Music helps create atmosphere, shape customer experience, and bring spaces to life. But using music in a business is legally different from listening to music at home — and that difference matters under New Zealand copyright law.
When you listen to music at home, it’s considered private use. When that copyright‑protected music from the OneMusic repertoire is played in a workplace, or commercial setting, it becomes a public performance.
The change in setting - from private to business - creates a change in rights.
This applies whether music is played:
Even if you’ve paid for the music or subscribe to a streaming platform, those services are licensed for personal listening, not business use.
Under the New Zealand Copyright Act (1994), playing copyrighted music “in public” is a restricted act, that requires permission from the copyright owners.
In copyright terms, “public” doesn’t mean a concert or live event. It simply means music is played:
Outside a private or domestic setting, ie. where people are present who are not restricted to members of a family or domestic circle.
That includes shops, eateries, bars, offices, gyms, salons, wellness spaces - essentially any business or organisation open to customers, members, guests or others - even where only staff can hear the music.
A OneMusic licence covers music within the OneMusic repertoire, which includes millions of songs from New Zealand and around the world.
This repertoire spans:
In practice, it covers the vast majority of music businesses typically play, giving you flexibility without needing to check individual songs or artists.
A OneMusic licence provides the legal permission to play music from the OneMusic repertoire as a public performance in your business.
Buying music or paying for streaming services only covers private listening. It does not include the right to use that music in a commercial or workplace environment. Playing copyrighted music in a business without permission risks copyright infringement.
OneMusic exists to make this simple by bringing together the relevant permissions on behalf of the songwriters, composers, recording artists and record labels represented by APRA AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ.
Music is intellectual property. For songwriters, composers, recording artists and record labels, public performance royalties are an important part of how they earn a living.
By holding a music licence, businesses help ensure:
It’s a practical way to use music responsibly, while supporting the people who make it.
