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• I own the CD’s, why must I pay a licensing fee to play music in my store? – When you purchase a CD, you have paid for the right to enjoy the music personally. However when you play the CD publically over loudspeakers you are now “publically performing” the music, which requires licensing.

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• Why must I pay to play music from the radio in my store? Isn’t it free? – Typically when playing music from the radio or the TV In a public location over a distributed speaker system, the music must be licensed.

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• What about playing Pandora or MP3’s? – MP3’s, AVI’s, i-Tunes, Pandora, Slacker Radio, I Heart Radio, etc. all fall into the same category as playing CD’s. You are publically performing the music and therefore subject to paying licensing fees for the music.

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• What if I just want to play the radio at my desk or from my computer? – Generally playing a radio at your desk for your personal enjoyment does not require any licensing. It becomes a licensing issue if the radio is placed in such a way as to broadcast the sound to a large area, or if multiple radios are use to cover a larger space. In these cases a background music system needs to be installed and licensed music needs to be used.

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• Are there ANY exceptions to licensing? – There are a couple of exemptions that apply only to commercial establishments with certain square footages, using broadcast radio or TV as their music source. Give us a call and we can help you confirm if your business meets these exemptions.

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• Can I really be fined for not licensing the music I play? – Fines ranging from $750 to $200k have been levied against businesses that have been found to not comply with music licensing. Is it worth it to roll the dice and gamble?

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