A French business that plays recorded music pays two things: SACEM authorisation for the authors, and the SPRE equitable remuneration for performers and producers, which SACEM invoices for shops and cafés.
| Who | What for | |
|---|---|---|
| SACEM | Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique | Authors' rights; also invoices SPRE for shops and cafés |
| SPRE | Société pour la perception de la rémunération équitable | Equitable remuneration for performers and producers |
SACEM authorises background music (musique de sonorisation) in shops, cafés, restaurants and hotels. The SPRE equitable remuneration needs no prior authorisation: it is due by law, and SACEM invoices and collects it for shops and cafés under a SPRE mandate. SPRE groups ADAMI, SPEDIDAM, SCPP and SCPPF.
Bars and restaurants with a music ambiance have separate tariffs.
SPRE charges shops by number of employees per establishment, and cafés and restaurants by seats and the population of the commune. SPRE tariffs are set by regulatory decisions and indexed each year; the 2026 rates apply from 1 January 2026. SACEM's own grid was not retrieved for this guide.
2026 SPRE examples: a retail shop with 0 to 2 employees pays EUR 110.60 a year excluding VAT (minimum billing). A café or restaurant up to 30 seats in a commune of up to 2,000 people pays EUR 154.53 excluding VAT. The SACEM authors' fee comes on top.
Consumer plans of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube are licensed for personal, noncommercial use under their own terms, so a private account is not a license to play music to customers. A radio played in a shop is still a public performance that must be declared. No SACEM or SPRE statement on streaming apps was found.
SPRE's FAQ says that tracks not being in SACEM's repertoire does not exempt you from paying the equitable remuneration. It is due for broadcasting a phonogram whatever the recorded work, and does not depend on a contract: it is a statutory licence under the Intellectual Property Code (CPI), collected through the designated body.
So royalty free music removes at most the SACEM part, if the provider's licence covers authors' rights, and SPRE is still claimed. Whether SPRE can claim for recordings whose performers and producers are outside its membership has been litigated in France; the outcome was not verified for this guide.
Official penalty amounts were not documented in the sources retrieved.
Dr.DIO Studio makes its own electronic and ambient music, no Dr.DIO track is registered with any collecting society, and the Business plan ($14.99 a month per venue, 14 days free) gives the venue a direct public playback license and a certificate for Dr.DIO music.
In France the SPRE recordings fee applies to any recording played in public, so a French venue still pays SPRE even when it plays only Dr.DIO music. The Dr.DIO licence can replace the SACEM authors' part, because no Dr.DIO work is in SACEM's repertoire.
Any other music in the venue, such as radio, TV, live music or other playlists, still needs the usual licences.
This page explains the general rules as published by the societies and laws listed above, checked in October 2026. It is not legal advice; fees and rules change, so confirm with the society before you decide.
SPRE starts at EUR 110.60 a year excluding VAT for a shop with 0 to 2 employees (2026). SACEM's authors' fee is added; its grid was not retrieved for this guide.
SACEM's own tariff grid was not retrieved for this guide. The SPRE part for a café or restaurant up to 30 seats in a commune up to 2,000 people is EUR 154.53 excluding VAT in 2026.
A statutory payment for performers and producers when recordings are played in public, charged to shops by number of employees and invoiced by SACEM.
No. SPRE says the remuneration is due for any phonogram played in public, whatever the work; royalty free music can at most remove the SACEM part.
No. Personal plans of Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music are for personal, noncommercial use.
Bars with a music ambiance have separate tariffs; since a 2022 agreement their SACEM pricing is based on turnover. Ask SACEM for the figure.
