In England and Wales, karaoke in a pub licensed to sell alcohol on the premises is generally treated as live music, so between 8am and 11pm, with an audience of 500 or fewer, you don't need it on your premises licence. You do still need TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS to cover the songs, and a karaoke service that's licensed for venues, not a personal account. A hosted night at £150 plus a £14.64 licence event has to sell about 67 extra pints just to break even.
Karaoke is one of the cheapest ways to put something on a quiet night, and one of the easiest to get slightly wrong. Here's the licensing, the real costs from published prices, and how to tell whether it's actually making you money.
Do you need a licence for karaoke?
There are two separate questions, and people mix them up all the time. One is the premises licence from the council, which is about whether the activity is allowed at all. The other is the music copyright licence, which is about paying the people who wrote and recorded the songs. Karaoke needs the second one whatever time it runs.
The premises licence: 8am to 11pm is usually covered
Since the Live Music Act, live music in alcohol on-licensed premises isn't licensable between 8am and 11pm if the audience is no more than 500. Gov.uk still sets those three conditions out today. The question is whether a customer singing along to a backing track counts as live music.
The Morning Advertiser's legal Q&A on exactly this, when the Act came in, took the view that it does: you can't tell the difference between a professional singing to an audience and a customer doing the same. It also said the backing track is likely to count as part of the live music rather than separate recorded music, and that lyrics on a screen are probably not an "exhibition of a film". At the time the audience limit was 200. It's been 500 since 2015. Lucky Voice, which sells karaoke to venues, sets out the same 8am to 11pm, 500-person position in its 2026 guide.
So for a normal pub karaoke night that finishes by 11pm, you're very likely fine on the premises licence. If your council has ever put conditions on live music after complaints, those can still apply, because a licence review can switch the exemption off. I've covered how that works in playing music outside a pub.
After 11pm you need it on the licence
If the karaoke runs past 11pm, it has to be authorised. Check your premises licence for live music (and recorded music) and the hours. If it isn't there, it's a variation, or a temporary event notice for a one-off like Christmas Eve. Running licensable entertainment without authorisation is an offence under section 136 of the Licensing Act 2003. Not worth it for the last half hour of Bohemian Rhapsody.
The music licence: always
TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS lists karaoke among the things it covers for pubs and bars, alongside live music, open mic and DJs. When you get a quote it asks for the number of karaoke sessions, along with the number, capacity and attendance of your featured events. Their published examples include live music for up to 100 people at £14.64 an event plus VAT, and from 14p per person at bigger events. Your quote is what counts, but that gives you the scale. The whole licence is covered in what a pub music licence costs in 2026.
The song service: needs a venue licence
This is the one people miss. A personal subscription to a karaoke app, or a backing track off a home streaming account, is licensed for personal use. Lucky Voice's venue guide says plainly that personal-use content isn't covered in a commercial setting. KaraFun, one of the bigger services, sells a Pro plan that includes a licence for public venues, and even then it says the venue stays responsible for its own public performance royalties. That's the TheMusicLicence bit above. So it's both, not either.
What karaoke costs in 2026
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hired karaoke act or host (Last Minute Musicians listings) | £55 to £2,891, average £330 | Several karaoke hire listings start at £59, £79 and £150 |
| KaraFun Pro (venue-licensed plan) | $49.99 a month, about £37 | Up to 100 people connected, queue control, QR code, licence for public venues |
| TheMusicLicence example: live music, up to 100 people | £14.64 an event + VAT | Karaoke is quoted on your number of sessions |
The cheapest real hosted nights are around the £150 mark, which buys someone with the kit, the songs and the patience to get a shy table up singing. That patience is most of what you're paying for. A good host fills the gaps between singers, and a karaoke night with gaps empties fast.
The break-even: how many pints it has to sell
I use £2.45 gross profit on a pint of lager at £5.34 across these guides. Run the two set-ups through it:
- Hosted night: £150 host + £14.64 licence event = £164.64. Divide by £2.45 and it's 67 extra pints before you've made a penny.
- Do it yourself: KaraFun Pro at about £37 a month, used every week (about 4.3 nights), is about £8.60 a night. Add the same £14.64 and it's £23.24, or about 10 extra pints. You need your own speakers and microphones, and somebody behind the bar who'll run the queue.
Note the word extra. If the regulars who'd have been in anyway sing a few songs, that's lovely, but it isn't extra. The 67 pints have to come from people who came because of the karaoke, or stayed an hour longer because of it. On a Saturday you're probably full already, so karaoke there mostly costs you money. On a dead Thursday, 67 pints is a realistic ask for a good host with a few regulars who bring their mates. I've done the wider sum on whether a quiet night is even worth opening in should a pub close on quiet nights.
How to tell if it's working
Don't go on the atmosphere. A loud room feels busy. Do this instead:
- Pick the night and keep it the same night every week for four weeks.
- From the till, write down the drinks takings between 8pm and 11pm for the same night across the four weeks before you started.
- Do the same for the four karaoke weeks.
- Take the difference, take off the VAT and the cost of the drink, and compare what's left with what the nights cost.
If it's not covering itself by week four, a cheaper set-up or a different night is the answer, not a fifth week of hoping. It's the same test I'd use on a quiz night.
Small things that make a karaoke night
- Put the queue on the TV. People stay for their turn. If they can see they're three songs away, they buy another drink instead of leaving. Most venue karaoke services let customers request songs from their phone by QR code.
- Start before the crowd. The first half hour is the hardest. Get a host or a regular to open with something everyone knows and the room loosens up.
- Watch the volume. Microphones get loud. Your staff are working in it all night, and the noise at work rules apply to them. The figures are in what music does to spend.
- Families early, adults later. A family karaoke slot before tea time can be a different crowd on the same night. Check your licence for children's hours first, in can children go in pubs.
- Use the screens on the other nights too. If the TV's doing the lyrics on Thursday, it can do the quiz, bingo or your offers the rest of the week. That's what I built StockTap TV for.
One last thing. Karaoke works best in pubs where the regulars actually want it. Ask a few of them before you book anyone. The worst karaoke night is the one where the host sings all evening to an empty room and the regulars have gone to the pub down the road.
Common questions
Do pubs need a licence for karaoke?
Two things. In England and Wales karaoke in alcohol on-licensed premises is generally treated as live music, so it needs no premises licence permission between 8am and 11pm for an audience up to 500. But the pub always needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS for the songs.
Can a pub do karaoke after 11pm?
Only if live music (and recorded music) is authorised on the premises licence for those hours, or under a temporary event notice. Otherwise it's unauthorised licensable entertainment.
Does TheMusicLicence cover karaoke?
Yes. PPL PRS lists karaoke among the activities covered for pubs and bars, and quotes are based on details including the number of karaoke sessions.
Can a pub use a personal karaoke app or streaming account?
No. Personal subscriptions are licensed for personal use. Use a service with a plan licensed for public venues, and keep your own TheMusicLicence as well.
How much does a karaoke host cost?
Listings on Last Minute Musicians range from £55 to £2,891 with an average of £330. Several karaoke hire listings start at £59 to £150.
Sources
- Live music exemption, 8am to 11pm, audience up to 500, alcohol on-licensed premises: GOV.UK, Entertainment licensing: changes under the Live Music Act (updated 16 September 2026). Checked 1 November 2026.
- Karaoke as live music, backing tracks, on-screen lyrics: Morning Advertiser, Live Music Act: Q&As on pub karaoke, 1 October 2012 (written when the audience limit was 200). Venue position in 2026 and personal-use content: Lucky Voice for Business, UK karaoke licensing for commercial venues. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Offence of unauthorised licensable activity: Licensing Act 2003, section 136.
- Karaoke covered, number of karaoke sessions on the quote, £14.64 live music up to 100 people, from 14p per attendee, all plus VAT: PPL PRS, TheMusicLicence for pubs and bars. Checked 1 November 2026.
- KaraFun Premium $9.99 and Pro $49.99 a month, Pro includes a licence for public venues and up to 100 connected people, venue remains responsible for public performance royalties: KaraFun Pro. Converted at the Bank of England rate of $1 = £0.747 (23 October 2026). Checked 1 November 2026.
- Karaoke hire prices £55 to £2,891, average £330: Last Minute Musicians, karaoke for hire. Checked 1 November 2026.
- £2.45 gross profit on a £5.34 pint: my electricity cost per pint guide. The break-even and per-night figures are my own arithmetic.