Music and TV licences for restaurants and pubs: what you need and how the fee is set

The renewal letter from PPL PRS has landed, the figure is higher than last year, and someone on the team has just asked whether the Spotify account behind the bar counts as "a licence".

In the UK, a restaurant, café or pub that plays recorded music, radio or TV where customers or staff can hear it needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. The price is two tariffs added together: a PRS for Music charge set by your seats (restaurants) or bar area (pubs), and a PPL charge set by the floor area where music is audible. A 40-seat restaurant playing recorded music pays about £674 a year plus VAT for a licence starting in the first half of 2027. Showing live TV is a separate legal requirement: a TV Licence, £180 a year since 1 April 2026. A personal Spotify or Apple Music account is not a business licence.

Every figure below is worked from the licensors' own tariff documents, read on 5 November 2026, not from a supplier's price list.

Last checked: 5 November 2026.

Which licences does a restaurant or pub need for music and TV?

Three things, depending on what you play:

TheMusicLicence is one licence that covers two rights. PRS for Music collects for songwriters and publishers; PPL collects for record labels and performers. PPL PRS Ltd, their joint company, has sold both on one invoice since 2018. Each society still publishes its own tariff, which is why the price is a sum of two parts.

PPL PRS's restaurants and cafés page is explicit that staff-only music counts: "Music that's played outside of a domestic environment is classed as a public performance." The kitchen radio is in scope.

Whether a live music night also needs entertainment permission under your premises licence is a licensing question, not a copyright one. Our liquor licence guide covers premises licences and temporary event notices.

How is the music licence fee calculated?

Each half of the fee uses a different measure.

The PRS for Music half depends on your type of venue:

• Restaurants, cafés and fast food use Tariff HR (edition 2026.07, in force from 1 July 2026). Background music is charged per room, by seating capacity, and by device: radio and TV cost less than a record or CD player.
• Pubs and bars use Tariff P (edition 2026.10, in force from 1 October 2026). Background music is charged by bar area: up to 120 square metres, or 121 or more. A restaurant or function room attached to a pub is charged under the restaurant tariff instead.

The PPL half for pubs, bars, restaurants, cafés and hotels uses tariff PPLPP210. It charges by the total area where recorded music is audible, including toilets and corridors. Every venue up to 400 square metres pays the same flat fee: £212.15 for 2027.

Three rates do most of the work for a typical venue, before VAT:

• Restaurant, recorded music (Tariff HR, 4.4.3): £346.08 for a room of up to 30 seats, plus £115.35 for each extra 20 seats or part of 20.
• Restaurant, TV or radio only (Tariff HR, 4.4.1 and 4.4.2): £196.62 for up to 30 seats, with a smaller charge per extra 20 seats.
• Pub bar up to 120 square metres, CD or digital music service (Tariff P, 3.4.1.3): £320.94.

Four rules change the bill:

• Two kinds of device in one restaurant room (say, music and a TV) cut the combined PRS charge for that room by 10% (Tariff HR, 4.4.8.1).
• Fast food and counter service. Where a venue offers both seating and a separate takeaway counter, Tariff HR's background music rates rise by 17.5% (4.4.8.2).
• Playing before you are licensed costs more: PRS charges its "higher" rate (standard plus 50%) for the first year, and PPL adds a 50% surcharge.
• Small premises using only traditional broadcasts. If music is audible in 50 square metres or less and you only play BBC radio, licensed AM or FM commercial stations, or BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, S4C and Five, the PPL half is halved. Those channels still count on a smart TV or laptop, but internet-only stations and personal streaming services do not, according to PPL PRS's restaurant guidance.

Add VAT at 20% to every figure.

What does a music licence cost? Three worked rooms

Our analysis of the PPL PRS tariffs, November 2026. We applied Tariff HR (2026.07) and PPL's 2027 tariff PPLPP210 to three restaurant rooms of different sizes, each with an audible area under 400 square metres, licensed before the music starts. We priced recorded music at Tariff HR's record and CD player rate. The tariff has no separate line for a streaming device, and its "music centre" line costs more, so ask PPL PRS which line your system falls under.

The 80-seat room is 30 seats plus three extra bands (two full bands of 20 and one part band of 10). The music and TV row applies the 10% two-device reduction. Sources: PRS for Music Tariff HR 2026.07, sections 4.4.1, 4.4.3 and 4.4.8; PPL tariff PPLPP210 effective 1 January 2027.

Three things stand out:

• The PPL half is flat for almost every restaurant, so it is a bigger share of the bill in a small room: 38% of the 20-seat cost, about 23% of the 80-seat cost.
• Seats drive the PRS half. Adding 40 seats adds £230.70 a year, before VAT.
• The bill rises every year. Tariff HR's recorded music rate rose 4.0% in July 2026 and PPL's band rose 3.9% for 2027, from £204.19. PRS indexes Tariff HR each July, and Tariff P each October, to the average of RPI and earnings growth, so budget for a rise at every renewal.

As a check, PPL PRS's own example for a café or restaurant with up to 30 seats using a TV or radio is £400.81 plus VAT. That is exactly Tariff HR's £196.62 plus PPL's 2026 band of £204.19, so the method above reproduces the licensor's own figure.

A pub example. A pub with a 100 square metre bar, a digital music system and a TV pays £320.94 plus £128.34 under Tariff P, plus £212.15 to PPL: £661.43 before VAT, or £793.72 with VAT, for a licence year starting between January and September 2027, while both of those rates apply.

A tiny café. A café with up to 30 seats and under 50 square metres that plays only Radio 2 pays £196.62 to PRS and half of PPL's band, £106.08: £302.70 before VAT.

What do live music nights, DJs and quizzes cost?

Featured music is priced per event, on top of background music.

In a restaurant (Tariff HR):

• A live act at a function where you pay nothing for the music, such as a wedding where the hirer brings the band, is charged per function by room capacity. PPL PRS's own example: live music for up to 100 people costs £15.71 an event, plus VAT.
• Karaoke, discos and dinner dances are charged per function in the same way.
• Live music you pay performers for is charged as a percentage of that spend once it passes a yearly threshold, with an annual cap below it.

In a pub (Tariff P):

• A live session with no entry charge: £14.64 for the first 100 people of room capacity, then £3.70 for each 25 more.
• Music quizzes, karaoke and DJs are charged per session too.
• Ticketed live music can be charged as a percentage of gross ticket receipts instead.
• Customers or staff singing on the spur of the moment carry a small annual charge of their own.

Worked example. A pub whose main bar holds 150 people runs a free band night every week. Each session is £14.64 plus two extra bands of 25 at £3.70, so £22.04. Over 52 weeks that is £1,146.08 before VAT, more than the background music licence. Price a regular music night with the licence in the cost, not just the band's fee. For deposits and booking terms on event nights, see our pub booking guide; for private hire with a band, our private events guide covers minimum spends and contracts. A packed music night is also the kind of peak Martyn's Law asks about: if it could bring 200 or more people onto the premises, see our Martyn's Law guide.

DJs and discos also carry a separate PPL charge for "specially featured entertainment" under PPL tariff PPLPP299, priced by attendance and not covered here. Ask PPL PRS for it before you book your first DJ.

Can I play Spotify, YouTube or the radio in my restaurant?

Not on a personal account alone. PPL PRS's restaurant guidance says to check that a platform's terms "allow for commercial use before playing music in your restaurant or café", and that streaming "may require a commercial streaming service". Consumer plans are generally sold for personal use. So there are two separate questions:

1. Does the service's own contract allow use in a business? A consumer subscription usually does not. A business music service does.
2. Do you hold TheMusicLicence? A business music service clears the streaming side, but that is not the same as the public performance licence. Unless the supplier's terms say in writing that PPL and PRS are covered, assume you still need TheMusicLicence.

The radio is the same. Radio stations pay to broadcast music, but that does not cover playing the radio in your premises, PPL PRS says.

What music can I play without a licence? Only music that neither PRS for Music nor PPL controls. In practice that means music sold to businesses with public performance already cleared, and you should keep the supplier's written confirmation. Silence is the other option. Most commercially released songs are in both repertoires.

Does a restaurant or pub need a TV licence?

Yes, if you watch or record live TV on any channel or service, or use BBC iPlayer, on any device on the premises. gov.uk states that a TV Licence "costs £180 (£60.50 for black and white TV sets) for both homes and businesses", and that you "can be fined up to £1,000" for watching or recording live TV without one. The government's press release on the 2026/27 fee says it rises again with CPI inflation in April 2027; the new figure was not published when we checked.

Rules that matter for hospitality:

• One licence per site. TV Licensing's business guidance says that "in general, one licence will cover all the TV equipment your business uses for business purposes on a single site". A second site needs its own licence, and so does any part of the premises you sub-let to another business.
• Living accommodation above the pub is separate. TV Licensing says the business licence "does not cover any residential accommodation on-site".
• Hospitality units. TV Licensing's hospitality page prices venues by the units with TV equipment: up to 15 units pay one standard fee, £180 since April 2026.
• On-demand streaming other than BBC iPlayer does not need a TV Licence. Live channels inside a streaming app do.

The TV Licence and TheMusicLicence are separate. A TV playing with the sound on in the dining room needs both.

Licence checklist

MUSIC AND TV LICENCE CHECKLIST

Background music
[ ] List every room or area where music, radio or TV is audible,
    including kitchen, toilets and corridors
[ ] Seats per room (restaurants) or bar area in m² (pubs): ___
[ ] Total audible area in m² (for the PPL half): ___
[ ] Devices per room: radio / TV / CD or digital player / jukebox
[ ] TheMusicLicence in place BEFORE music starts (avoids +50%)
[ ] Renewal date in the diary: ___  Check rates rise each year

Streaming and devices
[ ] No personal Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube accounts at work
[ ] Business music service terms read; licence cover confirmed

Events
[ ] Live, DJ, karaoke and quiz nights declared to PPL PRS
[ ] Licence cost added to each event's budget
[ ] Premises licence covers the entertainment and hours
    (see the liquor licence guide)
[ ] DJ or disco nights: PPL "featured entertainment" charge quoted

TV
[ ] TV Licence held for the site if live TV or iPlayer is used: £180
[ ] Separate TV Licence for any living accommodation
[ ] Pay TV in a bar is on a business subscription

Opening a new site? Add both licences to your opening checklist so music is licensed before the first service. Check with PPL PRS or an adviser for your situation: your quote, not this guide, sets what you pay.

Can TablePort handle this for you?

Not the licence. TablePort does not supply music, sell licences or report to PPL PRS. It helps you run the nights the licence pays for:

1. Ticketed or deposit nights. Set deposits and cancellation terms per shift, so a Friday music night can ask for a deposit while Monday lunch stays free.
2. Private events. Close a whole day or a single shift for a private hire or a gig, with a reason guests can see if you want one.
3. Know your seats. Your floor plan already holds every table, which is the seat count Tariff HR asks for.

The limit: you still declare devices, areas and events to PPL PRS yourself. See TablePort Reservations.