Music Licensing

The fee is to pay for a license that permits the RV park, campground or glamping resort to have music performed on its premises, whether it is performed live, through recorded music over CD’s, Spotify, Apple Music, radio, DVDs and cassettes, or by music on-hold. Under copyright law, anybody who makes music available to the public needs permission prior to performing that music. Without a license, a park that allows music to be performed at its facilities commits a violation of federal copyright law.

OHI has negotiated a one-of-a-kind combined music licensing agreement as an exclusive OHI member benefit. It will protect you from music copyright liability for all artists covered by your selected PROs at drastically reduced rates. The discounted rates under the OHI member licensing agreement are based on the fee structure for each year.

The negotiated rates for OHI members reflect as much as a 50% discount over current published licensing rates for ASCAP and BMI. Negotiated rates for SESAC reflect a 26% average discount over the current rate. GMR rates reflect a 28% discount over public rates.

No. Any OHI member who purchases a license through OHI will be placed on a “Do Not Contact” list by the PROs they are covered by. You will only deal directly with OHI staff. Should you receive a call, email or any other contact from any PRO you are licensed under, you are to notify OHI immediately.

Global Music Rights is new on the scene, and their catalog rounds out full coverage for OHI members.

It goes like this:

With ASCAP/BMI you get George Harrison and classic hits like Got My Mind Set On You.

With SESAC you get Ringo Starr & Paul McCartney with their chart-toppers like Goodnight Vienna and Maybe I’m Amazed.

With GMR you get John Lennon and Well Well Well don’t we know that’s full of hits you can only Imagine.
And with the full music license program of all four licenses, you get The Beatles. Some of their hits? Here Comes the Sun, Come Together, Hey Jude, and the list goes on.

But The Beatles are just the beginning. When it comes to music licensing, each PRO represents a different group of songwriters, composers, and publishers, so being licensed by all four PROs allows your business to be fully protected for all your and your guests’ musical tastes.

The license covers copyrighted music played, or performed, for the public. That includes digital music services (streaming), Muzak, satellite radio and TV, cable, on-hold music, DJs, live performers, karaoke and even your personal CDs. A license gives you legal authorization to play copyrighted music for the public and protects you from the financial penalties of copyright infringement. The license does not cover performances in any hotel, motel or lodge situated on the premises.

For a OHI member to be covered with our license a certain amount of lodging has to be RV park specific—RV sites, Park Model cabins, glamping accommodations, rustic tent sites, etc. It is not valid if the business’ primary accommodation is a hotel, motel or lodge.

Each of these organizations, or PROs, represents different songwriters, composers, publishers and copyright holders, so to be fully protected, you need to be licensed by all four.

Yes. Additional licensing fees may apply for events for which a hard ticket from an outside source is required for admission, any event which requires a separate admission fee of $25 or higher, or if your park incurs annual live entertainment expenses in excess of $5,000.

A public performance is one that occurs either in a public place or any place where people gather (other than a small circle of a family or its social acquaintances). A public performance is also one that is transmitted to the public; for example, radio or television broadcasts, music-on-hold, cable television, and by the internet.

Yes, they are. However, those agreements do not authorize the broadcast of these TV, cable and radio stations to the public by businesses and other organizations.

The purchase price that you paid for the CDs only covers your use of them for private listening. Once you decide to play any copyrighted music publicly, you need permission from the copyright owners.

Our licenses allow RV parks and campgrounds to play music using the streaming services. The licenses that streaming services are using do not offer the same coverage for users as what OHI is able to offer for commercial use. Having the OHI full coverage program keeps your park safe when streaming music from online services.

No, some people mistakenly assume musicians, entertainers or even DJs must obtain licenses to perform. Since it’s your business that’s benefiting from the performance of music, park management is responsible for ensuring that the organization is properly licensed. This responsibility cannot be passed on to anyone else, even if the musicians hired are independent contractors.

Yes, it would if the people using the hall are also camping at the campground. If they are renting out the space to the public (non-campers) then they would need to purchase a separate license directly from the PROs.

In order for music licenses to remain valid, your OHI membership MUST remain in good standing for the entire music license calendar year. If your membership expires, your license(s) will be invalidated and no refunds will be issued.

The OHI discounted music license program covers music played in recreational areas, provided the source of the music (location of the player or *live performance) is in one of these recreational areas (Rec Hall, pool area, check-in, general store, etc.). If the music can also be heard in adjacent areas, such as a restaurant/bar, snack bar or concession stand used by campers, that is fine—the OHI music license covers you there, too. If the source of the music (location of the player or live performance) is inside the restaurant or bar, or if your restaurant or bar is open to the public (serving non-campers), you must purchase a separate music license from the PROs (performing rights organizations) specifically intended for restaurants and bars.

EXEMPTIONS: If your restaurant or bar is open to the public, but is less than 3,750 gross square feet, you don’t charge a cover charge and the music is transmitted via radio or TV, your restaurant or bar is exempt from this additional license under Section 110 (5)(B) of Federal Copyright Law.In need of additional licensing for your restaurant or bar? Visit: Licensing for Restaurants and Bars*Live Performance. Additional licensing fees may apply for events for which a hard ticket from an outside source is required for admission, any event which requires a separate admission fee of $25 or higher, or if your park incurs annual live entertainment expenses in excess of $5,000.

The open enrollment period for the 2025 combined OHI Music License is August 12 – January 11, 2025. You will be licensed for the 2025 calendar year by paying within this time frame. Please note no payments will be accepted outside of the open enrollment. If you miss the January 11, 2025 payment deadline, you must secure your licensing for the 2025 calendar year with each PRO directly at their published rate. Visit ohi.org/music-licensing to enroll or renew today.

• READ: Music Enriches Camping Experiences, but Can Be Costly
• READ: Protect Your Park from Costly Copyright Violations
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