From Spotify to Soundscapes: Why Free Playlists Aren’t Enough for Professionals

DaveH
Sep 15
3 min read

Updated: Sep 19

You’re a wellness professional. You know that vibe matters. But lookout..

It’s easy to throw on a Spotify playlist before a yoga session, guided meditation, or workshop. After all, it’s just background music, right? But here’s the reality:

Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms are licensed for personal use only.

Using them in professional or commercial settings isn’t just a grey area, it’s illegal [1].

And beyond legality, there are deeper problems: ethical, practical, and therapeutic. Let’s break down why free playlists aren’t enough for serious professionals, and why soundscapes designed for wellness are a serious upgrade.

The “Just Background Music” Myth

“Well, it’s only background music, what harm can it do?” A lot.

If music is played in a professional setting, whether in a yoga class, on Zoom, or in a therapy session, it’s considered a public performance under copyright law [2]. That means consumer accounts like Spotify Premium don’t cover you. The fines for misuse can range from hundreds to thousands of pounds or dollars [3].

Licensing: More Than Just Pressing Play

Music rights are complex. Each track has multiple layers of copyright: composition rights, recording rights, and performance rights. Consumer platforms don’t clear those for commercial use [4].

To legally use music in a professional or business context, you need proper licenses from organizations like PRS/PPL (UK) or BMI/ASCAP (US), or you need to source music that comes with commercial clearance included. Anything else is risky business.

When “Free” Becomes Expensive

Even if you pay for a Premium Spotify subscription, that doesn’t cover professional use. In fact, brands caught using consumer streaming in business settings have been fined thousands [3]. So “free” playlists? They could end up being an expensive choice.

The Ethical Problem: Who Gets Paid?

Beyond the legal side, there’s an ethical issue. Artists on streaming platforms earn an average of $0.003 to $0.005 per stream [5]. Most of that money goes to labels, not creators.

If you’re in wellness, healing, or mindfulness, you already value integrity. Using royalty-free or wellness-specific licensed soundscapes ensures the creators are fairly compensated, and aligns your practice with your principles.

Therapeutic Quality Matters

Spotify playlists are built for casual listening, not professional outcomes. But soundscapes designed for wellness are created with intention. They’re often informed by neuroscience, sound therapy, and meditation research [6].

For example, soundscapes that include binaural beats or carefully crafted ambient textures can enhance relaxation, focus, and stress reduction in ways that random playlists simply don’t [7].

Why Professionals Need Soundscapes, Not Spotify

Here’s the comparison:

Issue	Spotify & Free Playlists	Licensed Wellness Soundscapes
Legal Compliance	Not covered for commercial use [1]	Fully licensed for professional environments [6]
Artist Compensation	Tiny fractions per stream [5]	Fair, transparent payment models
Therapeutic Design	Generic “chill” vibes	Neuroscience-based, wellness-focused [7]
Risk of Fines	High [3]	None
Professional Integrity	Questionable	100% aligned with wellness ethics

Putting It Into Practice

Therapists can layer ambient soundscapes under breathwork or hypnotherapy sessions.
Yoga instructors can transition from playlist to soundscape for flow and deep presence.
Wellness coaches can offer branded downloadable audio tools or mindfulness prep tracks.
Workshop hosts can deliver immersive experiences with sound and intention—all while staying legally clean and ethically sound.

Final Thought

You didn’t go into wellness to double as a copyright detective. Yet far too many professionals risk licenses, fines, and impersonal audio masks. Free playlists might feel like a shortcut, but presence, legality, and ethics are what define your practice.

Step up your audio game. Move beyond Spotify. Embrace licensed soundscapes that serve your clients ethically, and serve you peace of mind.

Of course, if you use my music, it's all royality-free, so you don't need to worry about licencing issues. My music is all royalty-free and cleared for use - so complete peace of mind. Check out my catalogue at http://getmishi.store

You may also want to download my Beginner's Music Licencing Guide. It provides some more detail on this subject, and is COMPLETELY FREE 😀