How audible area affects your music licence (and why it’s often wrong)
It’s the number that moves your bill the most — and the one most likely to be recorded incorrectly.
For most businesses, the floor area where music can be heard by customers — the “audible area” — is the single biggest driver of what TheMusicLicence costs. Get it wrong by a band and you can overpay for years.
What should count
Broadly, audible area is the customer-facing space where your music is actually heard. It’s measured and placed into tariff bands, so being near a band boundary — or having the wrong figure recorded — can make a real difference to the fee.
What often shouldn’t be included
- Storerooms, stockrooms and cellars.
- Staff-only areas, offices and back-of-house.
- Corridors, plant rooms and other non-customer space.
- Areas that are no longer in use after a downsizing or refit.
How to check yours
Compare the audible area recorded on your invoice against the space where music is genuinely audible to customers today. If it looks high — or hasn’t been updated since a change to your premises — it’s worth a proper review.
Not sure? Send us your invoice and we’ll check the audible-area basis for free. No savings, no fee.
Think you're overpaying?
Send us your PPL PRS invoices and we'll review them for free. No savings, no fee.
Get my free invoice checkThis guide is general information, not legal advice, and MLC is an independent consultancy — not affiliated with PPL PRS Ltd, PRS for Music or PPL.