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International tourists at a Katinat chain store on Dong Khoi Street, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Linh Huynh . |
The news that "coffee shops will have to pay to play music starting July 1st" will not affect the Starbucks beverage chain. Speaking to Tri Thức - Znews , a representative of the brand stated that the playlist played throughout the system had been licensed in advance, and they also own their own library of copyrighted music.
Similarly, the Phe La tea chain also stated that the payment of music usage royalties to partners, including both Vietnamese and international music, has always been done regularly.
After July 1st, the music selection at the stores will be streamlined compared to before, but this will not significantly affect the musical direction the brand is pursuing.
For example, at a Highlands Coffee store in An Khanh ward, Ho Chi Minh City, popular pop songs are still being used. Staff there stated that all copyright fees have been paid for the entire playlist.
However, this is the case for large F&B chains with substantial budgets and professional legal departments. In smaller cafes, music copyright remains a major issue, and owners often don't know where to seek answers.
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Customers taking photos at the Starbucks near the Hanoi Post Office (Hoan Kiem Ward). Photo: Chau Sa. |
In fact, paying royalties for playing music in cafes, restaurants, or other businesses is not a new regulation. This obligation has been stipulated in the Intellectual Property Law and its guiding documents for some time now.
However, from July 1st, Decree 134/2026/ND-CP came into effect with more specific regulations on the collection rates and methods of determining royalties, causing this issue to receive more attention from business owners.
Duong Chung Thanh (28 years old), owner of SOLUS coffee shop in Hai Ba Trung ward ( Hanoi ), said he supports paying royalties. However, he is not yet clear on where to register, which agency to contact, and what procedures to follow.
On the morning of July 1st, the owner of this shop opened a "No Copyright Music" category on YouTube, playing free songs. These were mostly instrumental pieces, suggested by titles such as "Top 50 No Copyright Songs of 2025" or "Relaxing, relaxing copyright-free music for the morning"... often used as background music for other videos uploaded to the platform.
According to Thanh, he is still waiting for specific instructions on purchasing music copyrights for his cafe. If the fee is calculated based on the cafe's area, he can still afford it because SOLUS's premises are not large.
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A coffee shop in an apartment building in Ben Thanh Ward (Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: Phuong Lam . |
Meanwhile, representatives of the Compresso coffee brand (Bac Ninh) are considering experimenting with using AI tools to create custom background music for their cafes. Currently, they also use No Copyright Music from YouTube.
However, in the long run, the brand still hopes to be able to use the artist's familiar songs through a legal licensing mechanism.
"We hope that the implementation guidelines will be more clearly disseminated to smaller establishments, from where to register and which unit to contact to the process," this person said.
Tran T. (name withheld), the owner of a coffee shop on Nguyen Trai Street (Ho Chi Minh City), laughed as if asked about purchasing copyrights for the music played in his shop. He said he was "confused" and "didn't know what to do" because he saw other shops still playing popular pop music as usual. On the morning of July 1st, his shop was still playing playlists by MCK, Phung Khanh Linh, and others.
"I haven't decided yet. I'll go see how other restaurants do it and then copy them," he said.
Source: https://znews.vn/quan-ca-phe-mo-nhac-gi-tu-17-post1665076.html
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