Karaoke has grown in popularity more and more over the recent years and shows no signs of slowing down, which is why many venues across the UK are looking to implement or hire a karaoke solution for live events.
The last thing any venue wants is to be slapped with a huge fine for not following the law or having incorrect licensing for their venue.
In this article, we will explain the laws around karaoke and what you need to implement it.
Legal Karaoke Content (for commercial use)
Even though karaoke tracks are not the original version of the songs they are still subject to royalty payments, meaning the karaoke tracks you use must be bought legally, traditional karaoke tracks came on CDs and the artists featured on those CDs would get a percentage of the sales.
Today the music industry receives most of its royalties through streaming services and karaoke is no different.
The top two karaoke streaming suppliers in the UK currently are KaraFun and Singa. They both offer commercial licensing, meaning their tracks are permitted to be used in bars and pubs.
Pricing for commercial licensing
- Karafun – £29 (per month)
- Singa – from £79 (per month)
In the past I have seen karaoke hosts using YouTube to stream karaoke tracks, this is a big no-no. If your karaoke host is using YouTube to play karaoke tracks, make him stop as your venue may be held responsible and subject to fines if caught.
Public Performing License
In the UK, PPL PRS is the organisation that oversees music licence fees for most artists. Bars as well as venues must pay for a licence to offer karaoke (categorised as a live music event) at the establishment – TheMusicLicence.
Before calculating your licence fee, they will need to determine the square footage of your venue as well as some other factors, TheMusicLicence isn’t just limited to karaoke it also covers, DJs, Live music, radio TV, and so on.
Conclusion
So, is karaoke worth the hassle? In our opinion, yes, if you’re already offering live music on some level at your venue then you probably already have the correct licencing in place.
If you’re not looking to fork out the licencing for a karaoke licence then you can always hire a karaoke professional to host your event, this won’t just cover the commercial licencing side but also provide the PA system, Microphones, TV Screen, and much more.
If you’re interested in hiring karaoke at your venue, please feel free to drop us an email at info@thekaraokecompany.co.uk
