Overhead music is something everyone has become very accustomed to when shopping today. Songs from popular artists play in the background of every store in America, while patrons listen on oblivious to whether the publishing companies, record labels, and musicians are being paid for it or not. Unfortunately, this same relaxed attitude has enticed thousands of businesses to play unlicensed overhead music worldwide. Some business owners believe the odds of getting caught are somehow low enough to make the looming legal penalties negligible. Trust us at Sonu Media when we tell you this is not the case.
25 Tampa Bay area restaurants, bars, and nightclubs were sued by BMI for playing unlicensed music between 2011 and 2016. Eleven of these cases resulted in settlements paid by business owners for over $10,000. One bay area Bar/Restaurant, Tadpole, was brought to Federal Court and sued for $30,000 while constantly maintaining they had no idea they were breaking the law. These cases are just a snapshot of the overhead music copyright infringement brought to court every year across the country. These business owners are being caught broadcasting music via:
- Playing songs from a personal device such as an iPod
- Playing music from purchased audio files such as CDs or MP3s
- Playing songs from a streaming service such as Pandora or Spotify
- Featuring live music by performers who play covers
- Broadcasting the sound from televised programming
As many of you are reading the list of musical vehicles above, you may also be currently broadcasting unlicensed music within your place of business. Before contacting ASCAP, BMI, and/or SESAC to grovel for forgiveness, you should be calling Sonu Media to activate SiriusXM Music for Business. Sonu Media literally takes the responsibility for royalty payments completely out of your hands. For a simple $24.99 a month, we can guarantee that every song you play over 100+ channels will be fully licensed and legal. This includes major artists from every major genre of music both your customers and employees listen to. Calm your nerves and protect your business by calling Sonu Media at (877) 307-6677 today!
