Can I Play Spotify in My Store?

Playing Spotify in your store feels harmless, but it isn't. Here's why stores end up using it, what it can cost, and how to play music legally instead.

October 6, 2026

Can you play Spotify in your store? It's easy and familiar to use, so it's understandably tempting, but the short answer is no. You can't legally play Spotify in a store, at an event, or in any public or commercial establishment. The decision may feel harmless, but it comes with big repercussions.

See, Spotify and equivalent streaming platforms offer unlimited access to music, which is exactly why so many businesses assume they can use or play it in store. But Spotify is designed for personal use, not commercial use. If you're not careful, what seems like a simple misunderstanding can become a much larger legal issue.

If you want to play music legally, you'll need a license that covers your usage and location (often called a public performance license). Below, we'll look at why stores end up using Spotify, what it can cost you, and how to play music in store without the headache. Let's dive in.

Why Do Stores Seem to Play Spotify?

Now, no one is perfect, and some commercial establishments do play Spotify in store by accident. The top reasons we hear are: 1) our employees control the music; 2) I already pay for Premium, and any alternatives seem too expensive; and 3) it's easy to use, and my playlists are already on it.

These are all understandable reasons. Employees are familiar with personal streaming apps, public performance licenses can get quite expensive as you scale across locations, and legal licensing seems more difficult (and more unknown) than plugging into the aux cable. Sticking blindly to these reasons, however, can cost your business heavily down the line.

To keep it simple, you can think of two key elements that determine whether you can play certain music in your store: access and legality. Paying for a Premium package gets you access to the music, but it doesn't give you the legal permission to use it in a commercial setting. That's also why creating an "Approved songs" playlist on Spotify and calling it a day still leaves you without the legal permission.

TL;DR: Stores end up on Spotify because it's familiar, affordable, and easy. But paying for access isn't the same as having permission, and skipping the license can cost you heavily later on.

What Happens If You Play Spotify in Your Store?

At the end of the day, playing music in store comes down to money. When music moves from personal listening to commercial use, the artists behind the track are owed differently. Compensation for a personal stream on Spotify isn't worth the same as a public play in your commercial establishment.

But how do artists even know you're playing their music publicly? This is where CMOs, or Collective Management Organizations, come in. CMOs are like guards for their artists' music: when an artist joins a CMO, the CMO is responsible for recovering the earnings that artist is owed.

This is also where stores get in trouble.

Large CMOs, such as SACEM (France) and GEMA (Germany), are known for investigating establishments for unlicensed music. If they catch you, it's highly lucrative for them (and their artists), because they can usually fine you for the usage and for all the "back" usage you owe as well. When a CMO is suspicious of your activity, they typically send a notice requiring you to show you have the rights to the music you play.

If you've been using Spotify in your store, you won't have the legal proof to protect you, and you'd be closer to the following cases than you'd like. As reported by Mood Media, Hotel Jardín Tropical (Spain) was ordered to pay SGAE €200,000 in 2015, La Suite nightclub (France) was fined €10,000 in 2021, and Bolivar Beach Bar (Greece) was fined €30,000 in 2020.

Fees and fines depend on the country, the size of the venue, and the type of use, so these sit on the heavier end, but they show how quickly a simple assumption can turn into a serious business threat.

TL;DR: Playing Spotify in store means artists go unpaid for public use, and CMOs can ask you to prove you have the rights. Without a correct license, you can't prove legal use and may be fined.

So, How Can You Still Play Music in Store Without the Legal Consequences?

Remember the three main reasons stores choose Spotify in the first place (employees put it on, it's affordable, it's easy to manage)? The good news is that licensed music can bring much of the same benefits, plus one thing Spotify never could: legal proof.

Employee Control

The last thing you want is a part-time worker playing unlicensed music that costs you thousands of euros or dollars in fines. Neither do you want them putting on an inappropriate playlist just as a customer walks in. When employees choose the music, you risk them picking a non-legal source, and you also affect how your brand is perceived and felt. Consistency, control, and quality all matter here.

A licensed In-Store Radio takes that decision off their plate. Think of it as a themed music station, built entirely from licensed tracks and designed to play in a business all day (a cozy coffee shop station for a cafe, for example). The stations are fully curated and themed to the exact ambiance you're trying to create, and no employee has to spend time picking out a playlist or figuring out which tracks are licensed or not.

Ease of Use

Spotify feels easy because it's familiar. But that ease quickly fades when you're the one in charge of maintaining it. Is the music enjoyable throughout the day? Does the playlist last long enough, and what happens when it ends or an ad pops up on the free plan? And (for your employees) is there enough variety so they don't feel like they're living in groundhog day?

That upkeep pulls time away from the other operational tasks of your business that matter a whole lot more. Unlike Spotify, a licensed In-Store Radio is built to run in the background of an establishment all day. It's ad-free, updated monthly so it doesn't go stale, and setup is as simple as logging in and pressing play (and just as easy as opening Spotify).

Bonus: Jamendo's In-Store Radio solution let you pre-schedule which In-Store Radios play at which times. So, your morning vibes radio naturally transitions to midday calm and evening grooves as your store does.

Affordability

Public performance licenses can get pricey quickly, which is why businesses see Spotify as a workaround. But pricey public performance licenses aren't always the way to go. See, licenses get expensive because they involve compensating artists for the usage. (Remember those artists registered with CMOs?) If you instead opt for music that's cleared directly with the artists, this can cost you far less.

For a sense of scale, a CMO license can run around €240 per store per year in some markets, while Jamendo's In-Store Radios are €89 per store per year. Jamendo is able to offer a more affordable option because its In-Store Radios feature music from independent artists who choose to license their work commercially, and who typically license it directly through Jamendo rather than collecting royalties through CMOs.

Proof of Your Rights

Remember the CMO notice from earlier, where you're asked to show you have the rights to the music you play? That's the one thing Spotify can never give you: proof of legal permission.

Each of your store locations needs its own license certificate, and by opting for a trusted licensed solution, you'll have a clear paper trail of proof instead of a Spotify Premium receipt. Though you can't prevent a check from happening, you can make sure you're properly prepared if one does.

Legal Alternatives to Spotify: Top Hits or Curated Ambiance?

A licensed In-Store Radio is a great fit for many stores, but it isn't the only legal route. The right decision depends on what music you want to play in store, what matters most to you and your customers, and your budget.

Take two examples:

A fast-fashion retailer, where relevance, youth culture, and trendiness are core to the brand identity. For them, playing whatever is trending right now matters to the business. The same goes for a nightclub or late-night bar.
Alternatively, a boutique hotel might build its brand identity around guest experience. For them, playing the right ambiance at the right time (whether in the spa, at the bar, or in the gym) matters more than playing the latest radio hit.

Ask yourself: How do I want people to feel when they walk in? Do my customers want to hear popular hits? What matters most to my business: recognizable relevance or curated ambiance?

How to Play Top Hits in Store

If recognizable hits are non-negotiable, you're in CMO territory. You'll need a public performance license from the CMO in your country (such as SACEM in France or GEMA in Germany) covering each location, plus a music source built for business use rather than a personal Spotify account.

This route can work well when mainstream music is part of your identity, but expect costs to climb with the number and size of your locations.

How to Play Curated Ambiance in Store

If mood and ambiance matters more than playing mainstream music, a licensed In-Store Radio is usually the simpler and more affordable route. Because the music is cleared directly with the artists, you won't need a separate CMO license, there'll be no playlist to manage, and a clear, easily-accessible certificate comes with each store.

Summary

The next time you consider playing Spotify publicly in your establishment, you'll now know how to protect your business and play legal music instead. To recap what we've learned:

Spotify is for personal use only, so playing it in store, at events, or in any public place requires a specific license that covers that use and location.
Stores land on Spotify for understandable reasons (employee control, cost, and ease), but licensed In-Store Radios can cover all three and provide legal proof.
CMOs like SACEM and GEMA can ask you to prove your rights, and they can fine you for past usage too.
Top hits generally mean a CMO license, while curated ambiance can come from a licensed In-Store Radio with a certificate for each store.

Playing music in your business should be easy. If you want music in your store without legal headaches, explore Jamendo's In-Store Radios for licensed, ad-free music with a certificate for every location.