You listen to music on the job, it costs you money and you’re required by law to give it

When you listen to music while you work, it makes doing your job seem much easier and more relaxing. But remember that it costs money and you have to pay for this indulgence.

Doing business often involves ambient music. Therefore, spaces that are open to the public and to which customers have access, use music to relax the people present. However, this also comes with an obligation to pay for the music licence.

If you choose to broadcast music and know that you are not deviating from the letter of the law, if you are the owner of a restaurant, bar, waiting room, lounge, you will have to obtain a licence to use music for environmental purposes, for each point of business where music is broadcast in public space.

When you choose a CD or DVD of your favourite artists, you can listen to their music or videos without paying extra when you are in a private space. But if you choose to play them in public for commercial purposes, then the licence fee must be paid.

To obtain a licence for this purpose, you will have to apply to one of the following institutions: the Romanian Centre for the Administration of Performers’ Rights (CREDIDAM), the Union of Romanian Phonogram Producers (UPFR) or the Composers’ Copyright Association (UCMR – ADA).

If you listen to music while on duty you have to pay a fee

All these institutions are active in the same field, but they represent distinct groups of artists, collecting fees on their behalf, so CREDIDAM represents the rights of musical performers, UCMR – ADA represents the rights of composers, while UPFR represents the rights of music producers.

Licences, in turn, are of two types, namely:

• a reproduction licence, the fee for which is payable to the UPFR for the broadcasting of songs from the personal music library;
• the licence for the communication of musical works, the consideration for which is payable to all three of the above-mentioned institutions.

In the case of the UPFR licence, it is not transferable and can be paid for a period of one year, with the possibility of extending this period. The fee for a licence is calculated according to the category to which the economic operator belongs, the useful surface area of the place of business and its geographical location, i.e. whether it is in a tourist area, rural or urban.

This fee is payable monthly for each work point, and the payment obligations are established on the basis of Law No 8/1996 on copyright and related rights. Thus, if you want to play music in a shopping centre, the fee you will have to pay monthly will be 1,800 lei, but in a restaurant and bar with an area of more than 500 square metres, the fee will be 350 lei per month, according to avocatnet.ro.