Music Licensing Self-Check for Small Businesses

Demand letters from ASCAP and BMI can threaten fines as high as $150,000 per song. But many small businesses qualify for a legal exemption and don't owe anything.

Do you actually need a music license?

Answer a few quick questions about your business, your music source, and your setup. We'll apply federal copyright rules to your specific situation and tell you exactly where you stand — whether you're exempt, already covered, or need to get licensed.

How it works

1 Answer a few questions about your business and music setup
2 Get your personalized result based on the law
3 Know your exact next steps — whether you need a license or not

No signup. No email. Takes about 3 minutes.

About this tool · Terms · Disclaimers

Important notice

This site is a research tool, not an advice service.

This tool helps small-business operators understand publicly available statutes, regulations, and agency guidance. It asks structured questions, applies the text of the relevant rule, and shows the rule-based outcome with a citation to the primary source.

This site does not

give legal, tax, regulatory, medical, or safety advice
create an attorney-client, CPA-client, or consultant-client relationship
guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any output

What this site does

apply publicly available rules to the inputs you provide
cite the underlying statute, regulation, or agency document
point you to official sources where you can verify the answer
when appropriate, point you to licensed professionals who can advise on your specific situation

Your responsibility

You are solely responsible for any decision you make based on this tool's output. Before acting: (1) read the cited source, (2) confirm the result with the official regulator or agency, (3) when the stakes are meaningful, consult a licensed professional in your jurisdiction, (4) laws change — this tool reflects rules as of the “Updated” date above.

No warranty

Provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. The tool author is not liable for any damages arising from your use of this tool.

Affiliate disclosure

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you sign up for a recommended service through one of those links, the site may receive a referral commission at no additional cost to you. This does not affect recommendations.

Jurisdiction

This tool applies United States federal law unless a page explicitly states otherwise.