PPL has two completely separate licences: Background Music and Event Music. They are independent products. Having one does not give you the other. A hotel with an annual Background Music licence still needs a separate Event Music licence the day it hosts a corporate party or a sangeet. This catches venue owners and event organisers out repeatedly — and PPL's audit team knows it.
What the Background Music Licence covers
The Background Music Licence (BMA) covers ambient, daily, continuous music play at a venue. The classic use cases:
- Hotel lobby music feeding through the year
- Café and restaurant playlists during regular service hours
- Retail store music (clothes shops, supermarkets, malls)
- Gym workout playlists during normal opening hours
- Salon and spa ambient music
The licence is priced per venue per year, with the fee depending on venue size, music genre licensed, and whether the music is amplified or background-only. It covers recurring play in the ordinary course of business, not specific events.
What the Event Music Licence covers
The Event Music Licence (EML) covers a specific occasion at a specific time:
- Corporate parties, conferences, product launches
- Sangeet, reception, and other wedding social events at venues
- Club nights and ticketed parties
- Festivals (one-off or annual)
- Fashion shows, exhibitions, brand events
The licence is priced per event based on the expected attendance, the duration, whether it's ticketed, and the music genres used. It's a one-time licence for that occasion — it doesn't extend to the next event at the same venue.
Why they're separate
PPL's licensing model treats background music and event music as two different commercial uses. The royalty structure for the labels (which is what PPL ultimately distributes the fees to) reflects that — a song played as background for 10 seconds during dinner service is worth a different amount to the label than the same song dropped at a packed sangeet at 11 PM. Bundling them into one product would either over-pay for ambient use or under-pay for event use. So PPL splits them.
The mistake hotels and venues make
A hotel with a Background Music Licence assumes it covers a corporate event happening that evening in the banquet hall. It does not. The corporate event needs its own Event Music Licence. PPL's audit team can — and does — issue notices to venues that have a background licence but host events without an event licence on top.
Worse, this is one of the most common scenarios in PPL's actual enforcement record. A venue producing a BMA receipt when asked about a sangeet that took place on the property is not a defence.
What this means for different parties
| If you're… | You need |
|---|---|
| A hotel hosting weddings, conferences and ambient lobby music | BMA (annual) + EML (per event) |
| A restaurant with daily service music only | BMA (annual) |
| A club / live venue running ticketed nights | EML (per event) or a blanket events licence depending on volume |
| An event company organising a sangeet at a hotel | EML (paid by either the event company or the hotel — usually the hotel charges it back) |
| A wedding host (sangeet at a hotel) | Statutory exemption under Section 52(1)(za) — see the wedding licence guide |
Approximate costs
BMA fees for hotels typically range from ₹15,000 to ₹80,000+ per year depending on size and category. EML fees for a single event start around ₹8,000 for a small private function and scale up sharply for high-attendance ticketed events. PPL publishes its current tariff on its website — and the tariff updates periodically, so always check the current rate at the time you book.
How to get each
- Visit pplindia.org and use the licence application form for the type you need (BMA or EML).
- For events, file the application at least 7 working days before the event date — PPL typically issues the licence within 3–5 days but factor in buffer.
- Keep the receipt on file — both the licence number and the PDF — for at least one year after the event.
- If you're a venue hosting events for third parties, make it clear in your booking contract who is responsible for obtaining the EML (you or the client).
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