Which business music services include PRO licenses?

What a business music service usually covers

A business music service is not the same as a personal streaming plan. Can I play Spotify in my restaurant or bar? explains why personal accounts are for personal use only.

Each service below ties its cover to the music it supplies. Take Rockbot. It says its licensing “covers public performances of music streamed through Rockbot Music only” (Rockbot, music licensing for business). Soundtrack says its US customers “won't have to obtain public performance licenses from the local PROs, for so long as they use the Service in accordance with this Agreement” (Soundtrack General Terms). Put simply, you need no PRO licenses of your own for its music, as long as you follow its contract.

The same pages also say what is not covered. These are the most common gaps:

Live music, DJs and karaoke. Soundtrack, Rockbot, Pandora CloudCover and Custom Channels name these. SiriusXM names DJ use. The sources are in the table below. Do I need a license for live music, DJs or karaoke? covers those nights in detail.
Music from other sources. Rockbot names “radios, televisions, or personal devices” (Rockbot). Soundtrack names “another source other than the Service” (Soundtrack General Terms).
Admission fees and fitness classes. Soundtrack, SiriusXM and Pandora CloudCover name these. SESAC describes the same limit from its side. It says a background music provider’s SESAC license “only extends to the music they supply to establishments with no admission, membership or similar charge” (SESAC FAQ).

Some uses vary by service. Take music on hold, which callers hear while they wait on the phone. SiriusXM’s business agreement allows use “in on-hold messaging on your business telephone system” (SiriusXM Customer Agreement for Music for Business Services). If you need music on hold, check your own service’s terms.

Six services compared, in their own words

Each row quotes the service’s own public page. We read these pages on November 13, 2026. Terms change, and the contract you sign is what counts. If a page does not say something, the table says so. We do not guess. Sereinora has no ties to any service named here. We earn no commission or referral fee from any of them.

What each service’s own pages say about public performance (PRO) licensing
Service	PROs it names	Do you need your own PRO licenses?	Exclusions it names
Soundtrack	None by name. It says that for US and Canada customers, it “obtains all necessary music licenses, including the public performance licenses” (General Terms, last updated March 12, 2026).	Not for the service’s own music, “for so long as they use the Service in accordance with this Agreement”.	Rights “are not licensed by Soundtrack” in three cases. The first is if the business “Conducts physical exercises and/or instructed health club classes”. The second is if it “Plays music from another source other than the Service such as a DJ, karaoke, or live music”. The third is if it “Charges an admission fee”.
Rockbot	“ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR” for Rockbot Music used in the U.S. (Rockbot, music licensing).	“Yes, Rockbot can replace your PRO licenses in the United States”, when used “in compliance with our Subscriber Terms of Service”.	Coverage does not include “DJs, live musicians and bands, karaoke”. Nor does it include “other non-Rockbot music sources such as radios, televisions, or personal devices”.
Pandora CloudCover	Its licensing FAQ gives “SESAC, ASCAP, and BMI” as examples of PROs (licensing FAQ, July 3, 2026). Its guide says the subscription “includes the required PRO fees” without listing them (music licensing guide).	Not stated in those words. The license “covers all songs played through the PCC platform, played in public areas”.	“There cannot be an entry fee”. The music cannot be “integral to the activity” (“gym classes like Zumba or karaoke”). It “does not cover live performances, cover artists, DJs, or any video recording”.
SiriusXM Music for Business	“rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, and SoundExchange” (SiriusXM Music for Business).	“All the royalties are included in your Music for Business monthly rate.” If you buy it through a reseller, “you will also be subject to their terms” (Customer Agreement, last updated May 1, 2025).	Use only “as background music in your business or in on-hold messaging”. It is “not authorized for use as an accompaniment to dancing, use by a DJ or use in connection with a business or event that charges an admission fee (such as nightclubs, fitness classes, etc.)”. In short, it is not for dancing, DJs, or a business or event that charges a fee to get in.
Mood Media	Its licensing page mentions “ASCAP, BMI, and GMR”. It also says “we take on the full responsibility for music licensing on your behalf” (Mood Media, business music licensing). It does not list PROs plan by plan.	Not stated plan by plan on its public pages. The same page describes its “Fundamentals tier” as “rights-managed music”. It says this in an answer about royalty-free music and PRO fees. So it is worth asking which catalog your plan uses.	Not stated on the public pages we checked.
Custom Channels	“Music played through the Custom Channels player is fully licensed—including ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR” (Custom Channels help center).	Not for music played through its player.	“Music from DJs, live bands, karaoke, or trivia events is not covered and may require separate PRO licenses.”

Each PRO licenses only its own catalog of songs. A license from one PRO does not fill a gap with another. Do I need ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR? explains how the four fit together.

Questions to ask before you sign

Which PROs does the license cover, by name? Some pages above name all four PROs. Some give examples, and some name none.
Which locations and areas? List every address. Also list every area where the service plays, such as the patio, private dining, event space or gym. Soundtrack, for example, asks customers to keep “an accurate and up to date list of your locations” (Soundtrack General Terms).
Is anything left out, such as live music, DJs, karaoke, trivia, dancing, fitness classes or entry fees? Every service in the table names at least one of these.
What if you also play radio, TV or another app? Rockbot, for one, says its licensing does not cover other sources (Rockbot).
Is music on hold included? Terms differ from one service to the next.
Can you have it in writing? Ask for the clause or a written confirmation that matches your venue. Pandora CloudCover gives its own advice. If you are unsure whether you are licensed through a “for Business” account, “you should reach out to them directly and confirm with them” (CloudCover licensing FAQ).

See where your music service’s coverage stops

The Venue Music Audit lists each way your venue uses music. It checks each one against your music service’s terms and the licenses you hold, PRO by PRO. The free check is a quick first look.

Free 2-minute check Venue Music Audit, $495

Sources

Last reviewed November 13, 2026. General information, not legal advice.