Made for your next broadcast
Do you need a music license?
Find out in three questions.
Tell us what you will play, where you are, and how people will listen. Get a plain answer and who to contact. No prices, no sales pitch.
- Free to use
- No signup required
- Works in your browser
Your answer
Answer the questions and your answer appears here.
Your station, powered by Nobex
You bring the license. We run the station.
Nobex hosts your stream, your station page and your player, and Cloud AutoDJ keeps it playing between live shows. Music licenses are yours to hold: Nobex does not provide them.
- Stream, station page and player
- Cloud AutoDJ between live shows
- Song titles shown in every player
Plans from $19 a month. Music licenses are not included. See the plans.
A few useful answers
Do I need a license to play my own music?
Usually not, if you wrote the songs and own the recordings. Check your contracts first: a label or publisher may control them. If you joined a society like ASCAP, BMI, PRS for Music or SOCAN, ask it whether your station needs a license for your own songs.
Who licenses internet radio in the US?
Songs are licensed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR. Recordings on a radio-style stream are licensed by SoundExchange. Each song society covers different songs, so many stations need more than one.
Who licenses internet radio in the UK and Canada?
In the UK, PRS for Music covers the songs and PPL covers the recordings. In Canada, SOCAN covers the songs and Re:Sound covers the recordings.
What is the difference between radio-style and on demand?
Radio-style means a stream where listeners cannot choose the next song. On demand means listeners pick songs, skip freely or download. Radio-style licenses do not usually cover on demand.
Does Nobex include music licenses?
No. Nobex hosts your station. You bring your own music licenses, and your station plays under them.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is general information to point you in the right direction. Rules change and every station is different, so check with the organizations or a lawyer before you go on air.
Keep reading
More on licensing your station.
Written by the team that runs the streaming platform, not by a content farm.
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