1

Our org is expanding one of our Dental offices. Currently they have an older Sonos system in place that wouldn’t be compatible with new speakers. From what I see, all the newer Sonos speakers are smart speakers, which would be a violation of HIPAA if the mics were accidentally turned on. Is anyone else using a speaker system in office?

Thanks,
Gary

11 Spice ups
2

No, but if you make it so that patients can control the music by popular vote (maybe even a paid portal??) that might help! Can you imagine sitting in the lobby and hearing some good heavy metal? You’d never know where the dentist drills ended and the song began!

8 Spice ups
3

i know back in the day when i worked at mcdonalds they have a satellite audio system that was pretty decent, it was an analog system so you would just need speakers installed and wired to each room audio is wanted.

4 Spice ups
4

I’m not sure what my dentist has for their music, but it’s a great mix of new/old stuff. I was just there this morning: Fleetwood Mac, Billy Idol, Plain White T’s, and Incubus to name a few.

They just have ceiling speakers throughout the office, I imagine they’re hooked up to a service marketed to that sort of office space.

Gotta be careful with broadcast copyright in commercial spaces, I don’t know the full legality of just playing music from Spotify or other service like that.

6 Spice ups
5

yea generally frowned upon to play spotify or pandora in a commercial setting like that. i know when i was younger i would play mp3s on our ventrillo server during our wow raids to lighten the mood

4 Spice ups
6

There’s a dentist in town (insurance company changed and they didn’t take the new one) that used to play a local radio station and had a great mix of everything…but I can’t stand country or pop so a good 80% of the modern songs are straight out.

5 Spice ups
7

I’m not in my dentists long enough to listen to anything.

Most tannoy systems would work, especially if you’re looking for something where a name could also be called out over.

  • Axis C1410 or C1310-E: Network speakers with SIP support, PoE, and zone control.
  • Valcom IP Speakers: Often used in healthcare and education; support multicast, zone paging, and secure protocols.

These two pop up in searches.

6 Spice ups
8

You’re right to avoid anything with built-in microphones—smart speakers like Sonos, Alexa, or Google Home absolutely raise HIPAA concerns, even if the mic is “disabled.” For healthcare spaces, best to stick with commercial-grade audio solutions that are mic-free, HIPAA-safe, and license-compliant.

Recommended Options for Healthcare Audio Systems

Cloud-Managed, Business-Grade Audio Services
These are purpose-built for commercial use and address both licensing and compliance:

  • Mood Media – Used by dental and retail chains, offers curated channels, scheduling, and full licensing.
  • Cloud Cover Music – Designed for businesses, HIPAA-friendly, can stream over existing amps/speakers.

These services let you use your own wired speakers and amps or sell plug-and-play players.

Hardware-Based Audio Systems (No Smart Features)
For speaker hardware, consider:

  • Axis C1410 or Valcom IP Speakers – Networkable, PoE, SIP support, no microphones
  • Bogen or TOA Systems – Traditional commercial PA/music amps, analog or hybrid options
  • Paging + Music: Combine background music with zone paging if needed

Avoid These for Compliance

  • Sonos (any newer models with mics/smart features)
  • Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music (TOS violations in commercial use)
  • Consumer Bluetooth speakers

Make sure staff cannot control music from personal phones—central control only, ideally via wired controller or secure app login.

5 Spice ups
9

As for music content providers, the commercial version of Spotify is Soundtrack.io and the commercial version of Pandora is provided by Mood:Media at Pandora.MoodMedia.com

The “Muzak” brand has been rebranded as Mood:Media (which is the Non-Pandora option).

6 Spice ups
10

Even better, in the UK there is a genre called Drill…

4 Spice ups
12

muzak was what i remembered from years ago!!!

8 Spice ups
13

Maybe start looking at the UI offering.

4 Spice ups
14

Not addressing HIPAA here, as that is its own area of concern. My suspicion is that your safest solution there will be “dumb” speakers.

As for the legality of the music itself, there are streaming/dedicated services that include Commercial licensing such that the business doesn’t have to deal with ASCAP/BMI/SESAC/etc., usually. A quick AI search returned these which sound familiar.

  1. Soundtrack Your Brand
  • Formerly part of Spotify.
  • Fully licensed for commercial use.
  • Offers curated playlists, scheduling, and remote control.
  • Ideal for retail, hospitality, and fitness environments.
  1. Pandora for Business
  • Powered by Mood Media.
  • Includes ASCAP, BMI, SESAC licensing.
  • Simple setup with curated stations.
  1. SiriusXM for Business
  • Offers over 240 channels.
  • Includes commercial licensing.
  • Great for businesses wanting talk radio, sports, and music.
  1. Cloud Cover Music
  • Affordable and scalable.
  • Includes licensing and scheduling tools.
  • Offers integration with Sonos and other systems.
  1. Rockbot
  • Interactive music experience with customer input.
  • Licensed for business use.
  • Offers digital signage and audio messaging features.
  1. Jukeboxy
  • Designed for small to medium businesses.
  • Includes licensing and remote management.
  • Offers offline playback.
  1. Heartbeats International
  • Focuses on brand-aligned music strategies.
  • Ideal for high-end retail and hospitality.
  1. Tune: The Business Beat
  • Newer entrant with AI-curated playlists.
  • Emphasizes brand identity and customer experience.
8 Spice ups
15

Not sure what your budget is on this.

Sonos is fine in this, minus it’s kind of a pain for initial setup. You need the app now. You can do this in a closet > 70v amp (we use bogen normally) > 70v speakers. Those speakers can be horns or ceiling tile speakers.

5 Spice ups
16

I think it’s the same as our Industrial genre…

4 Spice ups
17

Our? When I was in college, it was called German Industrial. Then shortened for simplicity.

3 Spice ups
18

Not sure about the legality-part, but I use to pipe the local off-air public broadcasting station, which played Jazz most of the time. A simple radio connected to the aux-in port on the PBX. No muss, no fuss. Got a lot of compliments about it when people were put on hold.
Another option is to use an MP3 player loaded with music, on permanent loop. If it’s more than one big MP3 file, then randomize will help keep it from being predictable.
Personally I would stream soma.fm’s Groove Salad Classic and donate a chunk of change to them to help support it. https://somafm.com/

3 Spice ups
19

Muzak.

3 Spice ups
20

Thank you everyone so far for your replies. To answer the legality question, we are using Pandora cloud cover at our other offices over Sonos speakers that do not have microphones. It sucks that Sonos doesn’t offer a non-smart speaker these days.

Thanks,

Gary

2 Spice ups
21

Any “smart” appliance can be made dumb with the cutting of the correct wire(s) :wink:

1 Spice up