Last Updated: 01 July 2025
Apple has long played an important role in the digital music arena, with iconic products such as iTunes, iPods, and now Apple Music. Apple Music, which was started in 2015, provides music for personal use. This means that the music is licensed for use by individuals, not by businesses. Any music played in a business is considered a public performance—whether it be a restaurant, store, salon, or anything else—and as such, special licensing is required.
Performance rights agencies such as BMI and ASCAP represent musical artists and collect royalties from performances on their behalf. These agencies actually keep track of what music is played and in what situation in order to make sure that their artists are fairly compensated. This means that if you were to plug in your phone and broadcast playlists directly from Apple Music in your shop, you would be in violation of copyright law, and if the performance rights organizations learn about that violation, they could end up charging you thousands of dollars in fees. As such, it’s extremely important to make sure your music is properly licensed and you don’t make the mistake of playing music from your personal Apple account in your business locations.
The Truth About Apple Music for Business
With all this in mind, you may now be wondering if Apple Music for Business is a solution to this problem. After all, the fact that it’s “for business” is in the name itself. However, the truth of the matter is that Apple Music for Business cannot provide music for businesses because it no longer exists.
Apple Music for Business was launched in 2019 in partnership with a company called PlayNetwork. The purpose of this new company was to reach the business market by providing fully licensed music that could provide background music in business settings. As a result, Apple quietly shelved the project and shifted its focus back to its core consumer offering.
After this brief partnership, PlayNetwork was eventually acquired by a separate music-for-business provider; that said, they are unlikely to be the best solution for your business music needs.
What Made Apple Music for Business Unique (and What You Can Use Instead)
Although Apple Music for Business was short-lived, it introduced several key features that helped define what businesses now expect from background music services. These included curated content, legal protection, and scheduling flexibility, all delivered with Apple’s trademark polish.
Here’s a closer look at what Apple Music for Business offered, and how SoundMachine carries those same ideas forward, with even more tools, control, and scale.
Expert-Curated Playlists for Commercial Use
Apple Music for Business featured playlists crafted by music supervisors to suit different business types and customer moods. These playlists aimed to align with a brand’s aesthetic, boost customer experience, and avoid fatigue from overly repetitive tracks.
SoundMachine builds on this with a library of over 500 professionally curated stations tailored to retail, hospitality, health & wellness, fitness, and more. Whether you want energising midday playlists or calming ambient tones for the morning, you can select by vibe, tempo, or business category.
You can also build custom stations or combine curated tracks with your own selections for a truly brand-specific sound.
Regional Music Programming
Apple Music for Business provided playlists tailored to specific countries or regions. This allowed global brands to play culturally relevant music across international locations and avoid tone-deaf or mismatched soundtracks.
SoundMachine’s Multi-Location Management feature gives you the freedom to create and schedule your own. This means you can assign specific playlists to different stores or markets, tailor the music to reflect local culture or seasonal events, and still maintain overall brand consistency. It’s a flexible way to keep your music strategy aligned across locations, while ensuring each one feels relevant to the customers it serves.
Familiar, Easy-to-Use Interface
Apple Music for Business was praised for its simple, familiar UI. Employees already accustomed to Apple Music or iTunes found it intuitive to browse playlists, control playback, and manage settings with minimal training.
SoundMachine is designed for business use but built with consumer-style ease. The dashboard is accessible via web or mobile app and supports multi-location control, playlist browsing, and drag-and-drop scheduling. New team members can learn the platform in minutes, not hours.
Licensing Handled Behind the Scenes
Apple’s partnership with PlayNetwork included licensing agreements that covered public performance rights, so businesses didn’t have to coordinate with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or GMR individually.
SoundMachine offers the same all-inclusive licensing coverage, but with more transparency and broader availability. It handles performance rights in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. In other countries, it guides businesses through compliance with local collecting societies.
No need to manage multiple PRO contracts or worry about audit risk, SoundMachine takes care of it.
Scheduling and Dayparting
Apple Music for Business introduced basic scheduling tools so you could set playlists for morning, afternoon, or evening moods, or change music for the weekend versus weekdays.
SoundMachine delivers a full scheduling engine that lets you create detailed daypart schedules. You can trigger different playlists based on the time of day or day of the week, automatically switch to holiday-specific music when needed, and sync messaging seamlessly with music transitions.
For businesses with long hours, changing clientele, or multiple departments, this level of automation is a major upgrade.
Explicit Content Filters
Apple included a toggle to block explicit content and lyrics, an important feature for family-friendly businesses.
SoundMachine continues this standard with a simple explicit content filter, ensuring only clean music is played. This is turned on by default, and can be turned off if the customer desires. It is especially useful for businesses with children present, or those with strict brand standards.
To Put It All Together
The end of Apple Music for Business marked a turning point, not just for Apple, but for the way businesses think about background music. What once felt like a grey area is now a space with clear expectations, smarter tools, and purpose-built solutions.
Rather than simply filling the gap left behind, SoundMachine gives businesses a simpler, smarter way to manage music and make it part of the overall customer experience. Things like licensing, brand consistency and ease of use are all built in from the start.
If your business relies on music to set the tone, engage customers, or simply sound professional, there’s never been a better time to get it right.
Why Personal Streaming Subscriptions Doesn’t Work for Business
It’s tempting to think that streaming from a personal Apple Music or Spotify account might be good enough for your business. After all, you’re paying for a subscription, shouldn’t that cover it?
Unfortunately, no. Personal streaming services are not suitable for business use because they lack the correct public performance licences, do not compensate rights holders for commercial play, and their use in public or commercial settings violates their terms of service.
This means that playing your personal playlists in your shop, salon, or cafe could land you in legal trouble. Even worse, performance rights organisations (like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR in the US) can and do issue fines, often between $750 and $30,000 per track infringed. For small businesses, these costs can be devastating.
To stay compliant and avoid legal risks, you need a service specifically licensed for business use.
Our Solution to Business Music Streaming
Though Apple Music for Business is no longer available, there are other options. One particularly excellent option is a provider that will allow you to use your personal Apple Music playlists: SoundMachine. SoundMachine was founded in 2008, and since its inception, it has been dedicated to providing businesses with the best music experience possible. Because of this, it offers many useful and intuitive features that will make providing music in your businesses a worry-free and enjoyable task.
Some of these features include:
- 61 million licensed tracks and 500+ playlists and stations, making it the largest catalog of music on the market.
- The option to create custom stations in order to have more control of the music played and the option to choose from premade and carefully curated stations that match the mood you want.
- Import playlists from Apple Music, as well as from other platforms such as Spotify and Amazon Music. SoundMachine is one of only two music-for-business providers that offers this feature.
- Licensing with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR, which gives you access to more music including artists such as Bruno Mars, Adele, Bob Dylan, and more.
- Ability to create custom schedules ahead of time to specify when stations and playlists are played.
- An easy-to-use messaging system to advertise products at opportune moments.
- Compatibility with various audio systems such as Sonos, Control4, BluOS, RTI, and Crestron.
- The capability to manage multiple users and locations within one account.
- Plans starting from $26.95/month.
- A 30-day free trial.
What Sets SoundMachine Apart?
Here’s how SoundMachine meets (and exceeds) the expectations set by Apple Music for Business:
Massive Licensed Music Catalogue
- Over 61 million fully licensed tracks
- Covers all major genres, moods, and tempos
- Access to a wider range of artists through licensing with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR
Playlist Customisation and Creation
- Choose from 500+ curated playlists and stations
- Build your own playlists by importing from Apple Music, Spotify, or Amazon Music
- Create hybrid playlists that blend your selections with curated content
Scheduling and Dayparting
- Schedule specific playlists to play at different times of the day (e.g. upbeat in the morning, mellow in the evening)
- Program content to change automatically based on the day of the week or holiday calendar
- Ideal for businesses with multiple zones or customer flows
Messaging Integration
- Insert promotional or informational messages between songs
- Announce happy hours, discounts, opening times, or events with ease
- No additional hardware or audio editing required
Multi-Location and Multi-User Support
- Manage multiple business locations from one dashboard
- Assign users with permission controls for each site
- Great for franchises and corporate retail networks
Hardware Compatibility
- Works seamlessly with Sonos, Control4, BluOS, RTI, and Crestron
- Supports standard commercial audio setups and multi-room configurations
Family-Friendly Settings
- Built-in explicit lyrics filter
- Keeps the atmosphere appropriate for all ages and environments
Flexible Pricing and Free Trial
- Plans start from just $26.95/month
- Includes all licensing and features
- 30-day free trial available with no commitment
FAQs: Everything You Need to Know
Can I use Apple Music for my business?
No, you cannot legally use a personal Apple Music account in a business setting. Apple Music’s terms of service explicitly prohibit commercial or public performance use. That means streaming playlists in your store, café, salon, or office using a personal Apple Music subscription would be a direct violation of copyright law.
Even if you’re paying for Apple Music, that subscription only covers personal use. Public performance requires separate licensing, typically managed through organisations like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR in the U.S. Using Apple Music without these licences exposes your business to legal risk and potential fines ranging from $750 to $30,000 per track infringed.
If you want to maintain a professional environment and stay on the right side of copyright law, the only safe route is to use a music service specifically designed and licensed for business use, such as SoundMachine.
Can I still use my Apple Music playlists?
Yes! SoundMachine allows businesses to import playlists from Apple Music and takes care of licensing, so you don’t have to rebuild your music strategy from scratch. You can bring over your carefully crafted playlists while ensuring they’re licensed for commercial use.
What happened to Apple Music for Business?
Apple Music for Business launched in 2019 through a partnership with PlayNetwork. It offered curated, licensed music for commercial settings. However, the service didn’t gain momentum and was eventually discontinued. Apple returned its focus to personal music streaming, and PlayNetwork was later acquired by another provider.
Does SoundMachine work internationally?
Yes. SoundMachine operates across 100+ countries, offering region-specific licensing and localisation tools for global brands. The platform’s legal coverage adapts to local jurisdictions: in the US, Canada, and Japan you’re fully covered through SoundMachine’s licences, while businesses in other countries are guided to coordinate with their local collecting societies.
Why not just pay the PROs directly?
You could, but it’s more expensive and far less efficient. Working directly with ASCAP, BMI, and others involves multiple contracts, royalty calculations, and compliance tracking. A licensed streaming provider like SoundMachine handles everything in one place, music selection, playback, and legal protection.
SoundMachine: Music For Business Made Easy
Apple Music for Business may no longer be around, but other excellent music-for-business providers are. And with SoundMachine’s easy playlist integration, you can still use the music you’ve put together with Apple Music while playing it legally and having access to all the amazing features SoundMachine has to offer. So what are you waiting for? Start your free trial today!