The short answer: if music plays in your venue open to the public in Spain, you pay two organisations: SGAE, for the songwriters, and AGEDI-AIE, for record labels and performers. It makes no difference whether it comes from Spotify, YouTube or the radio. There are two ways to be compliant: pay those licences, ideally signing up yourself before they contact you, or play only royalty-free music and keep the certificate.
What you need to know, in 30 seconds
- If music plays in your venue, you pay.SGAE for the songwriters and AGEDI-AIE for record labels and performers. They are two separate charges.
- Spotify and the radio are no way out.Spotify is for personal use only, even if you pay for Premium. And the radio counts too.
- A 50 m² bar pays around €29 a month.In the first year, the two together and excluding VAT. Around €19 if you sign up yourself before they call you.
- Royalty-free music is a way out.As long as only that music plays and you keep the paperwork at hand. From €3.50 a month.
Who charges and why
The Spanish Intellectual Property Law calls playing music in a place open to the public a public communication, and that creates rights for three groups: songwriters, record labels and performers. In practice there are two separate charges:
- SGAE: manages songwriters' rights. It has its own tariffs by type of venue and floor area.
- AGEDI and AIE: record labels and performers. They charge together under the name Somos Música, and for hospitality they have an agreement with Hostelería de España in force until 2028. The law requires this right to be collected through them.
- If a TV is also on, the SGAE tariff goes up and EGEDA comes in, with a tariff published in the Spanish Official Gazette: €36.53 a year for a venue of up to 50 m² with free-to-air channels.
There is no single bill: SGAE itself reminds venues that they must also pay AGEDI-AIE.
In depth, if you need it
Spotify, YouTube and the radio
This is the most common mistake. Spotify's help pages say it plainly: the service is for personal, non-commercial use only and cannot be played publicly in a business. Paying for Spotify Premium changes nothing: it is still a personal account.
The radio is not a way out either. The SGAE tariff for bars covers music played by any procedure or means, and the AGEDI-AIE tariff includes radio programmes. The station paying its rights does not exempt the venue that plays it for its customers.
How much it costs in 2026
These are the figures from the SGAE General Tariffs for 2026 and the AGEDI-AIE agreement, in euros per month excluding VAT. Each tariff has three prices: the general first-year rate (which is also what is charged for periods without a licence), the voluntary sign-up rate, for those who request the licence themselves before they start using music, and the rate for the following years.
| Venue, music only | First year | Voluntary sign-up | From year 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SGAE · bar or café, up to 50 m² | €20.67 | €13.07 | €16.87 |
| SGAE · bar or café, 51 to 100 m² | €22.53 | €14.93 | €18.73 |
| SGAE · bar with music and TV, up to 50 m² | €25.84 | €18.24 | €22.04 |
| SGAE · shop or service, up to 50 m² | €11.49 | €9.67 | €10.58 |
| SGAE · shop or service, 51 to 100 m² | €22.04 | €20.22 | €21.13 |
| AGEDI-AIE · hospitality, up to 50 m² | €8.58 | €6.24 | €7.80 |
| AGEDI-AIE · hospitality, 51 to 100 m² | €9.70 | €7.05 | €8.82 |
A 50 m² bar that only plays music pays around €29 a month between the two in the first year, about €350 a year excluding VAT. If it signs up on its own, around €19. For shops, the area that counts is the sales and customer area, without storage or offices. Tariffs are reviewed every year: check them before deciding.
If you receive a claim
It usually starts with a call or a visit, continues with a letter and, if there is no agreement, ends up in the commercial court. What is claimed is the periods without a licence at the general rate, which is the highest, and the law allows five years to claim damages. Before you pay:
- Check the floor area. It is the basis of the calculation and it is easy for it not to match.
- Check the type of venue: music only or music and TV, background music or music bar.
- Check the years being claimed and how long the venue has been open.
- If you dispute the tariff, the law lets you keep using the music while paying on account until it is resolved.
- If you use royalty-free music, show the contract, the certificate and the invoices.
This guide explains how the system works and is not a substitute for legal advice. If you are being claimed a large amount, consult a lawyer or your hospitality or retail association.
Royalty-free music
If the music being played does not belong to any songwriter or label represented by the collecting societies, there is nothing to pay them. The important detail is who has to prove it: the law presumes the music played is from their repertoire, and the Spanish Supreme Court says proving otherwise is up to the venue.
It can be done. In 2010 a court in Valencia ruled in favour of a pub in Burjassot that proved its music was royalty-free. Three rules for it to work:
- Only that music. As soon as the radio, TV or Spotify plays, there is repertoire from the societies in the venue.
- Paperwork at hand. Contract, provider certificate and invoices, somewhere you can find them the day someone comes to check.
- Active licence. The certificate is valid while you pay for the service.
What we recommend
We recommend SoundToro to the businesses that work with us, because it is the cheapest option we have found. It is royalty-free background music played from your phone, tablet or computer through the speakers you already have, and according to SoundToro its catalogue requires no payments to SGAE as long as you only use its music and keep the licence active. You get a certificate with your venue's details to show if asked.
| Floor area | Per year, excl. VAT | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 50 m² | €42 | €3.50 |
| 51 to 100 m² | €72 | €6.00 |
| 101 to 400 m² | €92 | €7.67 |
| 401 to 1,000 m² | €192 | €16.00 |
There is a 14-day trial; the certificate is issued when the trial ends, with the licence paid. It does not cover TV or radio, and SoundToro says nothing about AGEDI-AIE: if your case depends on that, ask them to confirm it in writing. Their website is in Spanish.
Try SoundToro free for 14 days
If you sign up through this link, Revisit receives a commission and it costs you nothing extra. Prices from their website as of October 2026.