Using Spotify for business is one of the most common misconceptions in the restaurant industry. Spotify's terms of service prohibit commercial and public use of the service, which means playing Spotify in a restaurant, café, bar, or other commercial premises is not allowed. The same restriction applies to other consumer streaming services such as YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Deezer. Business use requires a music service licensed for public performance. Feelment is a Finnish background music service licensed for business use, through which even Spotify playlists can be transferred to legal use with just a few clicks.
Spotify's terms of service grant users the right to use the service solely for personal, non-commercial purposes. This means Spotify is intended for listening with personal headphones, in the car, or at home. When music is played in business premises for customers, it constitutes public performance of music, which requires a different license than a consumer service's personal use rights.
Spotify itself states unambiguously on its support page that the service is intended only for personal, non-commercial use. The restriction does not apply only to the free version: Spotify Premium does not include the right to public performance either. In practice, no Spotify subscription entitles a business to play music for restaurant, café, or retail customers.
Playing background music in business premises requires two things in Finland: a background music license and a music service licensed for public performance. The background music license is issued by GT Musiikkiluvat Oy, which represents the copyright organizations Teosto and Gramex. The license covers royalties payable to composers, songwriters, and performers.
In the restaurant industry, the background music license fee is determined by the number of customer seats. For example, a restaurant with 50 customer seats pays approximately 50 euros per month (VAT 0%) for a background music license. The license can be purchased directly from the musiikkiluvat.fi online store. However, a music license alone is not enough: music must be played through a service licensed for business use so that rights holders receive the royalties they are entitled to in proportion to the actual audience size.
Music creators and performers deserve compensation for their work. Consumer streaming services like Spotify pay copyright royalties based on personal listening. When Spotify is played in a restaurant for tens or hundreds of customers, the royalty does not reflect the actual audience; instead, the copyright system treats the playback as if it were a single instance of home listening.
Feelment distributes copyright royalties based on user-specific data. This means royalties are fairly allocated to the tracks and artists actually played in the business premises. At the same time, the business operates in compliance with the law and terms of service without the risk of copyright infringement.
One of the most common reasons businesses use Spotify is that staff have built playlists over the years and want to play familiar music. Feelment solves this problem: Spotify playlists can be imported into Feelment with just a few clicks. Favorite playlists do not need to be abandoned; they transfer to Feelment and thus to legal business use.
Transferred playlists work completely normally in Feelment and can be edited or supplemented from Feelment's music library of over 40 million tracks. This way, a business gets familiar tracks playing legally, and music creators receive the royalties they deserve.
A background music service designed for business use differs from a consumer service in many ways that directly affect the daily operations of a restaurant or commercial premises. Spotify playlists typically contain around 50 tracks, which means the playlist starts repeating itself within just a few hours. Feelment's ready-made playlists are designed to last at least a full workday, and Feelment allows playing multiple playlists simultaneously. This keeps the soundscape varied throughout the entire opening hours.
With Feelment, there are no unexpected algorithmic recommendations that disrupt the atmosphere. In a fine dining restaurant or stylish cocktail bar, consistency of background music style and mood is commercially important. Feelment offers over 300 playlists curated by music experts for different moods, spaces, and times of day. Playlists are regularly updated and cover genres from the latest hits to unique underground music.
Feelment's background music service also includes a weekly music calendar that automates the right music to play at the right time. A restaurant does not need to rely on the shift manager remembering to change the playlist when the evening shift begins.
"The great thing about Feelment is that you can change the music genre according to the clientele and the vibe. The app's home menu is handy because the staff can immediately see recently played and recommended playlists on the front page."
— Riikka Atri, Restaurant Manager, Junk y Vegan
Playing Spotify in a restaurant or other commercial premises violates both Spotify's terms of service and Finnish copyright law. Violation of the terms of service can lead to the Spotify account being suspended. From a copyright law perspective, unauthorized public performance of music means that music creators and performers are deprived of the royalties they are entitled to.
GT Musiikkiluvat Oy actively monitors compliance with music licenses, and unauthorized use can result in retroactive compensation claims. The most common reason for a missing license is lack of awareness: many business owners mistakenly assume that a Spotify or other streaming service monthly fee also covers the right to public performance.
A legal solution is often more affordable than many business owners assume. Spotify Premium costs 12.99 euros per month, but it does not include public performance rights and does not replace a background music license or a music service licensed for business use. Feelment's background music service costs 79 euros per month (VAT 0%), and it includes everything needed: Spotify playlist import, a music library of over 40 million tracks, over 300 ready-made playlists, and music scheduling.
No separate devices or additional packages are needed, as Feelment runs from the same computer or tablet that the business uses for its other services. By consolidating music, sports, and karaoke services through Feelment, a business saves on equipment and subscription fees as well as administrative hassle. Feelment can be tried free for 14 days without a credit card, and the trial period does not automatically convert to a paid subscription.
Feelment's phone support is available every day of the year from 9 AM to 11 PM. Technical support assists with all restaurant technology questions regardless of whether the caller is a Feelment customer or not.
Spotify cannot be played in a restaurant, café, or other commercial premises. Spotify's terms of service allow the use of the service solely for personal, non-commercial purposes. The same restriction applies to YouTube Music, Apple Music, and other consumer streaming services. Playing music in business premises requires a music service licensed for business use.
Spotify Premium does not include the right to public performance. A Premium subscription expands features for personal use, but the terms of service still prohibit commercial and public use. A business needs a separate service licensed for business use, such as Feelment's background music service.
A restaurant needs a background music license from GT Musiikkiluvat (Teosto and Gramex) and a music service licensed for business use. The background music license fee in the restaurant industry is determined by the number of customer seats. The license can be purchased directly from the musiikkiluvat.fi online store.
Feelment offers a Spotify playlist import feature that allows existing playlists to be transferred to Feelment with just a few clicks. Transferred playlists work normally in Feelment and can be supplemented from Feelment's library of over 40 million tracks. The feature is available in the Windows, Android, and iOS apps as well as in the web player.
Feelment's background music service costs 79 euros per month (VAT 0%). Feelment can be tried free for 14 days without a credit card. The price includes daily phone support and access to over 300 ready-made playlists.
Consumer services like Spotify are licensed for personal use and do not cover public performance rights. Feelment includes public performance rights and distributes copyright royalties based on user-specific data. Additionally, Feelment offers long-lasting playlists, simultaneous playback of multiple playlists, and music scheduling, which are not available in consumer services.
Feelment is a background music, sports, and karaoke service by the Finnish family company Viihdeväylä Oy, designed for restaurants, cafés, bars, hotels, shops, gyms, and other businesses. Over 2,500 commercial premises in Finland rely on Feelment, and Feelment has been operating since 1984.
Text: Erno Ojanperä, Aihio Digital