Personal streaming vs business music: why your own account is not enough
Why personal streaming accounts do not cover music in a café, shop or office, what the risks are, and which licensed alternatives businesses use instead.
A personal streaming account is licensed for personal, non-commercial listening, so playing it in a café, shop, salon, gym or office generally falls outside its terms. That remains true even if you pay for a premium plan. Businesses need a service that permits public playback, plus any collecting society licences that apply to the music, or a directly licensed catalogue that includes the public performance licence. This article explains why, what can go wrong and what to use instead. It is general information rather than legal advice.
Why do personal accounts not cover business playback?
When you subscribe to a consumer streaming service, you are buying access for yourself. The service has negotiated rights with labels, publishers and societies on that basis: music for individuals, at home or on the move. The terms of the major consumer services typically say so explicitly, restricting use to personal, non-commercial purposes.
Playing music to customers or staff is a different use. It is usually a public performance, which is a separate right that the service has not licensed to you. The price of a personal plan reflects personal use; it does not include the cost of performing music in public.
Nova is no exception. Free Nova listener accounts are for personal listening only, and using one in a business is not allowed. Businesses use Nova Business instead.
Does it matter if the music is quiet, or only for staff?
In many countries, it does not change the basic position. Background music at a low volume is still music being played in public. Music played in a workplace for employees can also count as a public performance, depending on the country. The size of the business usually affects how much a licence costs, not whether one is needed.
What are the risks of using a personal account?
The consequences vary by country and by service, but businesses commonly face some combination of the following:
- Society inspections. Collecting societies in many countries visit or contact venues to check that music is licensed. A venue playing without the right licences may be asked to pay, sometimes including amounts for past periods.
- Legal claims. Rights holders can take action for unlicensed public performance. In some jurisdictions this can be costly.
- Account action. Using a consumer account in breach of its terms can lead a service to suspend or close the account.
- Reputational cost. A dispute about unpaid music fees is an avoidable distraction for a small business.
There are also practical problems that have nothing to do with law. Personal accounts play adverts on free tiers, recommend songs based on the owner's personal taste, and mix in explicit or unsuitable tracks. They were never designed to run a room for eight hours a day.
What should a business use instead?
There are broadly two routes.
Route 1: a business music service plus society licences
Some services are built for businesses and permit public playback of mainstream music. In that case, the venue usually also needs licences from the relevant collecting societies, because the songs belong to many different rights holders. This route gives access to well-known music, at the cost of more paperwork and a total price that depends on society tariffs.
Route 2: a directly licensed catalogue
When one owner holds all the rights to a catalogue, it can grant the public performance licence directly. Nova Business works this way. Loopcode Bilişim Yazılım Mühendislik Eğitim ve Danışmanlık A.Ş. (Lodos Nova) owns every song in the Nova catalogue, and the subscription includes the right to play it in public at your venue, so no collecting society fee applies to Nova music. You can read the background in background music licensing explained.
| Personal account | Business service + societies | Nova Business | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permitted in a business | No | Yes, within the terms | Yes, at the subscribed venue |
| Society fees for the music | Not applicable | Usually yes | None for Nova music |
| Catalogue | Mainstream | Mainstream or curated | Nova's own catalogue |
| Price basis | Personal plan | Service fee plus tariffs | $30 per venue per month |
What does Nova Business include?
For $30 per month, a Lodos Basic plan gives you Nova Business for 1 venue, with unlimited listening and the public performance licence for Nova music; each extra venue adds $30 per month to the same subscription. You get business playlists curated by Nova for cafés, restaurants, shops, hotels and more, and you can build your own lists. You can see listening time per venue and the most played songs for the last 30 days. It plays in a browser on any computer or tablet, so you do not need special hardware. The subscription is monthly and you can cancel any time. Prices and details are on the pricing page.
There are limits worth knowing. All devices at the same venue play the same music in sync, so one venue cannot play different music in different places. The licence covers playing music in the venue, not broadcasting it or using it in videos or adverts. And if you also play other music, such as the radio, that music still needs its own licences.
How to switch from a personal account
- Stop using personal accounts on the venue's sound system, including staff members' phones.
- Choose a service that permits business playback and check what licences it includes.
- If the music is not directly licensed, arrange the relevant society licences.
- Set up the lists you need for your opening hours, and agree with staff which ones to use.
- Keep proof of your licences where staff can find it. For Nova Business, you can request a licence confirmation letter by email at info@loopcode.co.
A quick tip for teams: a common way personal accounts creep back in is a staff member connecting their own phone during a shift. A short house rule, and a venue computer or tablet that is already signed in to Nova Business, solves most of that.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my premium personal streaming account in my café? Generally no. Premium personal plans are still licensed for personal, non-commercial use. Playing music to customers needs a service and licences that permit public performance.
Can I use a free Nova account in my shop? No. Free Nova accounts are for personal listening only. Shops and other businesses use Nova Business, which includes the licence for Nova music.
Is music for staff only also a public performance? In many countries, music played in a workplace for employees can count as a public performance. Check the rules where you operate.
Do I still need society licences with Nova Business? Not for Nova music, which is licensed directly by its owner. If you also play other music, that music still needs its own licences.
