Music Licensing for Hotel Spas and Multi-Site Groups

Written by Luke Tyler, composer

Music licensing gets trickier when your spa sits inside a hotel, or when you run several sites. Who holds the licence? Does it cover every area? And how do you keep it all tidy across a group?

We license music to hotel spas and spa groups, so these questions come up often. Here's a clear guide.

The short answer

Every site needs cover for every source of music it plays. For most music, that's a PPL PRS licence, known as TheMusicLicence. A hotel spa may or may not be covered by the hotel's licence, so ask. For music licensed directly by its owner, each venue needs its own licence for that music.

Hotel spas: who holds the licence?

Start by finding out who holds the hotel's PPL PRS licence, and what it covers. That's often the hotel operator.

The PPL PRS page for hotels lists areas like receptions, dining rooms, staff kitchens and guest bedrooms. When you ask for a quote, it wants to know the areas where music can be heard. The page doesn't mention spas, gyms or pools.

So don't assume the spa is included. Ask the person who manages the hotel's licence to check. If it isn't listed, contact PPL PRS and ask how they'd cover it.

If your spa is run by a separate company

Some hotel spas are run by a separate business that leases the space. In that case, the hotel's licence may not cover you. Check with the hotel, then with PPL PRS. Get the answer in writing.

Questions to ask

• Who holds the PPL PRS licence for this building?
• Are the spa, pool, gym and relaxation areas listed on it?
• Do the spa's treatment rooms count as a separate area?
• If the spa is run by another company, does it need its own licence?
• Who should I tell if we change how we use music in the spa?

Multi-site groups

If you run several spas or salons, each site needs the right cover. With TheMusicLicence, PPL PRS prices by type of business and how you use music, so each site's details matter. Ask PPL PRS how it would license your group.

Keep a simple record for each site. Note what music plays there, which licence covers it and where the paperwork is kept. When a site manager changes, the record makes the handover easy.

Why groups often want one sound

Groups often want every site to feel the same. Clients who visit two of your spas should recognise the mood. Using the same music across sites helps with that. It also makes training simple, because every team runs things the same way.

How multi-venue licensing works with Dawn Chorus

Dawn Chorus music is owned and licensed directly by Dawn Chorus. It has never been registered with PRS, PPL or any other collecting society. So if it's the only music a site plays, that site doesn't need TheMusicLicence for it.

Each venue gets its own licence, made out to its name and address. It covers every treatment room, therapist and session in that site's spa and wellness areas. Each venue pays one flat price, quarterly or yearly, and gets a new certificate with every renewal.

Multi-venue discounts

Essentials is £99 a quarter per venue, and Full Library is £149. When you add 5+ venues to one plan, every venue gets a discount:

Discounted prices are rounded to the nearest pound, and checkout shows every figure before you pay.

Some worked examples

• 3 spas on Essentials: 3 × £99 = £297 a quarter.
• 6 hotel spas on Full Library: 6 × £134.10 = £804.60 a quarter.
• 20 spas on Full Library, billed yearly: 20 × £458.15 = £9,163 a year.

The discount depends on how many venues are on the same plan, and it's applied automatically. So if you're planning a roll-out, it's worth adding every site at once. You can do that at checkout.

A certificate for every site

Your certificate has one page for each venue, showing its name and address, the purchase date and the order reference. Send each site its own page. That way, every manager can answer for their own venue if anyone asks.

Don't forget the rest of the building

A direct licence only covers the music it names. In a hotel, there's often other music too. The bar may play the radio. The restaurant may stream playlists. Guest bedrooms have TVs.

All of that still needs TheMusicLicence. A Dawn Chorus licence for the spa doesn't change what the rest of the hotel needs. The same goes for any site in a group that plays the radio, Spotify or the TV.

Rolling it out across a group

1. List every site. Note each one's name and full address.
2. List what plays where. Note every music source at every site.
3. Choose your collections. Listen on the collections page and pick what suits your rooms.
4. Buy in one order. Add every venue at checkout to get the best discount.
5. Send each site its files and certificate. Keep a copy centrally too.
6. Cover anything else. Make sure any other music at any site has TheMusicLicence.

For the wider picture, read our guide to music licence options for business and our post on PPL PRS licence costs. For how licensing works at treatment venues, see music licences for spas and salons.

This post is general guidance, not legal advice. If you're not sure what your venue needs, contact PPL PRS or a legal adviser.

FAQs

Does a hotel's PPL PRS licence cover its spa?

It might, but don't assume so. PPL PRS asks hotels about each area where music can be heard, and its hotel page doesn't mention spas. Ask whoever manages the hotel's licence to check, then confirm with PPL PRS.

Does each site in a group need its own licence?

Each site needs cover for the music it plays. Ask PPL PRS how it would license your group for TheMusicLicence. With Dawn Chorus, each venue gets its own licence and certificate.

How do Dawn Chorus multi-venue discounts work?

Groups of 5+ venues get 10% off. Groups of 20+ get 15% off. The discount is applied automatically at checkout, and there's nothing to negotiate.

Can I add a new site later?

Yes. Start a plan for the new venue with its name and address. The discount depends on how many venues are on the same plan, so a single new site is priced as one venue.

If the spa plays only Dawn Chorus, does the hotel still need TheMusicLicence?

For the spa's Dawn Chorus music, no. But any other music in the hotel, like the radio in the bar or TVs in bedrooms, still needs TheMusicLicence.