PRO-free music
PRO-free background music
eleMusic is PRO-free: it never registers its tracks with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR, so there is no performing rights fee for the music you play through eleMusic.
Last reviewed October 13, 2026.
No ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR fees for eleMusic music. Radio, TV, music on hold and any other music you play still need their own licenses. We cannot control or verify what others register, and we do not promise that no PRO or other person will contact you or make a claim.
This page is general information about US law and business music services. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your practice, talk to a lawyer.
eleMusic wrote this page about its own service, so read it with that in mind. It describes our catalog and our Terms of Service, and it draws no conclusion about what your business needs.
What does PRO-free mean?
When we call eleMusic PRO-free, we mean one specific thing: eleMusic never registers its tracks with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR, and it does not license them through any PRO. Our Terms of Service say so in full:
eleMusic does not register the Content with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR or any other performing rights organization (a "PRO"), and does not license the Content through any PRO.
eleMusic Terms of Service, Section 11.1, version 2026-10-11
Every eleMusic station plays only eleMusic's own catalog. Original instrumental music, generated and mastered by eleMusic. No vocals, no ads, no commercial recordings. So there is no performing rights fee for the music you play through eleMusic, and eleMusic does not sell or include a license from any PRO.
ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR are performing rights organizations, or PROs. Each one licenses public performances of the works in its own repertoire, and each sells licenses to businesses. Our guide Do you need a license to play music in your business? quotes what each says on its own site.
Why doesn't eleMusic register its music with a PRO?
Because eleMusic licenses its music directly, by contract, rather than through a PRO. Our Copyright Policy says we license the use of our tracks "by contract, under our Terms of Service" (Section 3.1), and a plan gives your location a limited right:
to access the Service and to play the Content through the Player, as ambient background audio, within the physical premises of that Location, on no more devices at a time than its Device Allowance.
eleMusic Terms of Service, Section 9.1, version 2026-10-11
That right comes with your subscription, from eleMusic, not from a PRO. Customers may not register the music either: Section 9.2 says you must not, or allow anyone to, "register the Content, or anything made from it, with any copyright office, performing rights organization, content-identification or audio-fingerprinting system, music distributor or similar service".
What does PRO-free not cover?
PRO-free describes eleMusic's music, and only that: eleMusic never registers its tracks with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR. It says nothing about the rest of what your business plays. Radio, TV, music on hold and any other music you play still need their own licenses. Our Terms put it this way:
You alone are responsible for licensing any other music or audio you play or transmit, including radio, television, other streaming services, music on hold and any audio played outside the Player, and for deciding what licenses your business needs.
eleMusic Terms of Service, Section 11.2, version 2026-10-11
The eleMusic license has its own limits too: background music inside your location's premises, through the player. Section 9.2 lists what it does not include. In short:
- Your phone line. Music on hold, voicemail and interactive voice response (IVR).
- Video and broadcast. Video, film, TV, radio, advertising, podcasts, social media, websites, apps and livestreams.
- Outside your premises. Streaming it to other locations, over the internet or to remote patients or visitors.
- Featured music. DJ sets, live performances or events, or anywhere the music is the attraction rather than background.
- Other places and times. Any other business or location, or play after your plan ends.
What if a PRO contacts your business?
We cannot control or verify what others register, and we do not promise that no PRO or other person will contact you or make a claim. If a PRO or anyone else writes to you about the music at your location, here is what to do. Don't ignore it. Forward it to us. We aim to send your certificate, the verification link and a response template within 2 business days. That is a target, not a promise.
Every location with an active plan or trial gets an Original Catalog Certificate in its name, with a public verification page that shows its current status (what the certificate records, and what it does not). The certificate describes our catalog and your subscription; it does not determine your practice's legal obligations. The certificate is not a license from any performing rights organization and is not legal advice. Section 11.4 of the Terms adds that we do not act as your lawyer, represent or defend you, or pay or settle any claim, and that you are responsible for your response, including describing accurately all the audio you play.
Our guide Your practice got a letter from ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR lists what to gather, starting with every source of audio at your location.
How is this different from services that include PRO licenses?
Some business music services include PRO licensing in their price. Three of them say so on their own pages:
| Service | What its page says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| SiriusXM Music for Business | "It includes the required payments of public performance royalties to rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, and SoundExchange, which represent the music copyright holders." | siriusxm.com/business, FAQ |
| Rockbot | "When you use Rockbot Music in the U.S., we cover all your licensing requirements with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR." | rockbot.com/licensing |
| Soundtrack | "ASCAP, BMI, and GMR licenses included." | Pricing page |
| eleMusic | eleMusic is PRO-free: it never registers its tracks with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR, so there is no performing rights fee for the music you play through eleMusic. | Terms of Service, Section 11.1 |
Those are two different models. A service that includes PRO licensing arranges the PRO licenses for the music it plays; eleMusic plays a catalog it never registers with them. Music from other sources is a separate question under either model. Rockbot's licensing page, for one, says its licensing "does not cover any other non-Rockbot music sources such as radios, televisions, or personal devices." Section 11.2 of our Terms, quoted above, leaves your other music and audio with you.
Who is eleMusic for?
US businesses with rooms to fill: dental practices first, plus clinics and health systems, massage studios and spas, acupuncture clinics, hotels and staff-operated school spaces. Plans are priced per location by how many devices play at once, from $15 a month for 1 device (pricing).
What should you ask your lawyer?
- Besides eleMusic, what do we play: a radio, a TV, music on our phone line, a staff phone on a speaker? Which licenses does each of those need, if any?
- If we hold PRO licenses today, what music and which spaces do they cover?
- How should we answer a letter from a PRO, and what records should we keep?
- With several locations, how should we keep a record of what each one plays?
ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR are trademarks of their respective owners. eleMusic is not affiliated with or endorsed by any performing rights organization.
Sources
- eleMusic Terms of Service, Sections 9.1, 9.2, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3 and 11.4 (version 2026-10-11), accessed October 13, 2026
- eleMusic Copyright Policy, Section 3.1: The music (version 2026-10-03), accessed October 13, 2026
- SiriusXM Music for Business: business page, FAQ, accessed October 13, 2026
- Rockbot: Music licensing for business, accessed October 13, 2026
- Soundtrack: Pricing, accessed October 13, 2026
Hear it in your own rooms.
Eight instrumental stations and one access code, on a tablet or laptop in each room, or cast to your TV. From $15 a month for one device; Practice covers up to 5 devices for $24.
New locations start with a 14-day trial. A card is required and nothing is due at checkout. A reminder goes to the billing email before the trial ends, and you can cancel in Manage billing or by emailing hello@elemusic.fm. Unless you cancel before the trial ends, the card is charged the plan price when it ends. See the Terms of Service and the Refund and Cancellation Policy.