Music licensing in Ireland
Streaming music in your business isn't the same as listening to music at home. When you play music for an audience with a business and commercial purpose, you need different licenses.
Play it right
Soundtrack is built to bring you music that’s legal for your business. In Ireland, almost everything you need is included in your Soundtrack plan except for a public performance license.
Recording rights
Allows you to stream a specific sound recording of a song
Publishing rights
Allows you to stream the original composition
Change the way you play
Soundtrack offers an excellent selection of music because of our direct relationships with publishers, performing rights organizations and record labels. These include Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and more. Our technology accurately tracks your song plays, which ensures that music creators get the right payments from us. Soundtrack Unlimited makes royalty payments about 5 times higher than streaming services for private use.
Music for business
Avoid legal concerns when playing music in your business. Use a suitable music provider (like Soundtrack) and check that you have the correct licenses in place.
Personal music services including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer, are not approved for use in business environments.
Spotify
You can’t broadcast or play Spotify publicly from a business, such as bars, restaurants, schools, stores, salons, dance studios, radio stations, etc. To play in a commercial environment, check out our friends at Soundtrack.
Spotify for public or commercial useYouTube
You may access and use the Service as made available to you, as long as you comply with this Agreement and the law. You may view or listen to Content for your personal, non-commercial use.
YouTube Terms of ServiceDeezer
The use of the Site and Application is only authorized for a personal and private use, therefore any other use, particularly in public premises and for businesses, is strictly forbidden.
Deezer Terms and Conditions of UseApple
You may use the Services and Content only for personal, noncommercial purposes (except as set forth in the App Store Content section below or as otherwise specified by Apple).
Apple Media Services Terms and ConditionsAmazon Music
You may use the Services only for your personal, non-commercial purposes.
Amazon Music Terms of UseGet licensed
Get your correct business licenses
If you don't have public performance licenses from IMRO, MCPS and PPI, please visit their websites.
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Music licensing in Ireland
Playing music in your business isn't just about setting the mood — in Ireland, it's also a legal requirement. The law says you need two separate copyright clearances any time you play recorded music in public: one for the song itself, and one for the actual recording. The good news is that since 2016, you can get both through a single agreement.
The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) looks after songwriters, composers and music publishers. It started in 1988, taking over a territory previously administered by the UK's Performing Right Society, then became fully independent in 1996. IMRO collects license fees from businesses and broadcasters that play copyrighted music in public, then pays out royalties to its members. It's not just a licensing body, either — IMRO also sponsors Irish music festivals and showcases, and hands out its own IMRO Radio Awards, running since 2000.
The other key player is Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI), set up by the Irish record industry back in 1968. PPI protects record labels and performers, collecting royalties whenever a recording gets played, broadcast or reproduced in public, then passing that money on to the labels and artists behind it.
So what does that mean for your business? Rather than dealing with IMRO and PPI separately, Irish businesses can apply for a single Dual Music Licence, administered by IMRO, that bundles both copyrights into one contract — one invoice, one payment, one organization to talk to. It covers everything from shops, hotels and restaurants to gyms, offices and live music venues, and applies to any copyright music you play through equipment on your premises.
You can apply through IMRO's online licensing portal or contact IMRO directly.
Contact info
IMRO
PPI