Music in your business, explained.
What do Buma/Stemra and Sena charge, when do you have to pay, and what does AI music change about that? The questions business owners ask us about music in their premises. Honest advice, with the 2026 tariffs and the source alongside.
The Buma and Sena bill
- Received a letter from Mijnlicentie? These are your options.What that letter is, what your options are, and why ignoring it costs most.
- Paying too much to Buma/Stemra and Sena? Get your invoice checked for freeUpload your invoice or letter from Mijnlicentie and we check it.
- A fine from Buma/Stemra? There is no such thing. This is what you pay.There is no fine. What you do lose is the discount, and it is a big one.
- Music without Buma and Sena. Is it possible?Which routes exist, what they really cost, and which one holds up.
- What is the difference between Buma, Stemra and Sena?Three names, two bills, and what you pay to whom.
- Can you cancel Buma/Stemra, and how do you do it?Only if you stop playing the music you are paying for. Here is how.
- How much Buma/Stemra and Sena discount does your trade association give?KHN, ANKO, INretail and others give 14 to 20% extra. What that means in euros, and what membership costs.
- Radio on in your business? Then you pay Buma and Sena too.The radio counts like anything else. What it costs, when it does not count, and why TV is a third bill.
- Royalty-free music in your shop. What does it mean?The word covers three different things. One of them does not help you.
- Do you have to pay Sena for AI music?What Sena says about AI music, and why you pay nothing with RadioMatic.
Music by type of space
- What does music in a shop cost in 2026?What music in a shop costs in Buma/Stemra and Sena fees, per square metre and per member of staff, with a calculator.
- What does music cost in hospitality, and does the terrace count?The highest tariff of all categories, and why the terrace counts.
- What music suits your restaurant, and what does it cost?Mood by time of day, what research really says, and the levies at the hospitality rate.
- What music suits your hotel, and what do you pay for it?Lobby and bar at the hospitality rate, and the rooms as a separate bill.
- Why do supermarkets play music, and what does it cost?What music does to shopping, the Belgian switch to AI music, and the levies per square metre.
- What music suits your waiting room, and do you have to pay for it?For dentists, physiotherapists and GPs. What you pay, and how music shields conversations at the desk.
- Music in the office. When do you have to pay?From three employees who can hear it. What it costs per FTE, and why reception counts differently.
- Can you have the radio on at work, and what does it cost?Dutch health and safety law says nothing about music, so you set the rules. What to agree with your team, and from which employee you pay.
- Music in the gym. What does it cost in Buma and Sena fees?Sena has its own rate for gyms, and group classes are counted separately.
- Music on the terrace. Is it allowed, and what does it cost?Outside counts towards the tariff, and the council looks at something else.
- Christmas and New Year music in your shop, what is allowed and what does it cost?Why old carols and Auld Lang Syne are not free, and how to get through the holidays without Buma and Sena.
- Sinterklaas music in your shop, what is allowed and what does it cost?Why you still pay Sena for Sinterklaas songs in your business, and how to do without.
Streaming services, in-store radio and equipment
- Can you use Spotify in a business?No, and here is why. Plus what it costs you if you do it anyway.
- Can you use Spotify in a bar or restaurant?No. And what then lands on your doormat is a bill, not a fine.
- What is AI music in a shop, and what does it cost?How it sounds, what it costs against ordinary shop music, and what happens to the levies.
- How does AI music for business work?What it is, how the levies work, and what to watch out for.
- What is retail radio or in-store radio, and what does it cost?Music plus voices per branch. Bespoke or a ready-made station, and which bills come with it.
- Which music system do you need for your venue?Source, amplifier and speakers. What Sonos can and cannot do, and when to call an installer.
- RadioMatic in ChatGPT, Claude and other chatbotsWhat the RadioMatic app does in your chatbot, which questions it answers, and what happens to your data.
Providers, prices and alternatives
- Switching? We cancel your old music for youWith every paid plan we cancel Buma/Stemra, Sena and your current music service for you, free of charge.
- AI music for business, the providers comparedWhat the providers of AI music for business offer and cost, side by side.
- Affordable background music for your businessWhat music in your business really costs, and how to avoid the second bill.
- What does Tunify (now Soundtrack) cost?The published tariffs, and why the levies still come on top.
- What does Mood Media cost in the Netherlands?No Dutch tariffs published. What is publicly available.
- Looking for an alternative to Synerplay?What Synerplay offers and costs, what is not included, and which alternatives exist.
- Looking for an alternative to Tunify?What Tunify costs, which other providers there are, and the bill people forget when comparing.
- Looking for an alternative to Soundtrack Your Brand?Soundtrack’s Dutch prices, what is not included, and which other providers there are.
Why 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 no studio |
| Local news and weather | No | Yes, the station’s | No | Yes, your town, your choice of topics |
| 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 |
The best music every day
The station keeps getting new tracks in the same style, because the music is generated rather than drawn from a fixed list. A track that lands well with your audience comes round more often, and then it is your hit. It was made for your station and plays nowhere else.
It names your business
Between the tracks, DJ voices announce what is going on at your place. Your offer, your opening hours, this week’s deal. That used to need a studio and a voice actor.
It moves with the day
Calm in the morning, more tempo during the rush, softer again in the last hour. That switches over by itself per part of the day, with nobody behind the counter picking a new list.
Local news if you want it
A short bulletin on the hour about your own town, with the weather and the traffic alongside. You choose which subjects you want, or you switch it off entirely.
No one else’s advertising
On an ordinary station the business down the road advertises in between your tracks. With us, nothing comes in between that is not yours.
Every location from one screen
Each site keeps its own mood, its own promotions and its own opening hours, and you run them all from the same place.
A playlist is worn out within two weeks, and on an ordinary station the business down the road advertises in between your tracks. With us the station is yours. Your style, your announcements, and the tracks that land with your audience come round more often.
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