Common Questions Regarding Music Licensing

Having the time to research and read about legalities surrounding music licensing can save you a lot of trouble and money in the future. Most especially if you’re planning to use it in your businesses. If you’re confused or don’t know where to start researching, here are some common questions asked regarding music licensing to help you understand and get you started.

Can I stream music through Spotify/iTunes or any streaming services I paid for?

You might want to check the terms and conditions that these streaming services have.

For streaming services such as Spotify, the answer is no, you cannot. They are categorized as a B2C or a Business to Consumer product which means that you’ve paid for these to listen privately and not to commercialize.

Same goes with any CDs or music you’ve purchased. Again, you have paid for these for your own private use and not for a public setting. If you attempt to use these and play music in your businesses without paying the right organizations, then you’ll be violating copyright law.

Playing music in public spaces is considered a public performance, which means that you have to acquire a Public Performance License or PPL from PROs or Public Performing Organizations.

What are the necessary organizations or PRO’s I need to pay so I can play music in my business?

There are several organizations you need to pay for when you want to play music in your public spaces:

ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)
BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)
GMR (Global Music Rights)
SOCAN (The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada)
SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers)

These PROs are middlemen between musicians, songwriters, and or artists and business owners who plan on purchasing rights to play their music in their businesses. They protect intellectual rights of these artists and make sure that they are properly compensated for the usage of their songs.

Do I have to pay all PROs?

Each PRO has a specific set of artist that they’re representing, meaning the copyrighted artist and songs that BMI has might not be in SESAC. If you want to have a variety of music played in your business, we suggest you research which artists are under each PRO’s to avoid violating any rights for the music. It’s not enough that you paid for one PRO and start blasting off music, you need to know which PROs represent various artist you’re planning to stream.

What happens if I play music in my business without paying PRO’s?

Unless you own a business that has less than 2,000 square feet of space and are playing the radio or TV instead for background music, then there is a high possibility that you’ll get sued and pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for damages you caused for the music rights.

Are we legally allowed to play classical music without paying PRO’s since it’s old?

If it’s not protected by any copyright law, then yes. However, you have to make sure and thoroughly research if the songs you’re planning to use are not under any copyright laws to avoid paying for penalties.

With Play Hotel Music, not only can we provide you perfectly curated music for every space and every theme of your hotel, but we’ll also be taking care of all the music licensing that you need for your business. No need to stress and worry about which organizations to pay for you to play! With PHM, you’ll be saving your time and money, while we provide you with a top-notch music service.

Wanna know more? Check the links below to try out our demo and to find out more details about our service.

https://playhotelmusic.com/demoRequest

https://playhotelmusic.com/

You can also contact us at customer@playhotelmusic.com.

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What Style Is Suitable For My Space?

Nature-Passageway-Evening — Do I want a “Warm Lobby” or would “Modern Lobby” suit me better?

Want to get the most out of out preset styles for your hotel?

Take a look at the following descriptions to find the most suitable one for you.

Any questions or requests, email us at customer@playhotelmusic.com and we will get back to you asap!

Style	Desc
Modern Lobby	Acoustic Pop rock and modern jazz
Warm Lobby	Gentle classic and relaxing acoustic new age
Boutique Lobby	Contemporary jazz and elegant classical music
Classical Lobby	Elegant new age, classical with calming nature sounds
Nature Lobby	Floral classic with latin jazz
Resort Lobby	Contemporary classic, relaxing jazz, and fresh new age
Light Christmas	Light christmas pop mixed with christmassy jazz.
Relaxed Christmas	Relaxed christmas pop mixed with christmassy jazz.
Modern Hallway	Contemporary jazz, gentle classic, and modern lounge
Warm Hallway	Elegant Classic, soft acoustics and blues
Classical Hallway	Elegant classical and calm new age
Nature Hallway	Tranquil jazz, classical, and new age with calming nature sounds
Resort Hallway	Contemporary jazz, soft acoustics, and smooth lounge
Modern Cafe	Trendy pop rock, RnB, and modern lounge
Warm Cafe	Peaceful classical, jazz, and new age with soft acoustics
Classical Cafe	Elegant classical, peaceful jazz, and soft acoustics
Nature Cafe	Floral jazz and bright folk
Resort Cafe	Trendy pop rock, RnB, and modern lounge
Classical Restaurant	Gentle classic and relaxing new age
Modern Restaurant	Contemporary jazz and modern lounge
Casual Restaurant	Calm classical, breezy latin, and pop rock
Japanese Restaurant	Smooth Japanese style music
Chinese Restaurant	Relaxing Chinese style music
French Restaurant	Elegant French style music
Italian Restaurant	Cosy Italian style music
Bar	Contemporary jazz, lounge, and luxurious new age
Lounge Bar	Chic lounge and smooth jazz
Outdoor Bar	Chic jazz, soft lounge, and acoustics
Bathroom	Relaxing new age and tranquil classical
Modern Guest Room	Contemporary jazz and gentle classical
Warm Guest Room	Calm classical and elegant new age
Classical Guest Room	Gentle classical and relaxing new age
Nature Guest Room	Fresh jazz and nature inspiring new age
Resort Guest Room	Relaxing classical and peaceful new age
Fitness Center	Energetic electronic and lounge
Indoor Pool	Energetic electronic, lounge and active pop rock
Resort/Outdoor Pool	Energetic electronic, bright pop rock and dance pop
Outdoor Pool	Energetic electronic, bright poprock and acoustics
Private Beach	Energetic eletronic and upbeat acoustics
Luxurious Spa Massage Shop	Luxurious classical and relaxing new age
Nature Spa Massage Shop	Bright jazz and peaceful new age
Kids Room	Happy acoustic kids music
Outdoor Garden	Floral latin and acoustics
Basement Parking Lot	Modern uptempo classical and new age
Outdoor Parking Lot	Uptempo classical music and acoustics
Modern Banquet Hall	Luxurious classic and modern lounge
Classical Banquet Hall	Elegant classic and peaceful jazz
Outdoor Banquet Hall	Bright pop rock, RnB and modern classical
Wedding Hall	Sweet classical and luxurious new age
Conference Room	Peaceful classic and newage to help focus
Convenience	Upbeat Poprock and acoustic pop.
Boutique	Upbeat classical piano instrumentals
Casino	Modern jazz and upbeat lounge
General	Trendy modern upbeat electronic

E. System

1) What system environment can I use PHM with?

Chrome is the optimal web browser. However, PHM can be used with the OS and browser environment as in the following table.

	Windows 7 & lower	Windows 8.1 & Windows 10	Mac	Linux
Chrome	O	O	O	O
Firefox	O	O	O	O
Edge	O	O	–	–
IE 11	–	O	–	–
IE 12	–	O	–	–
Safari	–	–	O	–

2) The hotel’s internet connection is not good. Can I use PHM?

Yes, it is possible. PHM has been developed with many Internet connection situations in mind. The playback method of PHM is a hybrid system of a Streaming System and Download & Play System and has high stability. If you are using a Chrome browser, you will be able to use it more reliably because you are less affected by your Internet connection.
If you want to test, you can check your internet connection while using the demo player.

3) I’m currently using PHM with a Chrome browser. How do I set it up so that sounds from other Chrome windows are muted?

Right-click the speaker shape in the upper tab of your browser
Select ‘Mute site’

4) I am currently using PHM with a ‘Chrome’ browser. How do I change the setting to turn off the sound in the ‘Internet Explorer’ browser?

For Windows 7 or later versions,

Right-click the speaker icon at the bottom right corner
Open the Volume Mixer
Click the speaker icon of ‘Explorer’ and change it to mute

5) Changes have not been applied after PHM’s website update. How do I fix it?

The browser cache must be cleared

For Windows Chrome, press Ctrl + F5 on the PHM website to delete the browser cache or
Clear your browser’s cache via pressing Ctrl + H on the PHM website & click ‘Clear browsing history’
Re-login to see update.

6) Where do I make inquiries for errors?

Please submit your request via email (customer@playhotelmusic.com) and we will respond within 24 hours.

7) Can I play audio that I own, such as a hotel brand song, through the PHM player?

Yes, you can upload these files via the “import” feature. Pleases note that currently the player can only play mp3 files and that there is a 10 minute & 30MB restriction.

8) The imported audio or the promotion I scheduled is not being broadcast in time, how can I fix this

Sometimes due to network issues, if the promotion or imported file is scheduled in too close to the broadcast time, the system might not be able to apply the change in time. Please make sure the schedule

9) How can I delete a space?

You can delete spaces by logging into your admin account and by going into Space Management

10) How can I manage different spaces through one account?

The amount of spaces you can manage is different depending on your plan

Once you log in you will be able to select which space you wish to broadcast and manage,

If you log in via your Admin password, you will be able to manage the space without the need of being in the same area or the need of using the device that is currently broadcasting the music.

To do this:

Click the arrow next to your space

Select the space you wish to change to

A. ADMIN Account

1) What is the difference between the user account and ADMIN account?

The user account and ADMIN account share a single ID. However, they are distinguished by logging in with a different password and by checking ‘ADMIN SIGN IN’ on the sign in page. With the user account, multiple users can log-in with the same ID and password simultaneously to manage any space. Please note that only 1 person can manage 1 space at a time.

Furthermore, with a user account, if one user wants to manage more than one space, they must sign out and re-login to select the next space to manage.

However, with an ADMIN account, one user can manage multiple spaces more easily. If you login using the ADMIN password, a drop down menu of spaces will show up. The user can simply select which space they want to manage from this drop down menu.

2) What authorities does the ADMIN account have?

With the ADMIN account, you can edit the music and announcements for the desired space using the drop-down menu. Scheduling activity using the ADMIN account will not affect the play/stop status of music in any space. The schedule modified by ADMIN will take into effect right after the current track is finished playing.

Also, from the ‘ADMIN’ page in settings, you can forcibly stop the music from any space by clicking ‘LOGOUT’ for each space under the ‘SPACE MANAGEMENT’ tab.

You can modify the user information under the ‘ACCOUNT’ tab in the ‘ADMIN’ page in settings.

B. PHM Player

1) What is ‘Promotion’?

‘Promotion’ is the function for broadcasting announcements such as welcome greetings, information notices, etc. The ‘Promotions’ provided by PHM are frequently-used hotel announcements that are pre-recorded by a professional announcer. You can select the gender of voice and the language as well.

2) What is ‘Imported’?

With the ‘Imported’ function, you can broadcast and manage your own audio files.

3) What kind of files can be uploaded via ‘Imported’?

We only support the following specifications:

Duration	Under 10min
File Size	Up to 30MB
Extension	.mp3

4) Music and promotions do not play following the schedule I configured. How can I fix it?

Please check your PC’s time configuration.

Windows

Control Panel-> Date and Time

MacOS

Apple Menu -> System Configuration -> Date and Time

C. Music Selection

1) Are there restrictions as to which music genres can be played in each space of the hotel?

No, there are no limits to the music genres you can play. PHM basically provides appropriate music channels according to the hotel’s style and the space & time music is played. If you want to change the music genre, you can add other channels through the ‘BROWSE’ tab in the PHM player.

2) There is music that does not suit the location and style of the hotel. Is it possible to selectively delete this music?

Yes, it‘s possible. You can delete it by clicking the ‘delete‘ button on the Track List. However, deleted music will be permanently deleted from the channel and cannot be added again.

3) How frequently is the music changed?

The tracks in each channel is updated once a week.

4) How is music selected?

Music selection is done by music experts, while inappropriate music is deleted through our AI system.

5) Is it possible to set music for weddings and other special events?

Yes, it’s possible. Please follow below steps.

Click ‘ADD’ on the CHOOSE YOUR SPACE page
Select ‘Banquet Hall’ or ‘Wedding Hall’ in ADD YOUR SPACE

D. Price Plan

1) Q. What is the price plan for the PHM player?

PHM has 3 price plans: BASIC, STANDARD, PREMIUM

Space: This is the number of spaces in which music can be played.
AI Curated Playlist Support: Every price plan provides playlists curated by AI and professional artists
All Copyright Inclusive: Our monthly price plans are ALL inclusive of any type of music royalty charges including(or waive) performance rights fees. We deal with all copyright issues and costs that incur.
Promotional Announcement Support: PHM provides pre-recorded broadcasting announcements. Our professional announcers record greetings and other messages for your hotel, available in several languages.
Import Your Own Audio: You can import your own audio files into the PHM Player.

2) What does each price plan include and what are the prices?

BASIC PLAN: $19.99/month; Plays music in 1 space; Promotion & Imported functions are not included
STANDARD PLAN: $48.97/month; Plays music in 3 spaces; Includes 3 Promotions & 3 Imported files
PREMIUM PLAN: $124.90/month; Plays music in 9 spaces; Unlimited Promotion & 30 Imported files

3) How can I make the payment?

Select the plan you want and go through the following steps for payment. We process all payments via PayPal. Payment will be automatically charged monthly.

4) How can I fix problems with PayPal payment?

Please check that all information inserted in PHM is identical to your PayPal account information. If you are still having problems, you man find detailed solutions on the PayPal website.

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