Background music for business
Updated
What you need For background music in your business you need music you may play commercially, and for music made by people a licence from Buma/Stemra and Sena. That is two bills, and at RadioMatic it is one.
One bill At RadioMatic AI makes the music, and because there is no composer, lyricist or artist, you pay no Buma/Stemra and no Sena. You get ambient music that suits your business, or your own radio station, from € 29.99 per location per month.
Work out what you save
Three questions, and you see what you now spend on Buma/Stemra, Sena and your music service.
What kind of business do you have?
Background music with everything included
- Ambient music or your own radio station. Just music in the style you choose, or with a presenter who talks about your business between the songs. Professional adds news and your own adverts.
- The best music every day. And the station remembers your hits, so the tracks that work for you come back more often.
- Its own mood per location and per room. The shop floor sounds different from the terrace or the canteen, all from one account.
- Works on what is already there. Sonos, Chromecast, a browser or the line-in of your amplifier.
- 14 days free, and we handle your switch. After your trial we cancel your old music for you, free of charge. How the switching service works.
From € 29.99 per location per month. What you now pay Buma/Stemra and Sena goes, and so does your current music subscription.
Four ways to play music in your business
| Way | Allowed in your business? | Buma/Stemra and Sena | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| RadioMaticBest choice | Yes | Not needed, because AI makes the music | Your own station, as ambient music or with presenter, news and your own adverts |
| Business music service | Yes | Comes on top of your subscription | Playlists of well-known music |
| Radio | Yes, with a licence | Pay both | Whatever the station plays, with other people’s adverts |
| Spotify or another private subscription | No | Does not make it legal | A subscription meant for home. Why not |
When do you pay for background music?
As soon as the music is public. That is the case when customers, guests or patients can hear it, and also when only your staff hear it but there are three or more of them. How quietly it plays or for how long makes no difference. A shop, a hair salon, a canteen and a waiting room all count.
You then pay two organisations. Buma/Stemra collects for the composer and the lyricist, Sena for the artist and the record label. Both go through Mijnlicentie. The difference is explained on Buma/Stemra or Sena.
What does background music cost your business?
With music made by people you pay your music service’s subscription and on top of that Buma/Stemra and Sena. That second bill depends on your sector and on your floor area or your number of staff. For most businesses it is higher than the subscription itself, and highest in hospitality.
Work out at the top what it is for your business, using the official 2026 tariffs. All the tables per sector are on What a music licence costs.
With RadioMatic there is no second bill. You pay from € 29.99 per location per month, and that is all.
Ambient music or your own radio station?
You choose, and you can do it differently per room and per moment. If you only want music that sets the mood, you get tracks in the style that suits your business, with no voice in between.
If you want more, it becomes your own radio station. A presenter announces the tracks and talks about your business. With Professional, news comes by too, national or local, and your own offers and jingles go in between. Other people’s adverts never come in between on a paid plan.
What to look for when choosing
Four questions help with any quote. Is the Buma/Stemra and Sena levy included in the price, or does it come on top? Do you pay per location or per zone? How long are you tied in? And can you steer each site and each room yourself?
At RadioMatic the answer is the same every time. No levy, per location, cancellable monthly if you pay monthly, and you steer everything yourself from one account.
Switching from your current music
If you now have a music service or a licence with Mijnlicentie, you do not have to cancel anything yourself. After your trial, once your station is running, we do it for you free of charge. So you are never without music. Read how the switching service works.
Tariffs: Buma/Stemra and Sena, tariff year 2026, via mijnlicentie.nl. This is information, not legal advice about your situation.
Background music by type of business
Every business sounds different, and Buma/Stemra and Sena charge differently per type of business too. Choose yours to read which music fits, what you pay now and what you pay with RadioMatic.
Shops
Hospitality and hotels
Healthcare and practices
Beauty, sport and wellness
On the road and leisure
Why no Buma and Sena come on top at RadioMatic
Because the music is made with AI. There is no composer, no lyricist and no performing artist, so nobody for whom Buma/Stemra or Sena can collect anything. We also check the music continuously with recognition software and our own tools.
The full position is in our legal memorandum, with the articles of law.
Read the legal reasoningWhy RadioMatic is something other than a playlist or the radio
A business owner who wants music on the premises usually picks from three things. A playlist from a streaming service, an ordinary radio station, or a royalty-free music package. This is where they differ.
| Playlist | Ordinary radio | Royalty-free | RadioMatic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New music | Fixed list | Yes, but not your choice | Limited catalogue | New every day |
| Music that is yours alone | No | No | No | Yes, your own hits |
| Fits the time of day | Switch it yourself | No | Switch it yourself | Automatic |
| Names your business | No | No | No | Yes |
| Your own offers | No | Only if you buy advertising | No | Yes, with Professional, no studio |
| Local news and weather | No | Yes, the station’s | No | Yes, with Professional, your town |
| Other people’s adverts | No | Yes | No | No |
| Several locations | Set up per location | No | Set up per location | Yes, from one place, each with its own mood |
| Buma/Stemra and Sena | Payable | Payable | See the terms | Not payable |
Questions about background music in your business
Ready to hear it for yourself?
Try RadioMatic free for 14 days. Your own station for your business, without Buma/Stemra and Sena, and cancel monthly if you pay monthly.
Rather talk first? Book a 15-minute call