Music licence for a hair salon in Australia: what OneMusic really costs
Music does half the atmosphere work in a hair salon: it relaxes clients at the basin, covers the dryers and tells people what kind of salon they have walked into. Legally, though, the playlist in your salon is not the playlist in your lounge room. Playing music where clients and staff can hear it is a public use of copyright-protected work under Australian law, and since 2019 the permission for almost all commercial music has been sold through a single door: OneMusic Australia, the joint licensing scheme of APRA AMCOS and PPCA.
This guide is published on the blog of ViteUneCoupe, a free online booking system for hair salons with 0 % commission, and it treats music licensing the way we treat software pricing: figures from the official rate card, dated, with the alternatives assessed honestly rather than sold as loopholes. Every figure below was checked in October 2026.
Why is music in your salon a "public performance"?
Under the Copyright Act 1968, playing copyright-protected music in a business requires permission from the people who own the rights in it; the Australian Business Licence and Information Service lists the Retail and Service Provider Music Licence as exactly that permission for shops and service businesses, salons included. Your salon is open to the public, so the music your clients hear, even as quiet background sound, needs a licence from the rightsholders.
The source does not matter: a radio by the till, a Bluetooth speaker, a playlist on a tablet, a TV in the waiting area. Nor does it matter that you charge nothing for the music; it accompanies a commercial activity, and that is enough. One genuine simplification compared with wages or public holidays: copyright is Commonwealth law, so the rules are the same in every state and territory.
Who are APRA AMCOS, PPCA and OneMusic?
Two families of rightsholders are paid when recorded music is played in public:
- APRA AMCOS represents songwriters, composers and music publishers (the written songs);
- PPCA represents recording artists and record labels (the recordings themselves).
A salon once needed to deal with both. Since 2019 they have operated a joint venture, OneMusic Australia, which bundles both sets of rights into one licence with one invoice. For a hair salon the relevant scheme is Retail and Service Providers, which OneMusic's own guide says is designed for, among others, hair and beauty salons (OneMusic hair and beauty licensing page, checked in October 2026).
How much does a OneMusic licence cost a hair salon?
The scheme's rates are published in OneMusic's official Retail and Service Providers fee guide (July 2026 edition, checked in October 2026). The part that matters for a salon is called Background Music for Retail, and the price depends on two things: the floor area where music is audible to clients or staff, and what you play the music from. There are four packages. All figures below are annual, in Australian dollars, include GST, and apply to the licence period 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027; OneMusic adjusts the GST-exclusive rates by CPI each 1 September.
| Package | Covers music played from | Salon of 1 to 50 m² | Salon of 51 to 150 m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Radio and TV broadcast only, any number of devices | $103.88 | $109.99 |
| Silver Lite | One single device: a commercial background-music supplier, CDs or vinyl, or an internet radio/TV service | $178.48 | $243.93 |
| Silver | The Silver Lite sources plus broadcast radio and TV, on any number of devices | $190.38 | $297.46 |
| Gold | Everything above plus personal digital music services (consumer streaming), including copying up to 2,000 tracks | $666.33 | $773.43 |
Measuring is straightforward: the "retail area" is the floor space where the music can actually be heard, excluding the storeroom out the back. Most independent salons sit in the first tier, so the realistic budget line is roughly $100 to $200 a year for a licensed radio or a business music service, and far more if you insist on consumer streaming (more on that below). OneMusic lets you pay monthly or annually, and its fees are tax deductible.
The fee guide's own worked example is, helpfully, a hair salon: a 38 m² CBD salon that chooses to play music from a personal digital music service needs the Gold package at $666.33 a year, around $55.53 a month, and OneMusic notes even then that this use may still breach the streaming service's end user agreement. That one example contains the whole Spotify story, so let us spell it out.
Can you play Spotify or Apple Music in your salon?
No, not on a personal account, and this is the platforms' own position rather than a licensing technicality. Spotify's support page states: "Spotify is only for personal, non-commercial use. This means you can't broadcast or play Spotify publicly from a business, such as bars, restaurants, schools, stores, salons..." (checked in October 2026), and it directs businesses to a separate commercial product. A Premium subscription changes nothing: it removes the ads, not the restriction.
The OneMusic side is just as clear. The Gold package exists precisely because some businesses stream anyway, but the fee guide says in plain words that a OneMusic licence does not override the terms of use of a personal digital music service and does not give you permission to use that service commercially; only the service itself can do that. So a salon playing a personal Spotify account is exposed twice: to the rightsholders if it holds no OneMusic licence, and to the platform for breaching its terms even if it does.
The practical answer is a business streaming service: a product sold for commercial premises, with salon-ready playlists and terms that allow public playing. Prices and coverage vary, so before subscribing, ask the provider two questions in writing: does the subscription itself include the OneMusic licence, or do you still need your own? OneMusic's fee guide confirms both situations exist: some commercial background-music suppliers include a OneMusic Australia licence in their package, and others leave it to you, in which case the single-device Silver Lite rate usually applies.
The legal alternatives, honestly assessed
Radio: the cheapest licensed option, not a free one
"The station already pays, so I owe nothing" is the most persistent myth, and the rate card itself disproves it: there is a whole package, Bronze, for businesses whose only music is broadcast radio or TV. The station's licences cover its broadcast, not the separate public playing that happens when you switch it on in front of clients. At $103.88 a year for a salon up to 50 m², radio is the cheapest way to fill a salon with music; it is not a free one.
Royalty-free music: real, with paperwork
Music that sits entirely outside the APRA AMCOS and PPCA repertoires, cleared for business use, can be played without the corresponding OneMusic rights. The fee guide handles this through Partial Rights Music: where your business genuinely does not use one of the two rights bundles, the fee drops by 48.25 %, with a minimum fee of $85, and the guide also acknowledges that solely using music outside OneMusic's repertoire is an option. The caveat is the word "solely": nearly all mainstream and chart music is inside those repertoires, so the exemption only works if every single track qualifies. Get written confirmation from the royalty-free provider that its catalogue is outside both repertoires and licensed for business use, keep it with your receipts, and accept the trade-off: no recognisable songs.
Silence
The only genuinely free option. A few high-end salons make calm part of their positioning; most owners decide the dryers need covering.
What happens if you just do not license?
Playing protected music in your salon without permission infringes copyright under the Copyright Act 1968, which can support a civil claim by the rightsholders, and OneMusic actively contacts unlicensed businesses in the sectors it covers. There is no need for scare stories, because the arithmetic settles it on its own: the licence for a typical small salon costs one or two hundred dollars a year, less than a week of coffee for the team, while ignoring it leaves you carrying a legal risk out of all proportion to the saving. Like insurance or the music itself, this belongs in the fixed-cost column: sort it once, properly, then forget it. If you like seeing the whole column at once, our breakdown of the real cost of salon software in Australia applies the same method to the booking side, and one line there can honestly read $0.
If you are buying an existing hair salon, add the music licence to your due diligence list: licences are annual and tied to the business, so check whether the seller holds one and whether it carries over or needs to be taken out fresh in your name.
The 10-minute decision path, by salon size
- Measure the area where music is audible (shop floor, not the storeroom). Under 50 m² puts you in the cheapest tier of every package.
- Pick your source. Radio only: Bronze, $103.88 a year under 50 m². One device playing a business music service or CDs: Silver Lite, $178.48, but first ask the service in writing whether its subscription already includes the OneMusic licence. Several devices, or radio mixed with other sources: Silver, $190.38. Personal Spotify or Apple Music: do not, whatever the Gold package costs, because the platform's own terms still forbid it.
- Going royalty-free only? Collect the provider's written confirmation, then talk to OneMusic about Partial Rights or whether you need a licence at all.
- Apply. OneMusic signs businesses up online at onemusic.com.au or on 1300 162 162, with monthly or annual payment. Keep your declared floor area and sources accurate, and update them when the salon changes.
- Opening a new salon? Put the music licence on the same formalities list as your ABN and insurance; our guide to opening a hair salon in Australia has the full checklist in order.
Having paid for the right to play music, make it earn its fee: volume low enough that a consultation does not need raised voices, a style matched to your positioning rather than to whoever reached the speaker first, and a playlist long enough that your team is not hearing the same twenty songs every day. The sound of the salon is part of the same client experience as the greeting at the door and the ease of booking an appointment at 10 pm.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a music licence just to play the radio in my hair salon?
Yes. The station's licences cover its own broadcast, not the public playing in your salon. OneMusic's Retail and Service Providers scheme prices this exact case as the Bronze package: $103.88 a year including GST for a salon of up to 50 m², for the licence period 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027 (checked in October 2026).
Can I play my personal Spotify account in the salon if I buy a OneMusic licence?
No. Spotify's own terms restrict the service to personal, non-commercial use and name salons among the businesses where it cannot be played, and OneMusic states that its licence does not override a streaming service's terms of use. Use a business streaming service sold for commercial premises instead, and ask it in writing whether a OneMusic licence is included or still needed.
How much is a OneMusic licence for a small hair salon?
For a salon of up to 50 m², the annual GST-inclusive rates for 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027 are $103.88 for radio or TV only (Bronze), $178.48 for one device playing a commercial music source (Silver Lite) and $190.38 for unlimited devices including radio (Silver), figures checked in October 2026 on OneMusic's official fee guide. Rates rise with floor area and move with CPI each September, so confirm against the current rate card when you apply.
Is royalty-free music legal in a salon without a OneMusic licence?
It can be, provided every track you play sits outside the APRA AMCOS and PPCA repertoires and is cleared for business use. OneMusic's fee guide offers a Partial Rights deduction of 48.25 % where one rights bundle is genuinely not used, and using only music outside its repertoire is an acknowledged option. Get the provider's confirmation in writing and keep it.
Does a mobile hairdresser need a OneMusic licence?
OneMusic's hair and beauty guidance is written around fixed business premises, and it indicates that a licence is generally not required when music is played in a client's own home during a visit. Confirm your exact situation with OneMusic directly, and see our guide to working as a mobile hairdresser in Australia for the rest of the setup.
