Is there a way around the recent broadcasting licence crackdown for workplace music?

Question

We work in an office with around 20 people and have been told that due to a crackdown on public broadcast licensing we cannot play any kind of music in the office including CD's, radios, music TV, streaming media.

News stories and internet search seems to back this up and there is some speculation that music 50+ years old can be played without this license (this is not particularly relevant as we are mostly young people with more current tastes)

Listening to mp3 players / ipods is also not an option as we all want to have the music.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Are you kidding? Is this true? That's ridiculous. I hope this is not true. I wouldn't put anything past the music industry. They lost my complete and utter respect when they started going after kids. I don't buy their justification. Know any friends that have a band and make their own cds?  

Answer 2

Just play the music, who's to know?

Here's some 50 year old music which you might like>

Elvis - The King - Jailhouse Rock 1957 - now 51 years old

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzV_0l5I...

Try this link for unpublished royalty free music

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=na...

Answer 3

I never heard of that, either.  I'm in an office of about 25 people and a lot of us have radios on our desks that we play quietly, so as not to disturb our coworkers.

Seems like a bizarre law but that doesn't mean it can't be true.

Answer 4

If you are in the US, that's hooey.

For example - radio stations have public broadcast licenses allowing them to be heard anywhere their signals will reach.  There is nothing illegal about playing a radio in your office.

I think your employer may be blaming the government instead of just implementing company policy.

Answer 5

It is absolutely correct. Public broadcast is a PRS issue where they want royalties. I suggest you ask your bosses to pay the licence fee. Its fairly cheap. Below is a link to the PRS terms.

xx VP

Answer 6

True in one way. It is not really a recent thing as I have worked in a couple of places where the company has received a letter of warning from the RIAA. So they must have a whole passle of people out there checking this sort of thing out.

But the basic interpretation of the laws are that they apply to an office where clients and customers are about..... ie the public. Not in a closed office space with only employees.

The smart company realizes that having music boosts employee productivity and if customers are about it puts them at ease...... so it means more money.

The usual solution is to pay for a service like Muzak. We are not talking elevator music as it has channels that plays the newest stuff. They just give you a box and you pay a monthly fee....... which is a standard write off as a business expense. So essentially it is free.