Which background music option fits your venue?
Three common ways venues play music, compared on the points that matter in a business. We describe categories, not named companies — always check the current terms of any provider.
| What matters | Meridian | Consumer streaming apps | Own-catalogue business services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meant for business use | Yes — a service for venues | Personal plans are usually limited to personal, non-commercial use by their terms | Yes — built for businesses |
| Who chooses the music | Human curators, by channel and time of day | You build and maintain playlists | Varies; often a single in-house catalogue |
| Collecting-society licence | Depends on your venue and channel; playback reporting is in development and is not currently available | A public-performance licence is still needed | Some catalogues sit outside collecting-society repertoire — check what any certificate covers in your country |
| If the internet drops | Offline playback is available in the native iOS and Android apps and on Barix devices. Browser playback needs internet; managed Barix configuration is confirmed in your offer. | Not designed for business playback | Varies by provider |
| Hardware option | Dedicated Barix player, managed for you | No | Varies by provider |
| Ads between tracks | No ads | Free tiers usually include ads | Usually no ads |
| Languages and support | Website in 25 languages; support from real people | Consumer support | Varies by provider |
| Pricing | Published prices: from €9.99 + VAT per device per month; dedicated hardware €40 + VAT per device per month | Personal subscription | Often a per-zone monthly plan |
Croatia · terms checked 21 October 2026
Ordinary consumer streaming terms and a business music service
This narrow comparison covers the published terms for ordinary Spotify and YouTube use. It does not compare consumer prices or decide the licensing duties of a particular venue.
| Service | What the published terms say |
|---|---|
| Spotify | Spotify says its service is for personal, non-commercial use and excludes public playback by businesses. This describes Spotify’s ordinary service terms. It does not determine collecting-society fees or permissions for a particular recording. This statement comes directly from the linked service support page. Official source: Spotify Support — Public or commercial use Accessed: 2026-10-21 Revision date not stated |
| YouTube | YouTube’s EEA terms limit ordinary viewing and listening to personal, non-commercial use. The terms retain exceptions for uses they authorize, uses permitted in writing, and uses allowed by applicable law. This is not a claim that every business use of YouTube is unlawful. Applicability to Croatia is a geographic inference: Croatia is in the EEA and these terms cover users resident in the EEA. Official source: YouTube / Google Ireland — Terms of Service (IE/EEA) Accessed: 2026-10-21 Terms dated: 2023-10-06 |
| Meridian digital plans | Built for venue use. A selected channel may be changed once in each paid billing period. €9.99 + VAT per device/month for one selected channel; €40 + VAT per device/month for the full catalogue. |