Did you know that playing music in a public setting, like in a mall, a shop, or a restaurant requires a separate license? This means that just because you’re paying $10 a month for Apple Music, it doesn’t give you the right to broadcast it publicly where essentially hundreds, if not thousand of people could reap the “benefits” without paying a single cent.
Depending on where you are in the world, there are different agencies that handle these kinds of licensings, although it seems that Apple might want in on that action too. A trademark filing discovered by Patently Apple has revealed that the company has filed a trademark for “Apple Music for Business”.
As noted by Patently Apple, the trademark filing has been filed under two International Classes which includes “038” which is for “broadcast and transmission of streamed music, audio, video, and multimedia content by means of radio, television, internet, and satellite for business use.” The other is “041” which “namely providing specially programmed background music for retail establishments, public areas, and commercial establishments”.
It is unclear if Apple were to launch such a system, whether or not it could step on the toes of existing agencies whose job is to collect royalties on behalf of artists/labels/publishers from such establishments. At the same time, we suppose it doesn’t really seem like a stretch that Apple would want to extend the reach of Apple Music which could help drum up additional revenue for the company.
Filed in . Read more about Apple Music and Entertainment.