Tonada vs YouTube Music
YouTube on the bar's TV is a public performance, with adverts.
YouTube's terms cover personal, non-commercial use; the free tier plays ads between songs; and the collecting societies charge more, not less, when there's a screen involved. Tonada is licensed for business, €19.99 per zone, no PRO fees, certificate included.
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The verdict
The free version isn't free in a venue: unlicensed, with adverts, and the same YouTube as everyone else. Tonada is licensed, ad-free 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 YouTube Music 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 YouTube Music and Tonada compare
Last verified:| Feature | YouTube Music |  |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed for business use | YouTube MusicNo: YouTube's terms license it for personal, non-commercial use only.1 | Yes: Tonada owns every track it plays. |
| Your own sound | YouTube MusicNo: the same catalogue as every other viewer, chosen by whoever holds the remote.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. | YouTube 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 | YouTube MusicFree with ads, or YouTube Premium, a personal subscription. 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 | YouTube MusicNone. 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 | YouTube MusicThe collecting societies (by estimate, after an inspection) while you remain in breach of the service's terms.5,6 | Tonada. Once. |
| Ads | YouTube MusicFree tier: video and audio ads between songs. Premium: none.2 | None. |
| Screens | YouTube MusicMusic videos on a TV are a public performance of the video as well; SAMI prices venues higher for radio/TV and "uteslutande musikvideos".6 | Audio only: no screen to license. |
| Zones & multi-location dashboard | YouTube MusicNo. One account, one listener at a time.2 | Yes: one dashboard, unlimited locations, zones by location, format or region. |
| Scheduling / dayparting | YouTube MusicNo.2 | Yes. |
| Adapts in real time (weather, footfall, occupancy, time of day) | YouTube MusicNo.2 | Yes. |
| In-store announcements | YouTube MusicNo.2 | Yes: in-store promotions on both Premium and Bespoke. On Bespoke, announcements and ads are also produced for you. |
| Staff control | YouTube MusicWhoever 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 | YouTube MusicA 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 | YouTube MusicAny 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 | YouTube MusicA 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 YouTube Music 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 YouTube 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 YouTube Music
YouTube Music: 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 YouTube Music.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.
YouTube says it. The societies say it.
YouTube's Terms of Service allow you to view or listen to content for your personal, non-commercial use only; every other use of the service or its content needs YouTube's permission.1 YouTube Music Premium runs under the same terms plus the Paid Service Terms; paying removes the adverts, not the restriction.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.
Adverts between songs, and a screen that needs its own licence.
YouTube Music in a venue is one account, controlled by whoever holds the device. The playlist is theirs and leaves when they do. On the free tier, adverts play between songs: video adverts, if the TV is on. A TV showing music videos is a public performance of the video as well as the sound, and the societies price it accordingly: SAMI charges more for venues playing radio/TV or "uteslutande musikvideos".6 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 YouTube Music'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. YouTube Premium removes the adverts; it does not add a licence. 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 YouTube Music is the better fit
- At home, in the car, in your headphones. YouTube is where the video is; 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 YouTube account home, where its licence applies.
Frequently asked questions
It breaches YouTube's terms, which cover personal, non-commercial use, and playing recorded music (or music videos) to the public requires licences from your collecting societies, which don't cover YouTube either. With a screen involved, SAMI's tariff for the venue is higher, not lower. The consequence comes from the societies: an inspection, a deadline, and an invoice by estimate.
No. Premium removes adverts and adds background play for personal use; the terms are unchanged. There is no YouTube plan for venues.
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 channel's label isn't a licence for your venue. Unless the rights holder has licensed public performance to you in writing and the music is outside the societies' repertoire, the fees apply, and YouTube's own terms still restrict use to personal, non-commercial. Tonada's certificate is that written licence.
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.YouTube Terms of Service: Permissions and Restrictions (seen 2026-09-12)
- 2.YouTube Paid Service Terms / YouTube Premium plans (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)
Also compare: Tonada vs Spotify · Tonada vs Soundtrack · 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.