurants of the same size with the same use of music pay the same rates regardless of location. At least for ASCAP, the fee follows size and music use, not the city.
If I only have TVs, do I need a license?
Maybe not. If you meet the section 110(5)(B) conditions for broadcast, cable or satellite TV and do not charge to watch, the TV audio can be exempt. Any other music source is separate.
Does a music service subscription replace PRO licenses?
Only for the music that service provides, according to BMI. Live music, DJs, TVs and personal playlists need their own licensing.
Can I cancel a PRO license if I switch to PRO-free music?
Read the renewal clause first. Some PRO licenses renew automatically; BMI's fitness-club license, for example, renews each year unless cancelled with 30 days' written notice. Keep coverage for any live music or DJ nights you still host.