How do I earn money from blanket licenses?

Register your works with a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC). When businesses that hold blanket licenses play your music, the PRO collects fees and distributes royalties to you based on reported usage data. The more your music is played in licensed venues, the more you earn.

Do yoga studios need blanket licenses to play my music?

Yes. Any business that plays copyrighted music publicly (including yoga studios, spas, and meditation centers) is legally required to obtain performance licenses from the relevant PROs. This is how performance royalties are generated for creators of ambient and wellness music.

Blanket License — Music Rights Glossary

A license that grants access to an entire catalog of music for a set fee, rather than licensing individual works.

What it means

A blanket license is a type of music license that grants the licensee the right to use any and all works within a particular catalog or repertoire for a set period of time, in exchange for a single fee or periodic payments. Rather than negotiating individual licenses for each song used, the blanket license provides broad access to an entire library of music. This licensing model is most commonly used by Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) when licensing businesses, broadcasters, and venues. For example, when a radio station obtains a blanket license from ASCAP, it gains the right to play any of the millions of songs in ASCAP's repertoire without needing to negotiate individual permissions or track usage on a per-song basis. The PRO then distributes the collected fees to rights holders based on usage data. Blanket licenses are also used by streaming platforms, background music services (like Muzak or Mood Media), fitness chains, restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses that play music publicly. For ambient and meditation music creators, blanket licenses are relevant in two ways: your music may be played under blanket licenses held by yoga studios, spas, and wellness centers (generating performance royalties through your PRO), and you may also encounter blanket licensing deals from music libraries or sync platforms that want to offer your entire catalog to their clients.

Technical details

Blanket license fees are typically determined by factors including the type of business, the size of the audience or venue, annual revenue, and the frequency of music use. PROs use rate schedules and sometimes negotiate individual agreements with large licensees. The legal framework for blanket licensing in the US is established through consent decrees governing ASCAP and BMI, which require these PROs to offer blanket licenses to any willing licensee at reasonable rates. Rate disputes are adjudicated by federal rate courts (the Southern District of New York for ASCAP and BMI). The Supreme Court addressed blanket licensing in BMI v. CBS (1979), ruling that blanket licenses do not constitute per se price fixing under antitrust law. Blanket licenses are distinct from per-program licenses, which cover only specific shows or time periods, and transactional licenses, which cover individual uses.

Blanket License

What it means

Technical details

Frequently asked questions

Related terms

Related terms

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