"Royalty Free" Isn't Proof. One Track Can Get You Caught.

Pulling "royalty free" playlists from YouTube or Spotify feels safe — but you can't verify a single track's real rights status, and it only takes one registered song for OneMusic to build a case. Melodial gives you a fully cleared catalogue and a Certificate of Compliance, for $9.99/month.

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"Royalty free" is a marketing phrase — not a legal clearance

When you grab a "royalty free" playlist off YouTube or Spotify, you're trusting a label, not a licence. There's no way to verify that every single track is genuinely free of collecting-society registration — and playlists tagged "royalty free," "no copyright" or "copyright free" routinely contain registered, commercial music that was mislabelled or re-uploaded.

On top of that, a personal or premium YouTube or Spotify account doesn't license commercial use at all — it's prohibited in their terms regardless of what the playlist is called. So you're carrying two risks at once: the tracks may not be clean, and the account isn't licensed for your venue.

You don't need a playlist of chart hits — one song is the whole case. A single registered track playing where customers can hear it is an unlicensed public performance under the Copyright Act 1968. It doesn't matter that the other 99 tracks were clean. One is enough.

How they actually catch you

Enforcement is simpler than most owners expect. A representative walks into your venue as an ordinary customer, records a few seconds of whatever is playing, and runs it through music-recognition technology — the same kind of tool as Shazam. If the identified track is registered with a collecting society, that recording becomes the evidence.

One clip is all they need. An inspector identifies a single registered song, confirms it against the catalogue, and from there OneMusic can pursue backdated fees and, if ignored, court action. Your "royalty free" YouTube playlist offers no defence if one track turns out to be registered — and you had no way to know which one.

If they do catch a registered track, these are the penalties that follow.

With Melodial, there's nothing to get caught for

Melodial removes the guesswork entirely. Every track in our catalogue is owned or directly licensed by us. None of it is registered with OneMusic (APRA AMCOS + PPCA) or any other collecting society — so there's no registered work for an inspector to find, no royalties to collect, and no licence to buy from them.

You're not trusting a label on a stranger's playlist. You're playing a catalogue that has already been cleared, end to end.

Certificate of Compliance included. Download your official certificate any time from your account. If anyone ever questions your music, show the certificate — every track you're playing is accounted for. Forward us their email and we'll help you respond.

The honest catch: this only holds if you play Melodial exclusively. If you also mix in radio, a personal Spotify account, or chart music from another source, you'd still need a OneMusic licence for that music. Play Melodial on its own and you're fully covered.

Switch to a catalogue you can trust — in 3 minutes

1
Sign up for a free trial — no credit card required.
2
Pick a playlist and connect it to your speakers — 50+ playlists across 24 genres, every track cleared.
3
Download your Certificate of Compliance — and delete the YouTube and Spotify playlists for good.

Frequently asked questions

Isn't "royalty free" music safe to play in my business?
Not when you self-source it. "Royalty free" is a marketing label, not a verifiable legal status. Tracks pulled from YouTube or Spotify playlists are frequently mislabelled, and you have no way to confirm each one is genuinely free of collecting-society registration. With Melodial, the clearance is the product — every track is owned or directly licensed by us.
I found a "no copyright" playlist on YouTube. Can I use it in my shop?
It's a real risk. You can't verify every track, re-uploaded and mislabelled music is common, and a personal YouTube account doesn't license commercial use anyway. If even one track turns out to be registered, you're playing unlicensed music.
How can a single song be a problem?
Because each registered track played in public is its own unlicensed public performance. Enforcement bodies only need to identify one to build a case — the rest of your playlist being clean is no defence.
How would they even find out what I'm playing?
A representative visits as a customer, records a short clip, and identifies the track with music-recognition technology like Shazam. If it's registered, that recording is the evidence.
How does Melodial guarantee my music is clean?
We own or directly licence every track, so none of it is registered with any collecting society. There's nothing for an inspector to flag, and you can download a Certificate of Compliance proving it at any time.
What if I still want to play some chart music too?
Then you'd still need a OneMusic licence for that music. To be fully covered without it, play Melodial exclusively.

Stop guessing what's in your playlist.

A fully cleared catalogue and a Certificate of Compliance, for $9.99/month. Every track accounted for. Try it free for 14 days.

14-day free trial · No credit card required · Cancel anytime

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We've sent a link to . Click it to set your name and password — takes 30 seconds.