Last updated 4 October 2026 — by Adrian Tan, SDM. Marketing guidance, not legal advice. Licence fees quoted are the collecting societies’ published rates at the time of writing and exclude GST; confirm the current tariff with the society before you budget.
A café owner pays for a Spotify Premium account, plugs a phone into the ceiling speakers and assumes the music is covered. A brand manager drops a trending song under a product reel because everyone else on TikTok is using it. A gym runs a launch event with a DJ and posts the highlights video to Instagram the next morning. All three are common in Singapore, and none of them is licensed by the thing the business already paid for.
Music is the one piece of a marketing campaign that most small businesses never budget for, because nobody sends an invoice until somebody notices. This guide explains how music rights actually work in Singapore after the Copyright Act 2021, which collecting society licenses what, what the published fees look like for a café, a shop and a fitness studio, and what the platforms let a business account do with music in videos and ads. It ends with a checklist you can hand to whoever runs your premises and your content.
Every recording carries two sets of rights
The single idea that clears up most of the confusion: a piece of recorded music contains two separate copyrights, usually owned by different people.
- The song — the musical work and its lyrics. This belongs to the songwriter and their music publisher. Under s 112 of the Copyright Act 2021, the owner’s exclusive rights include performing the work in public and communicating it to the public.
- The recording — the specific sound recording of a performance of that song, usually owned by the record label. Since the 2021 Act, the owner of a commercially published recording is entitled to equitable remuneration when it is played in public (s 121(b)). Failing to pay it is treated as an infringement (s 151).
That second right is the newer one, and it is why many businesses that have held a song licence for years were told they needed another. IPOS puts it plainly: a COMPASS licence covers the musical work but will not cover the right attached to the sound recording.
For marketing, the two rights split again by use. Playing music aloud in a venue is a public performance. Putting a song into a video is a reproduction and a synchronisation (pairing music with moving images). Streaming that video online is a communication to the public. Each use is licensed separately, sometimes by different people.
Who licenses what in Singapore
Singapore’s music rights are mostly administered through collecting societies, which IPOS calls collective management organisations (CMOs). They license users on behalf of thousands of rights owners, so a business does not have to find every songwriter and label individually.
| Society | What it licenses | When a business meets it |
|---|---|---|
| COMPASS (Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) | Songs (musical works and lyrics): public performance since 1987, public communication since 2005, plus reproduction and synchronisation requests for works it administers | Background music in a shop, café, salon, gym or office; live bands; events; online streaming of music |
| MRSS (Music Rights (Singapore) Public Limited) | Sound recordings, on behalf of record labels. Formed on 18 July 2018 from the merger of RIMS and RIPS | Playing recorded music in a physical venue, on top of the COMPASS licence |
| RIMSS | Reproduction of karaoke and music videos in karaoke-on-demand systems | KTV outlets and venues with karaoke systems |
| Instorfm LLP | Royalty-free music, lyrics and recordings from its own catalogue | Businesses that choose a royalty-free in-store music service |
IPOS’s list of CMOs operating under the class licence also includes CLASS (books and printed works) and MPLC (films), which are not music societies. If you see “RIPS” in an old supplier contract or a forum post, that society no longer licenses separately; its role passed to MRSS in 2018.
Background music in shops, F&B outlets, salons and gyms
Your streaming subscription is a personal licence
MRSS’s own FAQ answers the question most owners ask first: paying for Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube, or owning the CD, does not cover public performance. Those subscriptions are licensed for personal, domestic listening. The moment the music is played to customers in a commercial space, it becomes a public performance that needs its own licence.
The occupier is the one responsible
Owners sometimes assume that if a staff member or a contractor chose the playlist, the liability sits with them. The Act closes that gap. Where music is performed through equipment at a premises, s 69 treats the occupier of the premises as the person giving the performance, whether or not they operated the equipment. In practice that is the business running the outlet.
Which licences a typical outlet needs
COMPASS says a retail or F&B shop playing background music needs a public performance licence only — not a reproduction or public communication licence — whether the music comes from a streaming app through speakers or from a live band. For recorded music, IPOS confirms the business also needs the MRSS licence for the sound recordings. MRSS licenses per outlet, so a chain needs a licence for each location, although several outlets can be billed to one account.
There is one genuine shortcut. IPOS notes that the MRSS recording licence is not required if the music is played through the radio, because broadcasters already deal with recording rights for their broadcasts. A COMPASS licence is still needed for the songs. For a small shop that only ever plays a radio station, that halves the paperwork.
What the COMPASS fees look like
COMPASS publishes its public performance tariffs by type of premises. The figures below are from its current tariff pages for recorded music, before GST. They are annual licence fees; one-off events use a separate permit.
| Premises type (COMPASS tariff) | Basis | Published rate | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail premises | Floor area | S$169.22 for the first 100 m², plus S$26.59 per additional 25 m² | S$270 |
| Restaurant, café or coffee house (no dancing) | Seats | S$8.23 per seat for the first 40, S$4.70 for the next 40, S$2.35 thereafter | S$275 |
| Aerobics and fitness studio | Floor area | S$338.45 for the first 50 m², plus S$33.84 per additional 10 m² | S$345 |
COMPASS also attaches conditions that matter more than the fee itself. Its terms add a 50% surcharge on the first year where music was used before the business was licensed, interest of 10% a year on late payment, and lead times: annual licences should be applied for five working days ahead, and event permits two weeks ahead. Licensing before you open is cheaper than licensing after a letter arrives.
MRSS sets its fees by type of outlet and seating capacity, but publishes its tariff tables as images rather than text, so we have not reproduced them here. Ask MRSS for a quote for your outlet type and seat count.
Three worked examples
Here is how the published COMPASS rates apply to three common Singapore outlets. These cover the song licence only; the MRSS recording licence is extra, and GST is added on top.
- A 50-seat café playing a streamed playlist. First 40 seats at S$8.23 = S$329.20; the next 10 seats at S$4.70 = S$47.00. Total S$376.20 a year, which is above the S$275 minimum. It also needs an MRSS licence because the music is recorded.
- A 150 m² boutique. S$169.22 for the first 100 m², plus two further 25 m² blocks at S$26.59 = S$222.40. That is below the floor, so the boutique pays the S$270 minimum. Small shops almost always land on the minimum.
- A 120 m² spin or HIIT studio. S$338.45 for the first 50 m², plus seven further 10 m² blocks at S$33.84 = S$236.88. Total S$575.33 a year. Music is the product in a fitness class, which is why this tariff is the steepest of the three per square metre.
Is there a small-business exemption?
No. The Copyright Act 2021 has no general exemption for small businesses or for background music. The specific exceptions that exist are narrow — for example, s 296 permits the performance of religious works in the course of services at a place of worship. Fair use (s 190) is a general, case-by-case test, not a safe harbour for playing a playlist in a shop. The two practical routes that reduce cost are the radio route for recordings, and a royalty-free in-store music service whose catalogue is licensed directly.
Events, launches and live performances
A product launch, roadshow or year-end party with music is a public performance even if it lasts one evening. COMPASS issues permits for one-off events, separate from its annual venue licences, and asks for applications two weeks ahead. If the venue already holds an annual COMPASS licence, check whether it extends to events organised by third parties in that space; do not assume the hotel’s licence covers your launch.
Copyright is not the only consideration. Whether the event itself needs a public entertainment licence from the Police is a separate question, which we cover in our guide to event marketing rules in Singapore. And when the DJ set ends up in a highlights reel, the music in that video becomes a different licensing problem entirely, covered next.
Music in social videos, ads and corporate videos
A venue licence does nothing for a video. Putting a song into a reel, a TikTok, a YouTube pre-roll or a corporate film is a reproduction and synchronisation of both the song and the recording, and posting it online is a communication to the public. The businesses that get this right use one of three routes.
Route 1: the platform’s commercial library
- TikTok. The Commercial Music Library holds roughly a million pre-cleared tracks. TikTok states that businesses must use it for organic posts, ads and branded content, and cannot use the general music library for commercial purposes. Business accounts see only commercial sounds when they tap Add Sound. The terms do not allow use outside TikTok, and TikTok may mute or remove videos if it loses the rights to a track.
- Instagram and Facebook. Instagram’s main music library is intended for personal, non-commercial use, and some business accounts cannot access it. Meta’s Sound Collection offers over 14,000 royalty-free tracks that can be used commercially, including in ads.
- YouTube. Tracks from the YouTube Audio Library will not be claimed by Content ID and can be monetised; some are Creative Commons and require a credit in the description.
The catch with every platform library is that the licence stays on the platform. A track cleared in TikTok’s library cannot be reused in the same video when it runs as a YouTube ad or plays on a screen at your event.
Route 2: licensed stock or production music
For a video that will run on several platforms, or as paid media, the cleaner route is a production music or stock music licence bought for that use. Read the licence scope: many standard tiers cover organic social use but not paid advertising, broadcast or use beyond a set number of views. We cover typical costs in our guide to corporate video production costs in Singapore.
Route 3: licensing a known song
If the creative idea depends on a specific commercial song, you need a synchronisation licence for the song and a master-use licence for the recording. COMPASS handles synchronisation requests for works it administers, and says fees are negotiable with the copyright owner. The recording side is negotiated with the label. Budget time as well as money — this is the slowest route.
Two COMPASS products are often misread as covering videos. Its public communication licence and its video upload permit both exclude reproduction and synchronisation rights, and the video upload permit (S$400 per video, per platform, per year, for up to 20 songs) is for non-commercial uploads only. Neither licenses music in a brand’s marketing video.
| Use | What it needs | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Organic TikTok post from a business account | Commercial Music Library track | Using a trending sound from a personal account |
| Instagram reel or Meta ad | Meta Sound Collection, or a licensed track | Assuming Instagram’s main library covers business use |
| Same video running on several platforms or as paid media | Stock or production music licence that covers paid media | Reusing a platform-library track off-platform |
| Ad built around a well-known song | Synchronisation licence (song) plus master-use licence (recording) | Clearing the song but not the recording, or vice versa |
| Event highlights video with the DJ set audible | Rights to every audible track, or re-score it | Assuming the event permit covers the video |
For a fuller treatment of platform specs and sounds on short-form channels, see our guide to short-form video in Singapore, and our step-by-step plan for a corporate video, which puts music clearance alongside talent releases and consent.
What happens if you do not license
The civil route
Rights owners can sue for infringement. Under s 308, a court may award statutory damages instead of proven loss: up to S$10,000 for each work infringed, capped at S$200,000 in total unless the owner proves actual loss above that. Claims must be brought within six years (s 154). Section 306 means damages are not awarded against a defendant who did not know, and had no reasonable grounds to suspect, that copyright subsisted — a defence that is hard to run for a business that knowingly played commercial music.
The criminal route
Under s 450, causing a musical work to be performed in public for private profit, knowing or having reason to know that it infringes, is an offence. The penalty under s 452(2) is a fine of up to S$20,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, for an individual, and a fine of up to S$40,000 for a company. This route covers the song side; the recording-owner’s remuneration right is enforced civilly through ss 121(b) and 151.
What usually happens first
In practice, most businesses first hear from a collecting society asking them to take out a licence, with the first-year surcharge applied for unlicensed use. Settling at that stage is far cheaper than any of the routes above. On social platforms, enforcement is automated and faster: muted audio, removed videos, blocked ads and, for repeated strikes, account restrictions.
How the collecting societies are regulated
Businesses sometimes push back on a licence demand by asking who regulates the society. Since 1 May 2024, the answer is IPOS, under Division 2 of Part 9 of the Copyright Act 2021 and the Copyright (Collective Management Organisations) Regulations 2023, published on 31 October 2023.
- Class licence. CMOs operate under an automatic class licence, with no separate registration or fee. Operating a CMO without the class licence is an offence (s 461), with a fine of up to S$50,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both.
- Conditions. The conditions cover five areas: members’ rights, distribution of royalties, dispute resolution, governance and making information public.
- Enforcement. IPOS may issue directions, impose financial penalties of up to S$20,000 on a CMO and on each responsible officer (s 463), or order it to stop operating.
- Complaints. A licensee must use the CMO’s internal dispute process first, then may ask IPOS to look into it.
- Fees. IPOS does not set or regulate licence fees. A dispute over the fee itself goes to the Copyright Tribunals.
So if a fee looks wrong, check the published tariff first, raise it through the society’s dispute process, and treat the Tribunal as the last resort. Not paying is not one of the options.
A music checklist for Singapore businesses
- List every place music plays: each outlet, the office reception, events, hold music on your phone line, and every video channel.
- For each venue, take a COMPASS licence for the songs and, for recorded music, an MRSS licence for the recordings. One licence per outlet.
- Apply before opening: five working days for annual licences, two weeks for event permits. Late licensing adds 50% to the first year.
- Retire personal streaming accounts as the in-store source, or pair them with the right licences. A Premium subscription is not a business licence.
- Set a house rule for content: business accounts use the platform’s commercial library, and any video that will run on more than one platform or as an ad uses music licensed for that scope.
- Keep the paperwork: licence certificates by outlet, and the licence or library reference for every track in every published video. If a claim arrives, this is what resolves it.
- Brief your agencies and creators in writing. A creator using a trending sound on a sponsored post exposes your brand, not only theirs.
In the content we produce for clients, music clearance sits on the same pre-production checklist as talent releases and location permits, because fixing it after the edit means re-scoring or re-cutting. For an F&B or retail business, the venue licences belong in the opening budget alongside the POS system; our guide to digital marketing for F&B in Singapore covers the rest of that launch stack.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to play Spotify in my shop in Singapore?
Yes. Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube subscriptions are for personal use and do not cover public performance. A shop playing recorded music generally needs a COMPASS licence for the songs and an MRSS licence for the sound recordings.
What is the difference between COMPASS and MRSS?
COMPASS licenses songs — the musical works and lyrics — on behalf of songwriters and publishers. MRSS licenses sound recordings on behalf of record labels. Playing recorded music in a venue involves both, so IPOS says a COMPASS licence alone does not cover the recording right.
Do I need an MRSS licence if I only play the radio?
No. IPOS says the MRSS recording licence is not required when music is played through the radio. You still need a COMPASS licence for the songs.
How much does a COMPASS licence cost for a café?
COMPASS’s published restaurant tariff for recorded music, where dancing is not allowed, is S$8.23 per seat for the first 40 seats, S$4.70 for the next 40 and S$2.35 thereafter, with a S$275 minimum, before GST. A 50-seat café works out at S$376.20 a year. The MRSS licence is charged separately.
Can my business use trending TikTok sounds in ads?
Not from the general library. TikTok requires businesses to use its Commercial Music Library for organic posts, ads and branded content, and its terms do not allow those tracks to be used outside TikTok.
What are the penalties for playing unlicensed music in Singapore?
Rights owners can claim statutory damages of up to S$10,000 per work, capped at S$200,000 unless greater loss is proven. Knowingly causing a musical work to be performed in public for profit is also an offence, punishable by a fine of up to S$20,000 and up to two years’ jail for individuals, or up to S$40,000 for companies.
The takeaway
Music licensing in Singapore comes down to two questions: where is the music heard, and whose rights are in it? In a venue, it is a public performance of both a song and a recording, licensed by COMPASS and MRSS respectively, outlet by outlet, and a streaming subscription covers neither. In a video, it is a reproduction and synchronisation that a venue licence does nothing for, and the safest sources are the platforms’ commercial libraries or a stock licence that matches where the video will run. The fees for a small outlet are a few hundred dollars a year; the surcharge, the claim and the muted campaign are what cost money.
If you want video and social content produced with music cleared for every platform it will run on, that is part of how our video production team in Singapore works; see our client case studies. Start with our complete guide to corporate video in Singapore, then read how ownership of commissioned content works in our guide to content creation in Singapore, and how to grow a TikTok account in Singapore without tripping the music rules.
