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Blanket License

 

What is a Blanket License?

A blanket license allows the licensee to use any song in the granted catalog. This is license is typically issued by a performing rights organization (PRO) to allow the licensee to perform or play any song in their catalog. This is useful when the user wants to play multiple songs from a catalog without having to license them individually. An example would be a bar or nightclub that wants to play a variety of songs belonging to a PRO. Other examples include radio stations or television networks that want to play one or multiple songs from the PROs catalog. 

How to get a Blanket License?

There are three major performing rights organizations in the U.S., ASAP, BMI, and SESAC. Blanket licenses are usually granted by one or multiple of these PROs and only allow the user to play songs from their specific catalog. Keep in mind, having a blanket license does not mean you can play any song you want, only the songs belong to the corresponding PRO.

A helpful website I found is called Soundtrack (Link) that has recommendations for each type of venue and a blanket license for both BMI and ASACP. It has three different plan so each business can picj out which one is suitable for them.

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