Music licence for a hair salon in the UK: what TheMusicLicence really costs
Music is as much a part of a hair salon as the smell of shampoo: it relaxes clients at the basin, covers the noise of the dryers and sets the tone of your business. Legally, though, the playlist running in your salon is not the same thing as the one in your kitchen. Playing music where your clients can hear it counts as playing music in public under UK copyright law, and in the United Kingdom that means one licence with one invoice: TheMusicLicence, issued by PPL PRS Ltd.
This guide is published on the blog of ViteUneCoupe, free online booking for your hair salon with 0 % commission, and it does for music licensing what we try to do for software pricing: real figures from the official source, dated, with the alternatives assessed honestly rather than sold as magic exemptions.
Why is music in a hair salon "playing in public"?
The starting point is section 19 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988: playing or showing a work in public is an act restricted by copyright in a sound recording or broadcast. Your salon is open to the public, so the music your clients hear, even as discreet background sound, is a public playing that needs the rightsholders' permission.
The source does not matter. A radio by the till, a television in the waiting area, a Bluetooth speaker, a playlist on a tablet: as soon as the sound is audible to clients or staff beyond your private home, the rule applies. Nor does it matter that you charge nothing for the music; it accompanies a commercial activity, and that is enough.
One simplification compared with many other legal topics: copyright is governed UK-wide by the same Act, so the position is the same in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Who are PPL and PRS, and what is TheMusicLicence?
Two families of rightsholders are paid when recorded music is played in public:
- PRS for Music represents songwriters, composers and music publishers;
- PPL represents performers and record companies.
Historically a salon needed a licence from each. Since 2018 the two societies have operated a joint venture, PPL PRS Ltd, which sells a single combined licence called TheMusicLicence: one application, one invoice covering both sets of rights. PPL PRS states that in most cases both a PPL and a PRS for Music tariff apply to a business's licence, which is why the combined route is now the normal one.
How much does TheMusicLicence cost a hair salon?
PPL PRS publishes a worked example for the hair and beauty sector on its official hair and beauty page (figures shown as correct as of February 2026, checked in October 2026):
| Use of music | Cost shown by PPL PRS |
|---|---|
| Background music, salon with up to 5 treatment chairs | 65p per day, £238.33 per annum + VAT |
| On-hold music on the phone, up to 5 extension lines | from £1.15 per day, £421.34 per annum + VAT |
Beyond that example, there is no single public price list for every salon: the final figure depends on your situation, and PPL PRS calculates it from a few variables it asks you to provide:
- the number of treatment chairs in the salon;
- the square metreage of each area where music is audible (shop floor, but also an office or staff room if the speaker carries);
- the type of use: background music, on-hold music, screens showing music videos.
All prices are quoted excluding VAT, with VAT added on top, and PPL and PRS for Music review their tariffs from time to time, so treat any figure, including the ones above, as a snapshot to confirm when you apply.
For an independent salon, the order of magnitude to budget is therefore a few hundred pounds a year: a small fixed-cost line, like insurance, that exists even for a salon with no employees. If you are preparing an opening, add it to the formalities checklist in our guide to opening a hair salon in the UK.
How do you get the licence?
The process runs through PPL PRS directly: you apply on pplprs.co.uk or by phone, describe your premises and your use of music (square metreage, employees, which devices you play music on), and receive a quote followed by an annual invoice. Keep your answers accurate, and tell PPL PRS when something changes: more chairs, a second room with a speaker, or the day you stop playing music altogether, because the licence renews annually on the basis of what you declared.
Can you play music in your salon without paying?
The question every salon owner eventually asks deserves a straight answer rather than a slogan. There are exactly three honest routes, and two popular myths.
The radio myth
"The radio station has already paid, so I owe nothing" is the most persistent misconception. The station's licences cover its own broadcast, not the separate public playing that happens when you switch that broadcast on in front of your clients. PPL PRS's own salon example is built around precisely this case: a salon playing music via radio needs the licence. Radio is the cheapest way to fill a salon with music; it is not a free one.
Your personal Spotify account is not allowed in the salon
The streaming platforms say it themselves. Spotify's official position: "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...", with businesses directed to its separate commercial product. A Premium subscription changes nothing: it removes adverts, not the restriction. Playing a personal account in the salon exposes you twice over, to the platform for breaching its terms and to the rightsholders if the salon is not licensed. If you use any business streaming service, ask in writing what its subscription actually covers and whether you still need TheMusicLicence alongside it; the answer varies and the service's marketing page is not a licence.
Royalty-free music: the real alternative, with a caveat
This one is legitimate, and PPL PRS says so itself: on its page about alternatives, it lists playing "royalty free or copyright free music only" among the situations where a business does not need TheMusicLicence. The caveat is the word "only": the exemption works when every single track you play sits outside the PPL and PRS repertoires and is cleared for business use. Almost all mainstream and chart music is inside those repertoires.
Before subscribing to a royalty-free service, get two things in writing from the provider: confirmation that its catalogue is entirely outside the PPL and PRS repertoires, and the terms of its business-use licence. Keep both with your subscription receipts; if anyone ever asks, it is for you to show that what plays in your salon owes no royalty. And accept the trade-off PPL PRS points out: no instantly recognisable songs. For neutral background ambience many salons are perfectly happy with that; if your brand is built on a sharp playlist of current hits, the licence is the natural route.
Silence
The only genuinely free option. Some high-end salons make calm part of their positioning; most owners decide the dryers need covering.
What happens if you play music without a licence?
Playing music from the PPL and PRS repertoires in public without permission infringes copyright under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, which can support a civil claim by the rightsholders. In practice the arithmetic is the deciding factor: the salon example above costs £238.33 + VAT a year, while ignoring the obligation leaves you carrying a legal risk out of all proportion to the saving. This is the classic topic to sort out once, properly, and then forget.
Make the music worth the licence fee
Having paid for the right to play music, use it deliberately. Keep the volume at a level where a consultation does not require raised voices, match the style to your positioning rather than to whoever got to the speaker first, and make the playlist long enough that your team is not hearing the same twenty songs every day. The sound of your salon is part of the same client experience as the greeting at the door and the ease of booking: a client who books in two clicks, gets a confirmation email and walks into a salon that sounds as good as it looks has had a coherent experience from start to finish. The sound system is your job; for the booking part, see how salons build return visits in our guide to client retention and rebooking.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a music licence just to play the radio in my hair salon?
Yes. The station's own licences cover its broadcast, not the public playing that happens in your salon. PPL PRS's published salon example explicitly covers music played via radio: 65p per day for a salon with up to 5 treatment chairs, £238.33 per annum + VAT (figure shown as correct as of February 2026, checked in October 2026).
Can I play my personal Spotify or other streaming account in the salon?
No. Spotify's own terms restrict the service to personal, non-commercial use and expressly name salons among the businesses where it cannot be played; other consumer platforms take the same position. Business streaming products exist, but check in writing what each one covers and whether TheMusicLicence is still needed alongside it.
How much is TheMusicLicence for a small hair salon?
PPL PRS's published example for the hair and beauty sector is £238.33 per annum + VAT for background music in a salon with up to 5 treatment chairs (correct as of February 2026, checked in October 2026). Your exact price depends on your treatment chairs, the square metreage where music is audible and how you use music, so ask PPL PRS for a quote with your real figures.
Is royalty-free music legal in a salon without TheMusicLicence?
Yes, provided every track you play is outside the PPL and PRS repertoires and cleared for business use; PPL PRS itself lists playing royalty-free or copyright-free music only among the situations where the licence is not needed. Get the provider's confirmation in writing and keep it, and remember the catalogue will not include well-known songs.
Do the same rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Copyright is governed UK-wide by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, so the licence requirement and TheMusicLicence itself work the same way across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
