A survey commissioned by business music licensor Soundtrack found that 86% of companies in the United Kingdom that play music daily use consumer streaming services, which are not licensed for commercial use. The company estimates that around 800,000 UK business locations play music every day.
Survey findings#
Soundtrack, formerly Soundtrack Your Brand, licenses music for use in restaurants, hotels, bars, retailers, gyms and other commercial settings. Its survey of 1,070 UK business executives examined how companies use music.
- An estimated 800,000 business locations in the UK play music daily.
- 86% of those businesses use consumer streaming services.
- Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and Amazon Music are among the most popular options.
Those consumer services are not licensed for business use, according to Soundtrack.
Revenue gap#
Soundtrack says the pattern points to a significant shortfall in commercial music revenue. It compared its average monthly cost of £54 with a typical personal streaming subscription of £12. If 687,000 businesses are using consumer subscriptions, the company estimates that £346m in annual commercial music revenue may be going missing.
Soundtrack said most businesses “want to be compliant, and they want music creators compensated correctly for their work”, but many do not understand the licensing rules clearly.
AI music not covered#
The report does not address AI-generated music. Anecdotal accounts point to more cafes and bars in the UK using generative AI music for their soundtracks, an issue that Soundtrack, collecting societies and music rightsholders are expected to confront in the coming years.
