Can you play Amazon Music in a shop, café, gym or office?
No. Amazon Music’s Terms of Use allow the service to be used only for personal, non-commercial purposes, and state outright that Amazon grants no public performance rights. That applies to Prime Music, Music Unlimited and the free tier alike.
What do Amazon Music’s terms actually say?
Amazon Music’s terms are the most explicit of the major platforms: they name public performance directly.
Under “Rights Granted”, the Amazon Music Terms of Use state:
“You may use the Services only for your personal, non-commercial purposes.”
The same section goes on to say that Amazon does not grant any public performance rights, or any reproduction rights, for the music. Those are licences 4 and 5 of the five a business needs, ruled out in so many words. Amazon Music could hardly be clearer.
Do Prime or Music Unlimited make it allowed?
No. The Terms of Use cover every Amazon Music tier together: the free tier, Prime Music and Music Unlimited. The personal, non-commercial grant and the exclusion of public performance rights apply to all of them.
The same applies to whose account it is. A manager’s Amazon account, a staff member’s Echo device or an account set up in the company’s name are all governed by the same terms.
Why is Amazon Music only for personal use?
Because of the rights Amazon Music holds. Playing music in a business takes five licences, and Amazon Music’s licences from the labels and publishers cover personal listening only.
Every track carries two underlying sets of rights. The publishing rights belong to the songwriters and their publishers, and cover the song itself: the composition and the lyrics. The recording rights belong to the label, and cover that particular recording. A music supplier needs both before it can supply a track to anyone. A supplier without them is distributing music it has no right to supply, which is music piracy.
Amazon Music licences publishing and recording rights for one purpose: streaming to individual listeners for personal use. It passes that same limited permission on to its users, and it cannot pass on rights it was never given. That is why its terms say personal and non-commercial.
A business needs those two supplier rights licensed for business use, plus three more for playing the music on its premises: public performance of the composition and lyrics, public performance of the sound recording, and reproduction of the sound recording. Here is where common set-ups stand:
| Your set-up | Supplier rights for business use (1–2) | Public performance (3–4) | Reproduction (5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Music, free or paid | No | No | No |
| Amazon Music plus public performance licences | No | Yes | No |
| A directly licensed business music supplier | Yes | Yes | Yes |
This is why public performance licences do not fix the problem. They cover licences 3 and 4, but the music is still coming from a supplier that is only licensed to supply it for personal use. The five licences are set out in full on our music licensing for business page.
What happens if a business uses Amazon Music anyway?
A business playing music without the licences it needs is liable for prosecution, and the business operating the premises is the party that answers for it.
In Singapore the governing law is the Copyright Act 2021. In Malaysia it is the Copyright Act 1987, as amended in 2022. Under both, a business playing music without the licences it needs is liable for prosecution, as well as civil claims from the rights holders.
Enforcement is real. In January 2026, a Singapore court fined the operator of a karaoke lounge S$20,000 in a private prosecution over 20 counts of playing songs without a licence, after the business ignored repeated letters. A separate prosecution was brought against its director personally. For this offence, a company faces a fine of up to S$40,000 per charge. (CNA report)
Separately, using Amazon Music outside its terms breaches your agreement with Amazon.
This page is general information, not legal advice. If you have received a claim or a letter from a collecting body, speak to a lawyer.
What licences does a business need in Singapore and Malaysia?
The five licences are the same in both markets. What differs is which collecting bodies issue licences 3 and 4.
Our music licensing for business page sets out which body collects for which licence in each market. For the local detail, start with your market:
What can a business use instead of Amazon Music?
A music service built and licensed for business premises. MUSICVYBE clears the rights at source, so all five licences are covered by one arrangement in Singapore and Malaysia.
Common questions
Can I play Amazon Music in my office if only staff can hear it?+
No. Amazon Music’s terms restrict use to personal, non-commercial listening, and playing music to a workplace is commercial use whether the audience is customers or staff. In Singapore and Malaysia, music audible to staff on business premises also falls within public performance licensing.
Does Music Unlimited or Prime include a business licence?+
No. Paying for Music Unlimited or Prime gets you a better personal service. The permission in the terms stays personal and non-commercial, and no commercial rights are added.
We already have public performance licences. Can we play Amazon Music now?+
No. Public performance licences cover licences 3 and 4. They do not change where the music comes from: Amazon Music is only licensed by the labels and publishers to supply it for personal use, and its terms still limit use to personal, non-commercial listening.
Can a business be fined for playing Amazon Music in Singapore?+
Yes. Publicly performing music without the licences a business needs is copyright infringement under the Copyright Act 2021, and the operator of the premises is liable. In January 2026 a Singapore KTV operator was fined S$20,000 in a private prosecution over unlicensed songs. For that offence, a company faces a fine of up to S$40,000 per charge, and an individual up to S$20,000, two years in jail, or both.
Can I play Amazon Music on an Echo or smart speaker in my shop?+
The device makes no difference. What matters is where the music is played and who can hear it. Playing a personal Amazon Music account on business premises is outside Amazon’s terms, whatever device it comes from.
Does Amazon Music give any public performance rights?+
No. Amazon Music’s Terms of Use say so directly: Amazon does not grant any public performance rights for the music on the service.
Music licensed for business, not for personal use
MUSICVYBE licenses directly from rights owners, so all five licences are covered together, in territory. Fully managed across Lite, Pro and Signature.
Related pages
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Music Licensing for Business | The five licences, and who collects for them in Singapore and Malaysia |
| Can I Use Spotify in My Business? | What Spotify’s terms say about business use |
| Can I Use YouTube in My Business? | What YouTube’s terms say about business use |
| Can I Use Apple Music in My Business? | What Apple Music’s terms say about business use |
| Can I Use TIDAL in My Business? | What TIDAL’s terms say about business use |
| Music Licensing in Singapore | The Singapore detail: licences, bodies and the Copyright Act 2021 |
| Music Licensing in Malaysia | The Malaysia detail: licences, bodies and the Copyright Act 1987 |