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Music Licensing for Hotels and Banquet Venues

As a hotel owner or operator, you understand the power of music to set the mood, evoke emotions, and enhance the overall guest experience. Whether in the lobby, at events, or in your restaurant and bar areas, music is a key part of the atmosphere. To offer this experience legally, it’s essential to obtain the proper music licenses. We’re here to simplify this process and provide you with the resources you need to get started. 

How to Obtain a Music License for Your Business 

If you use music in your hotel, we’ll make sure you have the right licenses you need to build an experience for your customers. Here’s how music licensing for hotels and banquet venues works in Canada: 

Who Needs a Music License? 

  • Owners and operators using music in their hotel lobbies, banquet halls, and restaurant or bar areas. 

Which Licenses Do You Need? 

Depending on how you’re using music, you may need one or more of the following music licenses:    

  • Background Music
  • Live Music
  • Receptions, Conventions, Assemblies

How Much Does a Music License Cost? 

Music license fees are set by the Copyright Board of Canada. We offer a range of RE:SOUND and SOCAN licenses for the hospitality industry, and you only pay for the specific uses of music in your venue. Costs depend on the type of music use and the number of spaces in your hotel where music is played. 

Why music licensing matters:  

Getting the right music licenses like RE:SOUND and SOCAN through Entandem is essential. These licenses ensure that music creators are properly recognized and paid for their work. They let you use music legally and ethically, which helps support the music industry. Without them, business owners and operators could face legal trouble for copyright infringement.  

Get Licensed

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a music license for a function in my hotel?

Yes, each reception, conference, function, or convention at your hotel or facility that uses music needs a license from Entandem.

Do I need a music license if I use a digital streaming service in my business?

Yes, you do. Personal subscriptions to streaming services are meant for individual use only. If you play music from a streaming service in a public or commercial setting, you’ll need public performance licenses. We can help you figure out which RE:SOUND and SOCAN licenses are right for your business, event, or organization based on your music usage.

I play AM/FM radio in my business. Do I still need a music license?

No, you don’t need a separate music license for playing AM/FM radio in your business.

I pay the performers for my live band and the DJ for playing recorded music. Why do I need to pay for a RE:SOUND and SOCAN music license through Entandem?

When you hire a band or a DJ, you’re paying for their services as performing artists, but not for the performance/communication of the music in your establishment, that is, not for the people who created the music being performed. Performing music and creating music are two separate types of creative work, and each deserves fair compensation, even in cases where the performers are also the creators of the music.

If I don’t use Canadian-made music, do I still have to get a music license?

Yes. Entandem administers public performance licenses on behalf of RE:SOUND and SOCAN, each of which represents the public performance rights in virtually all copyright-protected music used in Canada, not just Canadian-made music. Royalties collected by each organization for performances in Canada of music made by non-Canadians are distributed to their creators through reciprocal agreements each organization (or in RE:SOUND’S case, its member organizations) has with affiliated societies around the world.