Where can I buy MP3 that can be used for commercial purposes?

I’m pretty sure that if what you want to do is play music you purchased in MP3 format at a bar or cafe’ you own, the only way it is illegal is if you are charging a cover charge and advertising for the music. If all you are doing is selling beer or coffee, you can play any music in the venue you own.

I don’t know much in this area but you might find that http://www.spotify.com/en/ is legal for public airing, ultimately depending on how your going about it and where etc you can probably just play what you like without any implications…imagine the tape around enforcing playing every different song in a bar or cafe…I don’t think you need to pay for a license unless your a huge retailer, which is why big stores have their own ‘pretend’ radio shows with their own wacky adds…

http://www.freesound.org
http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/index.html
http://ccmixter.org/
Every file from CC is a Creative Commons file. “Creative Commons is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright.

We provide free licenses and other legal tools to mark creative work with the freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share, remix, use commercially, or any combination thereof. ” – from the CCwebsite

I have used MP3s from all of these sites for websites. Enjoy.

Regarding Spotify that I had already looked into, there appears to be an exclusion of public playing…

9. Restrictions of use

For the avoidance of doubt, you agree that you may not (without limitation):
copy, reproduce, “rip”, record, make available to the public or otherwise use any part of the Spotify Software Application or the Spotify Service or its content (including but not limited to tracks, images and text) in a manner not expressly permitted under this Agreement;

As for Creative Commons, that will limit the array of possibilities in a way that is totally inappropriate for the project in question… :-(

Thanks for your answers, I will keep looking and hopefully will find a solution.

There’s no legal hoops to jump when a bar gets a jukebox. What are you trying to do?

Just want to have music on the venue updated now and then by means of downloading from the web, legally.

Jamendo.com has a licensing program.