Spotify says its service is for personal, non-commercial use. For your venue, choose a service whose terms cover the music and use you need, then check how well its catalogue fits your space.
Hear a few directions for your business
| Your decision | Personal Spotify subscription | Open Hours business music |
|---|---|---|
| Playing to customers | Spotify's policy does not permit public playback from a business. | A direct licence for the original catalogue and the venue use covered by your local plan. |
| Music selection | Your personal listening choices do not establish venue-use permission. | Original stations and collections, from mellow jazz and acoustic music to upbeat house and disco. |
| Daily operation | A personal subscription is not the basis for this venue workflow. | A browser player, favourites, weekly schedules and special-date changes. |
| Coverage and cost | The subscription does not change Spotify's commercial-use restriction. | Monthly or annual plans, with the price and local commercial terms shown before checkout. |
What Spotify's policy says
Spotify's support page limits the service to personal, non-commercial use and specifically rules out playing it publicly from businesses. Its examples include bars, restaurants, stores and salons. Paying for a personal subscription does not change that stated restriction.
This answers the service-permission question. It is separate from deciding which rights or local requirements apply to a different catalogue supplied by a business music provider.
Decide whether familiar songs are essential
Some businesses want recognisable artists. Others want a coherent atmosphere and are happy to discover original music. Make that choice explicitly before comparing providers, because the catalogues can be very different.
Open Hours has its own catalogue of original recordings, generated in-house by Escalera Labs with AI. Listen to public station samples to compare the sound: First light for warm acoustic music, After the rush for relaxed jazz, or Good energy for upbeat house. The music is original; it is not Spotify’s catalogue or a way to play the same artists through another subscription.
A simpler licence and a predictable bill
Your Open Hours subscription includes the catalogue and permission for covered business use. There is no separate charge from us for each track you choose or each covered play. Monthly billing keeps the commitment short; annual billing has a lower equivalent monthly price, with the full annual total shown before you choose.
Create your account, then enter your business name and venue country. You will see the plans available for that location and the commercial terms that apply. The pricing page lists the countries where paid plans are available; other local offers are being prepared. Your account language does not determine your venue’s licence.
- One venue and one simultaneous stream per current plan.
- Seven-day trial with a card; your chosen plan renews automatically unless you cancel before the trial ends.
- Cancel anytime to stop the next renewal. Your account shows when access ends.
- Local terms explain the included background-music use and any separate requirements.
Compare the working day, not just a feature list
Choose a station for continuous shuffled listening, or a collection for a shorter selection that plays in order. Save favourites, inspect the recordings and use the player queue to see what comes next.
Build a weekly schedule for opening, busy periods and closing. Gap music can fill unscheduled time, and special dates can replace a normal day. Scheduled playback runs in the open browser on an awake, connected device; it does not start music on a closed laptop. Try the service with your actual speakers and connection before relying on it through a working day.
Use a short switching checklist
Before choosing any venue service, match its actual terms and behaviour to your needs. A broad marketing label is less useful than a clear answer for your setting.
- Can you hear enough of the catalogue to judge a full working day?
- Do its terms cover the country, catalogue and use you intend?
- Are pricing, room limits and any separate obligations explained?
- Can staff operate it on the equipment in your venue?
- What happens during interruptions and when you cancel?
Can you bring your existing Spotify playlists?
Open Hours uses its own recordings, so it does not import Spotify songs or transfer a playlist track for track. If particular artists are essential to your business, choose a provider whose catalogue includes them and whose terms cover your use.
If you want the atmosphere rather than the same songs, start with genre and energy. A café might move from First light in the morning to Golden hour later; a shop might prefer Daylight disco. Save the selections that fit your space and build the day around them.
What can you try before switching?
Listen to the public station samples, then create an account with email and password or Google. Add your business name and venue country on the next step. Where a plan is available, choose monthly or annual billing and start the seven-day card-required trial.
The trial lets you test the player, music and scheduling in your venue under the plan’s terms. Check its sound and repetition over your opening hours. Public samples alone do not grant business-use permission. For countries without a current plan or uses beyond venue background music, contact us with your requirements.
Put it into practice.
Help & contact
Get help with your Open Hours account, subscription, playback and licence record, find out how to delete your account, or send us a message.
Simple licensing
Original music and a direct business-use licence in one subscription. See what royalty-free means, which uses are covered and how your local offer works.
Your business
Explore music for cafés, gyms, salons, shops, hotels and more. Find your business’s sound and discover our approach to simple licensing.
Music
Explore original background music for business. Hear station samples, compare genres and energy, then save your favourites and schedule music in your account.
Choose background music for your business
Choose background music that suits your business, with a practical checklist for sound, licensing, total cost and everyday use.
Soundtrack and Open Hours
Compare Soundtrack with Open Hours: familiar artists or original music, playlist imports, daily operation and venue scope. Hear samples and choose what fits.
SoundMachine and Open Hours
Compare SoundMachine and Open Hours on station mixes, playlist imports, messaging, original music and venue scope. Hear samples and check the setup you need.