Everyone likes a little music at work. If you’re a cubicle dweller, you may keep a headset on all the time. If you’re in a larger office, though, you may want to have some sort of music piped through the speakers just to make the place seem less sterile. The question then becomes, what should you listen to and where should you get it. Most offices that have music in the office don’t pay for it, and that can become a problem. Here’s what you need to know.
It’s illegal to use most radio and streaming in the office.
That’s right, I said it. I know there are going to be people who don’t believe it, but it’s true. I’m not talking about people with headphones, I’m talking about music coming through the speakers. If you play music (or show video) in an area where customers could potentially go, that’s called “public exhibition.” It’s not illegal by itself, but the rules for how you pay for it are very different from the way you pay for it in homes.
It all boils down to copyright law. I’m no lawyer, but I know this. If you’re watching or listening to something privately, in your home, for your own use (or the use of your guests) that generates one sort of copyright claim. The TV or music providers pay those claims based on how many units are in use, in other words how many TVs, how many radios, how many phones. However, if you’re doing the same thing in a business, especially in areas where customers can go, the payment is by the maximum number of people who can fit in that space.
That means that the law isn’t on your side. If you turn on the radio, or connect a streaming service to a speaker, you’re technically running afoul of copyright law. I’m not going to pretend that there’s this roaming force of copyright cops who go into businesses and bust them. Just remember that if you’re using the internet, it’s very easy for a company like Spotify to know where you are. If you get their attention, their lawyers will descend. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
Commercial music services aren’t great.
Just yesterday I spent a little time at the dentist’s office. They had what I can confidently say was the worst music system in history. I listened to a grueling medley of 80s hits reimagined through a string quartet. I’m telling you friends, if you haven’t heard a viola and classical guitar interpreting “The Final Countdown,” you haven’t lived.
That’s pretty characteristic of most office music services. They’re designed to provide a gentle background for your office. I don’t know anyone who really looks forward to listening to this sort of stuff. If you’re trying to keep a room full of dental patients calm, that’s great. On the other hand, if you’re trying to please a room full of folks in your office and keep them motivated, that kind of thing is going to kill you.
There’s a better option
Did you know that you can pay one reasonable price and get real music as well as real live television? With DIRECTV you get over 150 channels of live TV, which can make the lunchroom experience better or keep people working in the warehouse. You also get about 50 music channels. As we used to say in the old days, these are the “original hits with the original stars.” If you really want soft, beautiful music they have that, but if you want to hear the hits, you’ll get that too.
A DIRECTV package costs less than you would expect. There are options available that keep the monthly price for businesses even lower than what people pay at home. How often does that happen? If you own a business you probably can’t remember the last time something was cheaper for you than it was for a home user.
The bottom line here is that you can stay in compliance with the law and pay less than you’d ever expect. Are you interested? Find out more by talking to the experts at Signal Connect. We’re DIRECTV’s dealer of the year and we specialize in innovative business solutions. To get the best deal on music and TV for one low price, call 888-233-7563. Or, if it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
