Australian on hold messaging company, Messages On Hold, has launched a new music service aimed at combating increasing costs of playing music in businesses such as cafes and restaurants.

At a function at Melbourne restaurant Bacash today it officially unveiled The Groove Gallery which offers “world-class” ambient license free music for businesses globally.

The Groove Gallery founder Kym Illman said the service would come as a “welcome relief” to businesses in Australia and overseas who’ve been affected by increases in public performance licensing fees from APRA/PPCA.

The Australian Copyright Tribunal recently granted The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) rights to significantly raise the cost of public performance licences for thousands of Australian businesses from under $100 per annum in 2008 to an expected $10,000 per annum by the 2015/16 financial year.

“Restaurants and cafes are being savaged by hikes of more than 1,000 per cent in the cost of playing music in their premises,” said Illman.

“Businesses are desperate for world-class, licence-free music that will satisfy their customers and allow them to keep overheads low.”

Illman said The Groove Gallery’s lyric-free, contemporary music has been “enthusiastically received by customers”. Early customers include one gym in Australia and two hotels in Singapore.

“This style of ambient music is designed to comfort, not distract, customers and is as much at home in a Tokyo hotel as it is in French airport or an Aussie restaurant,” Illman said said.

Produced in The Groove Gallery’s Perth studios by full-time, recording artists and producers, each piece of music is owned and copyrighted by The Groove Gallery, so no third party public performance licence is required. Illlman said the cost to businesses would be around $79 a month.

You can hear the music, and also download 12 free tracks, at thegroovegallery.com