How Much Is a PPL PRS Licence for a Salon or Spa in 2026?

Written by Luke Tyler, composer

If you run a small salon or spa, music is one more bill. You want to know what it costs, what you get, and whether there's a cheaper way. Here are the real numbers from the PPL PRS website, plus a five-year comparison.

We compose the music for Dawn Chorus. We license it to venues ourselves, so we're not neutral. We'll be fair about when our option makes sense and when it doesn't.

The quick figure for a small salon

A salon with up to five treatment chairs pays from £238.33 a year plus VAT. That's the figure on the PPL PRS hair and beauty page, correct as of February 2026.

PPL PRS puts that at about 65p a day. With VAT at 20%, it comes to around £286 a year.

That's a starting price. If you have more chairs or a larger space, expect the figure to go up. And PPL PRS says all its cost examples are subject to change.

How PPL PRS works out your price

The price depends on what kind of business you run and how you use music. For hair and beauty, background music is priced by the number of treatment chairs.

When you ask for a quote, PPL PRS also asks about each area where music can be heard. It wants the size of each one in square metres. So have that ready too.

How you use music matters as well. Background music in the salon is one charge. Music on hold on your phone line is another. On the same page, on-hold music starts from £421.34 a year plus VAT for up to five lines.

Which areas count?

Any area where people can hear the music. That includes the shop floor and staff areas, like a break room or back office. PPL PRS says music counts as a public performance even if only staff can hear it.

Spas and treatment tables: what the tariff page doesn't say

Here's a gap. The hair and beauty page talks about treatment chairs. It doesn't mention treatment tables, massage couches or treatment rooms.

Lots of spas don't have chairs at all. They have rooms with a couch, a pool, a relaxation area and a reception. So the published example may not fit you.

Our advice is simple. Don't guess. Contact PPL PRS and ask how they'd count your rooms and tables. Ask for the answer in writing.

It's also worth asking whether a relaxation room or pool area is counted separately. These spaces can be large, so the square metre figure may matter most there.

If your spa is part of a hotel or gym, ask one more question. Is the spa covered by the main building's licence, or does it need its own?

Costs on top: streaming, VAT and renewals

TheMusicLicence lets you play the music. You still need the music itself, and a legal way to play it. That can cost money too.

• Streaming. A personal Spotify account isn't allowed in a business, so you'd need a business streaming service. That's usually a monthly fee. Some include TheMusicLicence and some don't, so check.
• VAT. PPL PRS prices are shown plus VAT. If you're VAT registered, you may be able to reclaim it. If not, it's a real cost.
• Renewals. TheMusicLicence is paid every year. Prices can change, so the bill may not stay the same.

What about free music?

Free music online is usually free to listen to at home. That's different from free to play at work. Free videos and apps are mostly for personal use, and the music on them is often registered with PRS or PPL. Check the terms and ask before you rely on anything free.

Five-year costs side by side

Here's what a small salon or treatment room might pay over five years. We've kept it fair. The PPL PRS row uses the published starting price and assumes it stays the same, which it may not.

For example, a streaming plan at £20 a month would cost £1,200 over five years. That's before any music licence, if the plan doesn't include one.

A Dawn Chorus plan is the same flat price per venue, whatever its size. TheMusicLicence is priced by size, so a hotel spa with treatment rooms, a pool and a relaxation lounge can pay over £1,000 a year for its wellness areas alone. On Essentials, that same spa pays £359 a year. The bigger your spa, the more you save. For a small salon with a few chairs, TheMusicLicence's starting price is lower.

The Dawn Chorus rows only hold true if it's the only music you play. If you play other music too, add TheMusicLicence on top.

What the table leaves out

Cost isn't the only thing that matters, so here's the rest of the picture.

• Choice. TheMusicLicence lets you play almost any commercial music. A streaming service gives you huge libraries. Dawn Chorus is a focused library of long collections, made for one job.
• Time. Playlists need choosing and updating. A 10-hour file needs pressing once in the morning.
• Kit. Streaming needs an app and a steady connection. Downloaded files just need a device and a speaker.

If you run more than one venue

With TheMusicLicence, each venue is priced on its own. For 3 small salons on the starting price, that's about £715 a year plus VAT between them. Over five years, that's about £3,575 plus VAT.

With Dawn Chorus, every venue pays the same flat price, and groups get a discount automatically. Groups of 5+ venues get 10% off. Groups of 20+ get 15% off. 5 hotel spas on Full Library, billed yearly, pay £485.10 per venue. That's £2,425.50 a year for all 5. You can add every venue at checkout.

When a Dawn Chorus plan makes sense, and when it doesn't

A Dawn Chorus plan makes sense when your spa wants calm background music and nothing else. Treatment rooms, relaxation lounges, pools and spa receptions are a good fit. It makes the most sense for larger spas, where a size-based licence gets expensive and a flat price per venue doesn't.

It also suits groups. Every venue pays the same price. Groups of 5+ venues get 10% off. Groups of 20+ get 15% off.

It doesn't make sense if you want the radio, chart songs or the TV on. You'd need TheMusicLicence for those anyway. In that case, a Dawn Chorus plan adds a cost rather than saving one.

Here's the rule to remember. A Dawn Chorus licence covers Dawn Chorus tracks only. If you play only Dawn Chorus, you don't need TheMusicLicence for that music. If you play anything else at all, you still need TheMusicLicence for it.

So be honest about how your venue works. If the staff room radio is always on, count that in.

Getting a quote: what to have ready

If you do need TheMusicLicence, a quick call goes better with the facts to hand. Have these ready:

• your business name and address
• the type of business, such as salon, spa or clinic
• how many treatment chairs, tables or rooms you have
• the size of each area where music is heard, in square metres
• how you play music: radio, TV, streaming, CDs or downloads
• whether you play music on hold

When you get the quote, ask three things. What exactly does it cover? When does it renew? And how will you hear about price changes? Write the answers down and keep them with your licence.

If you only play Dawn Chorus, have your certificate ready instead. PPL PRS suggests asking your music supplier for confirmation that your music isn't theirs, then sending it on. Your Dawn Chorus certificate does that job. We explain more in Do I need a PPL PRS licence for my spa or salon?

Want to see how a Dawn Chorus plan works? Read the Dawn Chorus licensing page or our guide to music licences for spas and salons. One flat price per venue, and you can cancel anytime.

This post is general guidance, not legal advice. PPL PRS prices are from its website as of February 2026 and may change. For an exact figure, contact PPL PRS.

FAQs

How much is a PPL PRS licence for a beauty salon?

For a salon with up to five treatment chairs, PPL PRS shows a price from £238.33 a year plus VAT. That figure was correct as of February 2026. Bigger salons pay more, so ask PPL PRS for a quote.

Is it charged per chair or per room?

For hair and beauty, the published price is based on treatment chairs. The page doesn't mention treatment rooms or tables. If you run a spa or massage clinic, ask PPL PRS how they'd count your space.

Does the price include VAT?

No. PPL PRS shows its prices plus VAT. At 20%, the £238.33 starting price comes to about £286 a year.

Do I renew every year?

Yes. TheMusicLicence is priced per year, and prices can change. A Dawn Chorus plan renews quarterly or yearly at a flat price per venue, with a new certificate each time, but it only covers Dawn Chorus music.

Is a Dawn Chorus plan cheaper than TheMusicLicence?

For a larger spa, yes, as long as Dawn Chorus is the only music you play. A hotel spa can pay over £1,000 a year for TheMusicLicence in its wellness areas alone. Essentials is £359 a year per venue and Full Library is £539, whatever the size of your spa. For a small salon with a few chairs, TheMusicLicence's starting price is lower. If you also play the radio or other music, you'll still need TheMusicLicence for that.