Tonada vs Tidal
Lossless audio, one sentence of terms: personal, non-commercial use only.
Tidal's hi-fi quality makes it the audiophile café's favourite. Its terms are as clear as its sound: "The TIDAL Service is for personal, non-commercial use only." Tonada is licensed for business, €19.99 per zone, no PRO fees, certificate included.
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The verdict
Better bitrate, same missing licence, still someone else's playlist. Tonada is licensed for business and composed for your brand.
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 a personal account's, with zones, scheduling and a dashboard.
- You want a licensing certificate for the day an inspector walks in.
Choose Tidal if…
- You're at home, in the car, or in your headphones; that is what the licence covers.
- Your concept lives on specific chart hits by name: then you need a business-licensed service plus society agreements. Compare Tonada vs Soundtrack.
How Tidal and Tonada compare
Last verified:| Feature | Tidal |  |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed for business use | TidalNo. Tidal Terms, section 2: "The TIDAL Service is for personal, non-commercial use only."1 | Yes: Tonada owns every track it plays. |
| Your own sound | TidalNo: the same catalogue as every other listener, in higher fidelity.2 | 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. | TidalDue 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 | TidalA personal subscription, licensed for personal use only. No business plan exists. 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.2,7 | €19.99 (Premium), no PRO fees on top. Bespoke: custom, billed yearly. |
| Proof of licensing for an inspection | TidalNone. A subscription receipt is not a licence.3 | Yes: a certificate listing every track and its clearance. "Show it to any inspector." |
| Who sends the invoice | TidalThe collecting societies (by estimate, after an inspection) while you remain in breach of the service's terms.5,6 | Tonada. Once. |
| Zones & multi-location dashboard | TidalNo. One account, one listener at a time.2 | Yes: one dashboard, unlimited locations, zones by location, format or region. |
| Scheduling / dayparting | TidalNo.2 | Yes. |
| Adapts in real time (weather, footfall, occupancy, time of day) | TidalNo.2 | Yes. |
| In-store announcements | TidalNo.2 | Yes: in-store promotions on both Premium and Bespoke. On Bespoke, announcements and ads are also produced for you. |
| Staff control | TidalWhoever holds the phone is the DJ. The playlist leaves when their shift does.2 | Brand profile set centrally; anyone with the app can rate a track while it plays. |
| Explicit-lyrics risk | TidalA per-account content setting on someone's personal profile. Nothing at venue level.2 | None: every track is produced in-house to brand-safe specifications. |
| Hardware | TidalAny phone or smart speaker; the speaker doesn't change the licence.2 | Any phone or tablet, Sonos, or the Tonada Player Box (€15 per month) into any amp or powered speaker. |
| Where the music comes from | TidalA consumer catalogue licensed for personal listening.2 | 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
The cost of Tidal in a venue isn't the subscription. Playing recorded music to the public needs two things: a business licence for the delivery of the music (which a business-licensed service arranges with labels and publishers, and Tidal doesn't sell to venues) and the public performance licences the venue pays to the collecting societies. A personal account provides neither, and paying the societies doesn't provide the first.
A 100 m² shop in Stockholm, open six days a week, playing Tidal
Tidal: a personal subscription that grants no business licence at any price1
STIM, 2026 tariff (≤200 m², 101–312 days): ≈ SEK 2,344 a year, owed regardless7
SAMI, 2026 tariff (51–100 m², 6 days): ≈ SEK 1,692 a year, owed regardless7
If you haven't signed: STIM inspects, gives 14 days to respond, then invoices by estimate; SAMI can collect the fee even without an agreement.56 You still don't have a licence to use Tidal.Tonada Premium: €19.99 × 12 = €239.88 (≈ SEK 2,640) a year. Licensed for business. No PRO fees. Certificate included.
In the UK the equivalent is TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, from about £235.50 + VAT a year for a small shop.8 Society figures are estimates from the published 2026 tariffs.
Tidal says it. The societies say it.
Tidal's Terms of Service, section 2, "Conditions of Use of the TIDAL Service", effective 29 June 2026: "The TIDAL Service is for personal, non-commercial use only."1 There is no business tier; Tidal's company accounts exist for artists and brands publishing content, not for venues playing it.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; if an inspector asks, you hand it over.
The audiophile's café still has one phone as the DJ.
Tidal in a venue is one account, controlled by whoever holds the device. The playlist is theirs and leaves when they do. Lossless audio through a good DAC sounds superb; it's still one personal account, one device, and whoever holds it. There are no zones, no scheduling, no announcements and no dashboard for the manager who runs three sites.
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.
The legal version costs more than the app.
If your concept genuinely needs Tidal's catalogue, the legal route is a business-licensed service with a commercial catalogue (in Sweden, Soundtrack at SEK 559 per zone per month billed annually9) plus the STIM and SAMI agreements your venue signs itself. Tidal's hi-fi tiers cost more than other consumer plans and buy exactly as much business licence: none. Tonada Premium is €19.99 per zone per month, licensed for business, no PRO fees, no add-ons and no PRO fees; the trial is 30 days with no card and nothing charged automatically.
When Tidal is the better fit
- At home, in the car, in your headphones. Tidal is for listening closely, at home; that is its point, and its licence.
- Your concept lives on specific chart hits by name: then you need a business-licensed service plus society agreements. Compare 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 app on the venue tablet, connect Sonos, or plug a Tonada Player Box into your amp.
- Take the personal Tidal account home, where its licence applies.
Frequently asked questions
It breaches Tidal's terms, which allow personal, non-commercial use only, and playing recorded music to the public requires licences from your collecting societies, which don't cover Tidal either. The consequence comes from the societies: an inspection, a deadline, and an invoice by estimate.
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. The terms attach to the account, 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.Tidal Terms of Service, section 2: Conditions of Use (effective 29 Jun 2026) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 2.Tidal: plans and company accounts (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 (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; fee applies to streaming, radio and TV alike); SAMI 2026 butik PDF (radio/TV priced higher) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 7.STIM 2026 tariff: Musik i kund- och besöksytor; SAMI 2026 price list: butik (seen 2026-09-12)
- 8.PPL PRS: How much does TheMusicLicence cost? (Feb 2026 examples) (seen 2026-09-12)
- 9.Soundtrack: Plans & Pricing (Sweden pricing shown) (seen 2026-09-12)
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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.