Music to your ears…
Do you use Spotify or a similar music streaming service in your gym? If so, read on…..
If you read the Terms and Conditions, standard music streaming services are not permitted in a commercial setting (this applies to iTunes and even personal CDs too). Streaming apps are only allowed for personal use because the royalties paid to the artists are lower that if the music is played in a commercial setting. In commercial settings the payments due are higher, and so because it’s near impossible to tell in the one app what is playing where and when, this is why the terms are for personal use only.
Royalties per song/artist/record company are also near impossible to manage in a personal streaming service and so to properly pay the right royalty fees, dedicated business music streaming services have been set up and should be used in a commercial setting.
Spotify recommend a product called Soundtrack Your Brand, which includes Spotify for Business. You still need PRS PPL in place in the UK to play commercially (in the USA and Canada the relevant fees are covered by your subscription).
So if you want to be totally above board, use Soundtrack your Brand, or another professional music service – some others will cover the PRS PPL fee too as part of the subscription.