The short answer
Australian businesses that play copyright-protected music where customers, guests, patients or staff can hear it usually need permission for public business playback. In practice, the main workflow is OneMusic Australia, which combines APRA AMCOS and PPCA licensing for covered repertoire.
This article supports the canonical Music Licensing in Australia Learn guide and the commercial Music for Business in Australia guide.
What OneMusic Australia covers
APRA AMCOS represents musical works, while PPCA is associated with sound recordings. OneMusic Australia is the simplified front door for many business music uses. The exact licence depends on venue type, music source, use and size.
Why Spotify and Apple Music are risky
Consumer streaming accounts are built for personal listening. Paying for Premium or an individual subscription does not automatically create public business playback rights. Before playing Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, radio or staff playlists in a public business space, check the provider terms and Australian licensing requirements.
Venue examples
| Business | Typical question | Useful next page |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant or cafe | Is music audible to diners or people waiting? | Restaurant venue guide |
| Retail store | Is music part of the customer environment? | Music for retail stores |
| Gym | Is music used in public workout areas? | Music for gyms |
| Hotel | Which zones play music: lobby, restaurant, spa or gym? | Music for hotels |
When royalty-free music changes the answer
Royalty-free does not mean undocumented. It means the relevant catalog has a different rights model. Track Studios' included catalog is owned by Track Studios and is not registered with collecting societies, so Australian businesses using only that included catalog are not invoiced by APRA AMCOS or PPCA for that music. Customer uploads and third-party audio remain separate.
Use the wizard
For a practical starting point, open the Business Music Wizard, select Australia, choose your venue type and music source, and review the linked collecting societies, streaming pages and commercial guides.