We understand that music licensing can be a complex area for business owners. This article will help clarify how Pandora CloudCover simplifies licensing, allowing you to play background music in your business without the hassle of obtaining separate licenses from individual rights organizations for covered uses.
What Are Public Performance Licenses?
In the United States and Canada, the public performance of music generally requires licensing from Performing Rights Organizations (PROs). These organizations represent songwriters, composers, and music publishers, ensuring they are compensated when their music is played in public settings, such as businesses, restaurants, retail stores, hotels, and more.
Each PRO manages a unique catalog of songs and artists, and businesses may need licenses from the PROs representing the music they publicly perform. Without appropriate licensing, businesses may face claims related to unauthorized public performances.
We Handle Licensing for You
Our subscription plans are designed to take care of public performance licensing for background music played through the Pandora CloudCover platform, saving you time and resources. When you subscribe to Pandora CloudCover, the cost includes public performance licensing coverage through the major PROs in the United States and Canada for covered background music uses.
In the United States, our service covers:
ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers)
BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)
GMR (Global Music Rights)
SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers)
In Canada, our service covers:
SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada)
Re:Sound
For covered background music uses, you do not need to contact these organizations directly or pay additional fees to obtain individual licenses from these PROs. Pandora CloudCover handles this licensing as part of your subscription.
However, please note that certain uses of music within a business may fall outside Pandora CloudCover's background music licensing and may require additional licensing (see below).
What About Songs from Independent PROs?
Our catalog does not include songs from smaller PROs, like AllTrack, which focus on independent creators. This means that you won’t have to worry about acquiring separate licenses for music represented by these independent PROs, as their catalogs are not part of our service. We focus exclusively on providing music covered by the major PROs in the US and Canada.
Personal Streaming Services Are Not Licensed for Business Use
It’s important to note that personal streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music are designed for personal use and generally are not licensed for commercial or public use in a business.
Unlike a personal streaming service, Pandora CloudCover is specifically licensed for public performance in business environments. An active Pandora CloudCover subscription includes public performance licensing coverage for music played through the CloudCover platform as background music, subject to the terms of your subscription and applicable service terms.
Certain Use Cases Require Additional Licensing
Pandora CloudCover provides public performance licensing coverage for background music in many common business settings. However, there are specific uses that may require additional licensing or fall outside our standard background music licensing. These include:
Admission-based events and experiences: Music played at events, classes, performances, attractions, venues, or other experiences where a separate admission fee, ticket charge, cover charge, gate fee, or similar fee is charged for entry or participation.
Instructor-led or music-integral activities: Classes, instruction, performances, demonstrations, or other activities where music is integral to the instruction, choreography, timing, content, or overall experience, such as certain dance, spin, step, yoga, or aerobics classes.
Music-integral recreational or entertainment activities: Music used as an integral part of the participant experience at bowling alleys, skating rinks, ice rinks, roller rinks, and similar venues.
Live or featured entertainment: Live bands, karaoke, performers, DJs, or events where music is a featured attraction rather than background ambience.
Recorded or transmitted uses: Music included in video recordings, livestreams, social media posts, broadcasts, podcasts, or other recorded or transmitted content.
Music from other sources: Music played from sources other than the Pandora CloudCover platform.
These uses fall outside, or may fall outside, the scope of Pandora CloudCover's background music licensing and may require separate licensing.
What About Membership Fees?
Charging a general membership fee, subscription fee, or similar fee for access to your business or its facilities does not affect coverage for otherwise-covered background music played through Pandora CloudCover.
However, a separate admission fee, ticket charge, cover charge, event fee, or similar charge for access to a specific event, class, performance, or music-featured experience may fall outside Pandora CloudCover's background music licensing.
What This Means for Your Business
By subscribing to Pandora CloudCover:
Public performance licensing for covered background music played through Pandora CloudCover is included with your subscription.
You simplify your background music licensing obligations by avoiding the need to obtain separate licenses from the major PROs covered by our service for those uses.
You can use Pandora CloudCover as background music in public areas of your business, subject to your subscription and applicable service terms.
We believe in supporting the artists and creators behind the music that enhances your business atmosphere. By including public performance licensing in our subscription, we help ensure that composers, songwriters, and music publishers are compensated for their work.
Our goal is to make background music as easy and worry-free as possible for business owners. With Pandora CloudCover, you can confidently play music through our service as background music in your business knowing that the applicable public performance licensing for covered uses is included with your subscription.
Important Licensing Information
Music licensing obligations can vary depending on how and where music is used and whether it is part of classes, events, performances, recordings, or other activities. This article provides general information about the licensing included with Pandora CloudCover and is not legal advice.
If you have further questions about music licensing or the specifics of our coverage, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team. We're here to help!