Estimate what you would pay ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR to play background music in your business - then see the PRO-free alternative. Pick your setup:
Estimates only, for comparison. Actual PRO fees are set by each organisation's current rate schedule and depend on occupancy, square footage, hours of music, live performance and other factors - confirm with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR directly. Outside the US, a single blanket licence (for example PPL PRS in the UK) may apply instead.
There is no single number, because a music license for a business is really several licences. Most venues that play popular recorded music owe a separate annual fee to each performing-rights organisation - ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR - and each sets its own rate schedule. The ASCAP price and the BMI license cost are driven mostly by occupancy, floor area, hours of music, and whether you have live music, a DJ or dancing. A quiet cafe with recorded music only sits at the low end; a bar with a Friday band sits far higher.
As a rough guide, each PRO runs from a couple of hundred dollars a year for a small space into four figures for a large one with live entertainment. Licensing all four is why a single small venue can still see $650-$1,200 a year in combined fees, and a busy bar several times that. SESAC and GMR represent smaller catalogues but can still apply if you play mainstream commercial hits.
Usually yes. Playing recorded music where customers or staff can hear it counts as a public performance in most countries, so a small business generally needs the same public-performance cover as a large one - the fees are just scaled down. The full breakdown is in our guide, Do I Need a License to Play Music in My Business?, and the PRO side is covered in ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR fees explained.
The only way to avoid every performing-rights organisation is to play music that is already cleared for public performance. Every track on WeavyAudio is original and fully cleared for business use, so there is no ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR bill - just one predictable subscription per location. That turns the range above into a single flat line on your budget.