When a song plays in a commercial space, it constitutes a "public performance" under copyright law, requiring permission from rights holders, granted through licenses administered by performing rights organizations (PROs). A commercially licensed service has obtained those licenses and passes coverage through to subscribers.
A personal music service (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube) is licensed for private listening only; terms of service explicitly exclude commercial use. Paying for Spotify Premium does not make it legal to play that stream in your business, these are two separate legal categories, and one does not substitute for the other.
PROs employ field representatives who actively investigate businesses for unlicensed music. This isn't theoretical, small businesses have received demands and paid settlements. Curator Now's Basic plan starts at $35 per zone, per month: less than an hour of attorney time, and a fraction of a minimum settlement.
Copyright infringement for unlicensed public performance carries real financial penalties under US federal law.
Each song played without a license is a separate potential infringement. PROs calculate damages per work, not per month or event, which is why even small-business settlements can reach tens of thousands of dollars.
Each PRO represents a different set of songwriters and publishers, they don't overlap. A song registered with BMI isn't covered by an ASCAP license. To be fully covered, you need all four.
Many businesses believe they're covered but hold licenses from only two or three of the four PROs, typically ASCAP and BMI, the two largest, having never been contacted by SESAC or GMR. Having three of four doesn't mean you're covered; it means you have exposure for the missing PRO's catalogue. Curator Now covers all four from day one.
"But I can just play Spotify" is the most common misunderstanding in commercial music. Here's the comparison.