Music Royalty Payment Policies in Restaurants from the Perspective of Maslahah Mursalah

The commercial use of music in restaurants creates economic value for operators while raising questions about the remuneration owed to composers and related-rights holders. This article examines the royalty regime under Indonesia’s Copyright Law No. 28 of 2014, Government Regulation No. 56 of 2021, Minister of Law Regulation No. 27 of 2025, and Constitutional Court Decision No. 28/PUU-XXIII/2025, and evaluates its consequences for restaurant operators, particularly micro and small enterprises, through the lens of maslahah mursalah. The study employs normative legal research with statutory and conceptual approaches and qualitative analysis of primary legal materials and scholarly literature. It finds that restaurant music royalties have a sound statutory basis, but their substantive legitimacy depends on transparent calculation, traceable distribution, proportionate tariffs, and accessible relief for smaller businesses. Maslahah mursalah supports the protection of creators’ economic rights as an aspect of hifz al-mal while requiring safeguards against disproportionate burdens on users. The article proposes an accountability-oriented framework combining legal certainty, transparent licensing, proportionate business classification, verifiable distribution, and effective review procedures.