The current US offer identifies no additional music-rights payment for ordinary in-venue playback of the supplied, directly authorised catalogue. That position depends on this repertoire and use; it does not clear other music sources or cancel an existing agreement.
Hear the catalogue before you switch
The US offer you can choose today
Create your account, enter the United States as the country where your venue music will play, then review the applicable monthly or annual plan. The amount, currency, tax presentation and country/use terms are shown in that account journey. Reading an English page alone does not select your venue country.
The seven-day trial requires a card. Unless you cancel before it ends, the selected subscription payment becomes due. Annual subscriptions are paid upfront. Cancel during the trial to avoid the first payment, or cancel later to avoid the next renewal; access continues through the current paid period.
A song and its recording raise different rights questions
Section 106 of the US Copyright Act distinguishes public performance of musical works from the sound-recording right for digital audio transmissions. Section 114 preserves the underlying work’s performance right. This is why a statement about recording rights alone cannot establish permission to play any song in your venue.
Open Hours grants the permissions it controls in the supplied recordings and underlying music during active coverage. Its US country terms apply that direct-catalogue basis to ordinary in-venue background playback; Open Hours remains responsible for rights in delivering its service.
Choose the repertoire as well as the service
This is an original background catalogue. If your business depends on particular artists, chart songs or a familiar personal playlist, compare that requirement before you switch. Public previews let you hear the supplied sound; they do not make outside recordings part of your subscription.
A cafe using only Open Hours during normal opening hours is choosing the supplied-catalogue route. The same cafe adding radio, television, another streaming service or a live set must assess those sources separately. Keeping one music source predictable also makes the permission record easier to explain to staff.
Check the whole venue before replacing a music source
List the music your team actually uses, including occasional sources. Match the venue and intended background use to the account offer, then retain the licence record and current coverage details. If you already have a collecting-society or supplier agreement, check its scope and cancellation terms rather than treating a new subscription as cancellation.
- Confirm which sources will remain after the switch.
- Keep the supplied-catalogue licence record with your venue’s subscription details.
- Give staff a clear rule for choosing music through the covered service.
- If a claim concerns an Open Hours recording, contact us so we can investigate against the catalogue and country records.
Keep different uses separate
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.
One simultaneous stream also matters when you plan different music in separate rooms. A second independent stream needs an allowance that supports it; the initial one-stream plan does not promise that setup.
Make the first working day a useful test
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.
Try a quieter opening period and a busier one with the speakers you will use. Adjust volume for conversations in the room. The useful test is whether the original sound and current playback setup fit your venue, alongside the applicable subscription terms.
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.
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.
A Spotify alternative for your business
Explore a Spotify alternative for business: original music, a simple business licence, daily schedules and monthly or annual plans from Open Hours.
Stations or ordered collections
Understand continuous station playback and finite ordered collections in Open Hours. Choose the right option for a long shift, a selected track or a scheduled slot.
United Kingdom background coverage
Understand the UK Open Hours background offer, its direct catalogue permission, the PPL PRS distinction, existing agreements and how to view your venue plan.