For only the supplied Open Hours catalogue and ordinary venue-background use, the current Australian terms support no additional collective music-rights payment through the direct-permission route. This scoped inference does not cover other repertoire or automatically end an existing agreement.
Audition the original background sound
Check both the music and the recording
PPCA explains that commercially released music generally has separate copyrights in the musical work and the sound recording. It also describes authorisation by the relevant copyright owner as part of the public-performance framework. Owning a copy or paying for a personal music service alone does not supply the business-playback permission.
Open Hours grants the permissions it controls in its supplied recordings and underlying music during active coverage. The Australian offer’s direct-permission conclusion relies on that controlled repertoire and ordinary background use. It is not an exemption based on how music was generated; Open Hours remains responsible for rights in delivering the service.
Make a music-source inventory before you switch
A shop might use one background player every day but add radio at opening, television audio during an event or a staff playlist after closing. List those sources before deciding what will remain. The Open Hours licence concerns the supplied catalogue, rather than clearing everything audible on the premises.
If you will keep music from outside the service, assess its permissions separately. If you already have a society or supplier agreement, check its scope and cancellation terms. Starting Open Hours does not terminate it.
- List routine and occasional sources, not just the main player.
- Identify which sources will stop and which will remain.
- Keep the Open Hours licence record for the covered venue.
- Ask the existing provider or society about its agreement when your use changes.
View the Australian offer through your account
Create your account and select Australia as the country where your venue music will play. The next step shows the applicable plans, amount, currency, tax presentation and local country/use conditions. Monthly and annual choices are available; annual subscriptions are paid upfront.
The seven-day trial requires a card. Cancel before it ends to avoid the first subscription payment. Later cancellation avoids the next renewal, with access continuing through the current paid period. The country is selected from your venue location, not inferred from English browsing or a currency elsewhere on the site.
Match the allowance to your rooms and use
The background plan does not cover a separate fitness-class or event service, hotel guest-room distribution, broadcast or internet retransmission, resale, redistribution of downloads, or music in videos and advertising. A different use needs an offer that expressly covers it.
The initial allowance is one venue and one simultaneous stream. If your retail floor and treatment room need independently controlled music, you need an offer supporting those separate streams. A venue allowance alone does not promise multiple independent zones.
Keep the record that explains your actual permission
Retain the licence and the country/use conditions that accompany your offer, with your venue and coverage details. These make it clear which catalogue and use the subscription authorises. A generic label such as licence-free is less useful than the specific permission record when someone asks what is playing.
If a rights claim concerns music supplied by Open Hours, contact us. We will investigate against the centrally maintained catalogue records and applicable country conditions. Keep the supplied music separate from outside sources so the question can be traced to the correct permission.
Use a working day to test the programme
Full playback runs through your account. Keep the browser awake and connected to the internet, and test the device and speaker connection before your first service. Stations play continuously in a shuffled order; collections play their ordered selections and stop after the selected ending. Save a weekly schedule if the music should change between opening, busier hours and closing.
Listen at the speaker positions your customers and staff hear, including a quiet period when conversation is more exposed. Compare gentle and upbeat original samples before saving a programme. The service does not promise offline or locked-device playback.
Put it into practice.
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.
Vocals or instrumental?
Decide whether lyrics fit your business soundtrack. Compare speech, task and audience needs, then hear instrumental examples for cafés, offices and reception.
Shops
Original in-store music for shops and retail stores, with business use covered by one plan per store. Hear samples for browsing and busy periods and schedule the day.
Set music around conversation
Set business background music around normal conversation. Check customer seats, service points and speaker positions, then revisit the level during a quiet and busy period.
New Zealand background coverage
Understand the New Zealand Open Hours background offer, direct catalogue permissions, the OneMusic distinction and the records to keep before changing sources.