Get your COMPASS music licence
COMPASS (the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) licenses the performing and communication rights in musical works for playing music in public — radio, streaming playlists, TV audio and live performances all count.
COMPASS (the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) licenses the performing and communication rights in musical works for playing music in public — radio, streaming playlists, TV audio and live performances all count. Pricing is seating-tiered and scales with how you use music, from $8.23/seat/year for recorded music only up to $25.85/seat/year if you also have live music and karaoke, subject to a minimum annual fee of $275.
Playing music in public without a licence is copyright infringement, and COMPASS can pursue backdated fees on top of the licence itself once it identifies an unlicensed venue.
Who this is for
Any venue playing music or TV/radio audio that customers or staff can hear — including a radio in the kitchen or background music.
No exemption for background-only use or low volume — the licence is required regardless of how the music is played.
What you’ll hold
- COMPASS public performance licence
Watch out for
- Assuming a small, quiet background-music setup is exempt — there's no exemption for low volume or background-only use.
- Getting COMPASS and assuming that covers everything — it covers the composition/performing right, not the sound-recording right, so you typically also need MRSS.
- Picking a tier for today's plans and never revisiting it — adding live music or karaoke later moves you into a higher rate band.
Sources
- COMPASS — Restaurant/café/coffee house licence checked 2026-09-08
See also
This is item 4 of 36 in the free Singapore Launch Checklist. See the whole list →