Is it a legal requirement to hold an IMRO Dual Music Licence?

Yes. If a music user, be it a radio station, a concert promoter, a shop, an employer, or any business premises, wishes to have copyright music made available (Sec 40 (1) of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000) to the public (‘public’ being defined in case law as anywhere outside the domestic environment), the user must obtain the permission of the copyright owner (Sec 37 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000) for such public use. IMRO, as a licensing body under the Act, is in a position to grant permission in respect of the worldwide repertoire of copyright music within its control, this repertoire covering the overwhelming majority of copyright music.