Oktava vs music subscriptions for a UK venue
Three ways to fill a UK venue with music. A personal streaming account — the apps' terms forbid business use, and PPL PRS licenses the playback anyway through TheMusicLicence. A classic B2B service — legal, but TheMusicLicence stays on top of the service fee. And Oktava — a catalog registered with neither PPL nor PRS for Music, so one subscription replaces both payments.
The three options, side by side
| Option | Legal for a business? | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify or another personal streaming app | No. Consumer terms forbid business use — and the music is PPL and PRS repertoire, so TheMusicLicence is owed anyway. | Personal subscription price — plus TheMusicLicence, plus the risk of back-billing. |
| Classic B2B service (Soundtrack Your Brand and similar) | Yes — licensed for business playback of repertoire music. | Service subscription and TheMusicLicence — two separate bills. |
| Oktava | Yes — the catalog is registered with neither PPL nor PRS for Music, so no TheMusicLicence is needed for it. | £150 a year. That's the whole music bill. |
TheMusicLicence pricing depends on venue type, size and how music is used — PPL PRS publishes the tariffs on its own site, and we won't guess a figure here. The point stands at any tariff: with repertoire music it's a second bill; with Oktava it isn't.
Why Spotify doesn't cover a UK venue
A consumer account covers private listening; playing music in a venue is a public performance licensed by PPL PRS Ltd — the joint venture of PPL (recordings and performers) and PRS for Music (songwriters and publishers) — through TheMusicLicence. The apps' own terms forbid commercial use of personal accounts, so a venue on Spotify owes the licence in full.
What classic B2B services actually sell
Licensed services solve the terms-of-use problem: their subscriptions permit business playback. What they don't remove is TheMusicLicence — their catalogs are PPL and PRS repertoire, so the licence still applies to your venue. Two payments, both legitimate.
What Oktava changes
The Oktava catalog is created for the service and registered with neither PPL nor PRS for Music — for our catalog there is nothing for TheMusicLicence to cover, and the subscription is the whole cost. The claim is catalogue-scoped: radio, TV or Spotify at the same venue still needs the licence. The named certificate and playback log document what actually plays.
Questions, answered
Is playing Spotify at my café really not allowed?
Not on a personal account. Spotify's terms forbid commercial use, and the music is PPL and PRS repertoire — TheMusicLicence is owed regardless of the app.
Are services like Soundtrack Your Brand a bad deal?
They're legitimate: licensed business playback of repertoire music. But TheMusicLicence stays on the bill — with repertoire music you pay the service and PPL PRS. Oktava removes the second payment because the catalog is in neither repertoire.
What's the catch with Oktava?
The promise covers the catalog, not the venue as such. If radio or Spotify also plays, TheMusicLicence applies to that. The playback log shows which case is yours.
This information is provided for general reference and is not legal advice.