How much does a music license cost a restaurant or bar?

What sets the fee

The PROs describe broadly similar factors:

• How music is used: live, recorded, or audio-visual. ASCAP lists “live, recorded, audio only vs. audio/visual”, the venue’s “capacity”, and “how many nights a week it hosts live music” (ASCAP, why ASCAP licenses bars, restaurants and music venues).
• Size. Both ASCAP and BMI tie fees to occupancy; BMI notes occupancy is most commonly set by the local fire marshal (BMI, music licensing for bars and restaurants).
• Extras on top of recorded music, such as karaoke and DJs, and any admission or cover charge (ASCAP rate schedule, calendar year 2026).

Where you are does not change the ASCAP rate: ASCAP says restaurants of the same size and music use pay the same “regardless of whether the restaurant is in Oshkosh or New York City” (ASCAP).

ASCAP’s published rates for 2026

ASCAP publishes its schedule for restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The annual fee is a rate per occupant, built from the lines below, multiplied by the premises occupancy (if no official occupancy exists, square footage divided by 20). Rates per occupant for calendar year 2026:

Live music, 4 to 7 nights a week

$8.05

Live music, 3 nights or less

$6.70

Recorded music, no live music

$4.69

Recorded music, with live music

$3.10

Enhancements: karaoke, DJs, emcees, dancing, shows, acts or games

$2.72

Admission or cover charge

$2.72

TV or radio only, where the broadcast exemption does not apply

$1.77

The occupancy fee has a minimum of $502, a separate jukebox fee may apply, and the schedule includes adjustments for seasonal venues and an inflation increase each year from 2027. Read the full schedule and its notes before relying on any figure (ASCAP rate schedule and statement of operating policy, calendar year 2026).

BMI, SESAC and GMR

BMI

Says its license “starts at a little more than a dollar per day” and rises with the type of music (recorded, live, DJ, karaoke), how often it is performed, and occupancy (BMI, music licensing for bars and restaurants).

SESAC

Says “music licensing fees vary by industry” and by the degree to which music is used (SESAC, how are fees determined?).

GMR

Says rates “depend upon your type of business and how the music is presented to the public” (Global Music Rights FAQ).

We found no published dollar schedule from BMI, SESAC or GMR for bars and restaurants. Ask each for a written quote based on your occupancy and music use.

What venues pay in total

Because each PRO licenses separately (see Do I need ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR?), the total depends on how many licenses a venue holds, plus any music service. The National Restaurant Association has said its members pay an average of $4,500 per year to license music (Bloomberg via Indianapolis Business Journal, July 9, 2025). That is an average across members, not a quote for any venue.