Tonada vs Apple Music
Apple's terms need one sentence: personal, noncommercial purposes only.
Apple Music has no ads, no free tier and beautiful hardware to play it on, which is why so many boutiques and cafés assume it's fine. It isn't. Tonada is licensed for business, €19.99 per zone, no PRO fees, and it comes with a certificate.
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The verdict
A HomePod on the counter doesn't come with a licence for the room, or with a sound that's yours.
Choose Tonada if…
- You want music composed in-house: exclusive to your brand on Bespoke, or from Tonada's adaptive library on Premium, adapted to your venue in real time.
- You want to be properly licensed, with one price and no PRO fees from STIM/SAMI, PRS/PPL or GEMA/GVL.
- You want the music to be the venue's, not the manager's iPhone's, with zones, scheduling and a dashboard.
- You want a licensing certificate for the day an inspector walks in.
Choose Apple Music if…
- You're at home, in the car, or in your AirPods. It's a superb consumer product, and that's what its licence covers.
- You're a large chain negotiating an enterprise programme by quote, and you want the hits: then compare business-licensed catalogues and budget for society fees. See Tonada vs Mood Media and Tonada vs Soundtrack.
How Apple Music and Tonada compare
Last verified:| Feature | Apple Music |  |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed for business use | Apple MusicNo. Apple Media Services terms: "You may use the Services and Content only for personal, noncommercial purposes".1 | Yes: Tonada owns every track it plays. |
| Your own sound | Apple MusicNo: the same catalogue as every other listener, chosen by whoever holds the iPhone.7 | Yes: music composed in-house for venues. On Bespoke a dedicated producer composes a catalogue exclusive to your brand; on Premium, Tonada's adaptive library, shaped by your brand profile and adapted in real time. |
| Collecting-society / public-performance fees (STIM & SAMI, PRS & PPL, GEMA & GVL…) Playing recorded music in a business involves two separate licences. (1) The streaming service pays labels and publishers for the right to deliver the music: that is what makes Soundtrack or Mood "licensed for business". (2) The venue itself pays the local collecting societies for playing music to the public. In Europe, layer 2 is not included in the subscription. | Apple MusicDue in full from the venue, and paying them doesn't make a consumer service allowed. STIM: a STIM licence doesn't include that permission.3,4 | None: no PRO fees, because Tonada's music isn't registered with any collecting society. Licensing certificate provided. |
| Price per zone, per month | Apple MusicA personal subscription, licensed for personal use only. No plan a venue can buy. The venue still owes PRO fees on top, ≈ €30 a month estimated (STIM + SAMI for a 100 m² shop, 2026 tariffs; ≈ €23 with PPL PRS in the UK, ≈ €25 with GEMA in Germany), and remains unlicensed.1,8 | €19.99 (Premium), no PRO fees on top. Bespoke: custom, billed yearly. |
| A business version | Apple MusicNone a venue can buy: Apple Music is licensed for personal use only. "Apple Music for Business" was an enterprise programme for large chains delivered through PlayNetwork, now part of Mood Media, by quote.2 | This is the business version. |
| Proof of licensing for an inspection | Apple MusicNone. A subscription receipt is not a licence.1 | Yes: a certificate listing every track and its clearance. "Show it to any inspector." |
| Who sends the invoice | Apple MusicThe collecting societies (by estimate, after an inspection) while you remain in breach of Apple's terms.5,6 | Tonada. Once. |
| Ads | Apple MusicNone, which is why people assume it's fine in a shop. The licence, not the ads, is the issue.1 | None. |
| Explicit-lyrics risk | Apple MusicA per-device content restriction, set on someone's personal Apple ID. Nothing at venue level.7 | None: every track is produced in-house to brand-safe specifications. |
| Zones & multi-location dashboard | Apple MusicNo. An Individual membership streams to one device at a time.1 | Yes: one dashboard, unlimited locations, zones by location, format or region. |
| Scheduling / dayparting | Apple MusicNo.7 | Yes. |
| Adapts in real time (weather, footfall, occupancy, time of day) | Apple MusicNo.7 | Yes. |
| In-store announcements | Apple MusicNo.7 | Yes: in-store promotions on both Premium and Bespoke. On Bespoke, announcements and ads are also produced for you. |
| Staff control | Apple MusicWhoever holds the iPhone is the DJ. The playlist leaves when their shift does.7 | Brand profile set centrally; anyone with the app can rate a track while it plays. |
| Hardware | Apple MusiciPhone, iPad, Mac, HomePod, AirPlay speakers; the speaker doesn't change the licence.1 | Any phone or tablet, Sonos, or the Tonada Player Box (€15 per month) into any amp or powered speaker. |
| Where the music comes from | Apple MusicA consumer catalogue of 100+ million songs, licensed for personal listening.7 | Composed in-house by Tonada's producers. Exclusive to your brand on Bespoke; from Tonada's adaptive library on Premium. Adapted to your venue in real time. |
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What you're actually risking
Apple Music feels safer than Spotify in a venue because nothing interrupts it: no ads, no free tier, a HomePod that looks like it belongs on the counter. The licence is the same one sentence. Playing recorded music to the public needs two things: a business licence for the delivery of the music, which Apple doesn't sell to venues, and the public performance licences the venue pays to the collecting societies. A personal Apple ID provides neither, and paying the societies doesn't provide the first.
A 100 m² boutique in Berlin, playing Apple Music
Apple Music Individual: a personal subscription that grants no business licence at any price1
GEMA: "ca. 25 Euro (netto) pro Monat" for retail up to 200 m² by GEMA's own guide, ≈ €300 a year plus VAT, owed regardless9
If you haven't registered: GEMA presumes music is protected and asks for proof it's GEMA-free; the same logic applies with STIM/SAMI (≈ SEK 4,000 a year for the same shop in Stockholm) and PPL PRS (≈ £235.50 + VAT for a small shop).58
You still don't have a licence to use Apple Music.Tonada Premium: €19.99 × 12 = €239.88 a year. Licensed for business. No PRO fees. Certificate included.
Society figures are estimates from the published 2026 tariffs.
One sentence, and it's Apple's.
Apple's Media Services Terms and Conditions, section F: "You may use the Services and Content only for personal, noncommercial purposes (except as set forth in the App Store Content section below or as otherwise specified by Apple)."1 Apple Music is one of the Services those terms govern. There is no exception for shops, cafés, salons or gyms, and no plan a venue can buy that changes it. The enterprise "Apple Music for Business" programme, delivered through PlayNetwork (now part of Mood Media) to large chains by quote, is the only exception Apple has ever specified, and it was never a product for a venue.2
The collecting societies say the same from their side. STIM: a STIM licence doesn't include permission to use a consumer streaming service in a business.3 SAMI and IFPI: private accounts are not for business use.4 And the societies act on it: STIM inspects, gives 14 days to respond, then invoices by estimate; SAMI can collect the fee without an agreement.56
Tonada closes both gaps. Every track is produced in-house and registered with no society, so Tonada licenses your venue directly and nothing is owed to STIM, SAMI, PRS, PPL or GEMA for it. The certificate lists every track and its clearance.
The manager's iPhone is not a sound system.
Apple Music in a venue is one Apple ID, one device at a time, controlled by whoever holds it. The playlist is theirs; it leaves when they do. Explicit lyrics depend on a content restriction set on a personal device. There are no zones, so the fitting rooms hear what the till hears; no scheduling; no announcements; no dashboard for the owner with three shops. AirPlay makes it sound professional and changes nothing about any of that.
Tonada is the venue's system. You describe the space, the vibe and the audience once; the platform adapts energy, tempo and mood to weather, footfall, occupancy and time of day; zones and locations run from one dashboard in their own time zones; staff can thumbs-up or thumbs-down a track from the app without taking over. It plays from an iPhone or iPad if you like, or from Sonos, or from a €15-a-month Player Box plugged into the amp you already own.
Your customers won't miss the hits. They'll notice the vibe.
What customers respond to in a room is tempo, energy and fit, not recognition, the reasons the classic Milliman study found slower, well-matched music lifted supermarket sales by 38 %. Tonada's producers compose every track in-house. On Premium you play from Tonada's adaptive library, adapted to your venue in real time; on Bespoke a dedicated producer composes a catalogue that belongs only to your brand. Nobody walks into your shop and hears the playlist they heard at the last one.
The legal version costs more than the app.
If your concept genuinely needs Apple Music's catalogue, the legal routes are a business-licensed service with a commercial catalogue (in Sweden, Soundtrack at SEK 559 per zone per month billed annually) plus the STIM and SAMI agreements your venue signs itself, or an enterprise programme by quote through Mood Media. Tonada Premium is €19.99 per zone per month, licensed for business, no PRO fees, no add-ons. The trial is 30 days with no card and nothing charged automatically.
When Apple Music is the better fit
- At home, in the car, in your AirPods. It's a superb consumer product, and that is what its licence covers.
- You're a large chain negotiating an enterprise programme by quote and your concept needs the hits: compare business-licensed catalogues and budget for society fees. See Tonada vs Mood Media and Tonada vs Soundtrack.
Switch in three steps
- Start the 30-day Tonada trial, no card, nothing charged automatically.
- Describe your space, vibe and audience; install the Tonada app on the venue iPad, connect Sonos, or plug a Player Box into your amp.
- Sign out of Apple Music on the venue device and take the personal account home, where its licence applies.
Frequently asked questions
It breaches Apple's Media Services terms, which allow use "only for personal, noncommercial purposes", and playing recorded music to the public requires licences from your collecting societies (STIM and SAMI in Sweden, PPL PRS in the UK, GEMA and GVL in Germany), which don't cover a consumer service either. The consequence comes from the societies: an inspection, a deadline, and an invoice by estimate.
No. Every Apple Music tier is sold under the same personal, noncommercial terms. The number of people on the plan doesn't change who the music may be played to.
Apple ran an enterprise programme under that name for large chains, delivered through PlayNetwork (now part of Mood Media) by quote rather than as a plan you can buy. It has never been a product for a single venue or a small chain, and its current status should be checked with Mood Media. Tonada sells to any venue, online, at €19.99 per zone.
No. A society licence covers the public performance; it doesn't include permission to use a consumer streaming service in a business. STIM's FAQ says exactly this about consumer services.
The speaker doesn't change the licence. Apple's terms attach to the Apple ID, and the public performance is the venue's responsibility whatever the device.
No. Tonada plays music composed in-house by its own producers: from Tonada's adaptive library on Premium, or a catalogue exclusive to your brand on Bespoke, adapted to your venue in real time. That's why it's licensed for business at one price with no PRO fees.
You show the Tonada licensing certificate, which lists every track and confirms none of it is registered with any society. Keep other sources (radio, TV sound, personal streaming accounts) off, or their fees apply to the whole venue.
Licensed for business. No PRO fees. Music composed in-house for your brand.
Start your 30-day free trial, no card required. Running a chain? Talk to sales about Bespoke.
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Sources & verification
Every competitor claim above links to one of these. Last verified 12 Sept 2026.
- 1.Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions, section F "Services and Content Usage Rules" (last updated 15 Sep 2025) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 2.Apple Music for Business (PlayNetwork / Mood Media enterprise programme, launched 2019) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 3.STIM FAQ: Do I need a STIM licence when I pay for a streaming service in my business? (seen 2026-09-12)
- 4.SAMI FAQ: music in business; IFPI Sverige: musiktjänster (private accounts not for business use) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 5.STIM FAQ: Gör Stim musikkontroller? (inspections, 14 days, schablonfaktura) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 6.SAMI: price lists (collection without agreement) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 7.Apple Music: plans and support pages (device limits, content restrictions) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 8.STIM 2026 tariff: Musik i kund- och besöksytor; SAMI 2026 price list: butik (seen 2026-09-12)
- 9.GEMA: Hintergrundmusik guide ("bis zu 200 qm Verkaufsfläche eine Vergütung von ca. 25 Euro (netto) pro Monat") (seen 2026-09-12)
Also compare: Tonada vs Spotify · Tonada vs Mood Media · All comparisons
Comparison information was collected from publicly available sources (competitor websites, help centres, terms of service, and review platforms) and last verified on 12 Sept 2026. Prices and features change; check the provider's site for the current version. Soundtrack, Mood Media, Royal Streaming, Spotify, Apple Music and all other names are trademarks of their respective owners. Tonada is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them. Spotted an error? Email hello@tonada.com and we'll fix it.