1Do you need a music licence?
If customers can hear commercially released music, that is a public performance under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and you need permission. In practice that means the single joint licence PPL and PRS for Music sell together through PPL PRS, because a normal playlist crosses both of their repertoires.
There is no small premises exemption in the UK. The two provisions that came closest, sections 67 and 72(1B)(a) of the Act, were both repealed, the latter by regulation 4(1) of SI 2010/2694. So floor area, seat count and the number of loudspeakers make no difference, and it makes no difference whether the sound comes from a radio, a CD or a streaming account. If it can be heard by customers, it is licensable. Our UK music licensing guide works through the whole question in detail.
There are also no statutory damages here, as there are in the United States. A rights holder claims damages or an account of profits, with costs and an injunction on top, and PPL PRS can back-date a licence over any period you were playing music without one.
RadioB2B removes the question. Every right that exists in the catalogue is represented exclusively, in the United Kingdom and worldwide, by RadioPRO Ltd, a UK collective management organisation, and none of it is in the PRS for Music or PPL repertoire, so no public performance royalty arises on what you play through the service, as long as it is the only music you play.
2Programming the shopping trip
Grocery footfall is unusually predictable, which makes it the easiest trade to schedule. Match tempo to whether the store is filling or clearing.
| Period | What works |
|---|---|
| Opening | Quiet and steady near 70 BPM for the early trip, which is small baskets and regulars. |
| Mid morning | Around 80 BPM. Considered shopping, longer dwell, the highest basket value of the day. |
| Lunchtime | Lift to 100 to 110 BPM. Short trips and queues, where pace matters more than dwell. |
| Afternoon | Back down to 80 BPM for the slow period and the top-up shop. |
| Evening peak | Around 95 BPM through the after-work rush, brisk without feeling frantic. |
You can try the scheduler free for 14 days, no card required, on the sign up page or the feature list on our home page.
3Zones: aisles, fresh counters, checkout, cafe
Each independently controlled output is a zone, and each runs its own station, schedule and volume.
- The main aisles on the tempo schedule above.
- Fresh counters, deli and bakery kept warmer and slightly quieter, where staff take orders.
- The checkout bank a touch faster, which measurably shortens how long a wait feels.
- An in-store cafe or seating area, which is a different trade and should sound like one.
4Hardware you already own
There is nothing to buy, nothing to install and no app required: the player is a web page, so staff can run it from any laptop, tablet or phone, and it casts directly to Sonos, Chromecast and AirPlay. If the venue is already wired to a Sonos amp, that is the whole installation. The stations are plain audio streams, so they also open in tools such as VLC, and when the internet drops the player keeps going from a cached queue rather than leaving you in silence.
5Offers, recalls and staff messages
Record your own audio and schedule it into the rotation. A weekly offer at the busiest hour, a loyalty prompt at the checkout zone only, or a closing announcement that fires at the same time every night.
6What it costs
£179 a year, per year, flat, music included. That covers the full catalogue, background music video channels for any screens, the scheduler, your own announcements, staff accounts and the Music Licence Certificate. It does not scale with your floor area or your opening hours, which is the mechanism that makes a PPL PRS bill climb.
For comparison, a PPL PRS licence costs £235.50 a year plus VAT for a shop up to 50 square metres playing one radio, and PPL PRS can back-date a licence over any period you were playing music without one. Licence free playlist libraries in the UK sit at about £15 a month plus VAT, and licensed services that still leave you owing PPL PRS run from about £22 to £40 a zone a month. See how the routes compare.
Try it free or subscribe today
Start fourteen days free with no card, build a day's schedule and cast it through the Sonos or speakers you already have. Or subscribe now at £179 a year by card, bank transfer or PayPal, and print your certificate today.
7Questions
Do supermarkets need a music licence?
Yes, if commercially released music is audible to shoppers. That is a public performance under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. There is no small premises exemption in the UK. The two provisions that came closest, sections 67 and 72(1B)(a) of the Act, were both repealed, so floor area and loudspeaker counts make no difference.
Does music really change how much people spend?
Tempo is the best evidenced variable. Slower programming is associated with a slower walking pace and longer time in store, and longer trips tend to mean fuller baskets. It is a real effect but a modest one, and it works best when it is scheduled rather than left to chance.
Can the checkout play something different from the aisles?
Yes. Each zone runs its own station and schedule, which is the point. Dwell time is worth more in the aisles and throughput is worth more at the checkout.
How much does this cost for a grocery store?
A flat £179 a year, including the music. For comparison, a PPL PRS licence costs £235.50 a year plus VAT for a shop up to 50 square metres playing one radio, and supermarket rates scale with floor area. PPL PRS can back-date a licence over any period you were playing music without one.
Cost figures are PPL PRS published examples and typical UK market pricing, not quotations. General information, not legal advice. See our Terms of Use and Service Agreement.