
Broadcast Music, Inc. collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it distributes as royalties to songwriters, composers & music publishers.
Business Using Music on Hold
Download License
Fax completed license to:
615-401-2624
Do you have questions about the use of music in your business? Please review the FAQ’s below or contact a BMI representative for additional assistance.
Common questions about this license:
Q: Our Music-On-Hold System Only Uses Programming From Local Radio Stations. Aren’t The Stations Already Licensed?
Though radio stations are licensed with BMI to perform the music they broadcast, that agreement does not cover further public performance by those receiving the radio broadcast signal. When radio music is used in music-on-hold, that use is a separate performance under the copyright law.
Q: How Are License Fees Based If We Have A Music-On-Hold System In Our Office And Those Of Our Branch Offices?
The fees are based on the number of trunk lines your office has, which is the number of different individual telephones you have with music-on-hold capabilities. In addition, each office would need its own license.
Q: Does The Price Of The Music-On-Hold System We Purchased Include Performance Licensing Fees?
Some providers of customized music-on-hold programming may include music licensing fees in their price. Others offering this service may be creating liabilities for uninformed clients because they utilize unlicensed music for on-hold productions. If you are uncertain, ask your service whether or not they do include the music licensing fees in their price and to put this in writing.
Q: How do we report under our Music On Hold Agreement?
At the same time that you pay your fee after the first contract year, you will submit a report (on a form provided by BMI) indicating the number of telephone trunk lines used to provide music-on-hold during the previous contract year. If necessary, your fee will be adjusted based on this report.
Q: We Use Our Own Tapes And CDs On Our Telephone. Isn’t This Our Private Property To Play Where And When We Like?
Although, most people buy tapes and CDs thinking they are now their property, there is a distinction in the law between owning a copy of the CD and owning the songs on the CD. There is also a difference between a private performance of copyrighted music and a public performance. Most people recognize that purchasing a CD doesn’t give them the right to make copies of it to give or sell to others. The record company and music publishers retain those rights. Similarly, the music on the CDs and tapes still belongs to the songwriter, composer or music publisher of the work. When you buy a tape or CD the purchase price covers only your private listening use, similar to the “home” use
of “home” videos. Once you decide to play these tapes or CDs in your business,
it becomes a public performance.
Songwriters, composers, and music publishers have the exclusive right of public performance of their musical works under the U.S. copyright law. Therefore, any
public performance requires permission from the copyright owner — or BMI — if it is BMI-affiliated music. With a BMI Music Performance Agreement, you can publicly perform all BMI-affiliated music.