MRM EXCLUSIVE: Paying the Piper — Best Practices for Playing Music in Restaurants

So, your restaurant wants some mood music…when are you legally required to pay to play?Music is a large part of most shopping and dining experiences. However, owners of restaurants, bars and other commercial ventures need to be mindful of protections provided to songwriters and artists under federal copyright law in order to ensure they are not infringing on those protections when playing music without payment in a public venue. That includes recorded music supplied through radio, television, satellite, electronic devices or streaming services.

In order to publicly play music created by others, a restaurant or bar must have a license. Generally, songwriters agree to license their music through a licensing entity known as a performing rights organization. The four most prominent performing rights organizations are American Society of Composers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music International (BMI), Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC) and Global Music Rights (GMR). These…