For which purpose?
The elevator, the telephone on hold music, common areas, public areas?
Each of those is different and licensing will also likely be different.
A quick internet search shows this:
https://cloudcovermusic.com/music-licensing-guide/in-store-music-laws
There are exceptions to when a license is required to play copyrighted music; stores under 2,000 square feet, and restaurants and bars under 3,750 square feet, can play music over a radio, TV, or similar device, but there have to be fewer than six speakers carrying the sound.
I may not actually need to get a commercial license, my shop is 1500 square feet, and I have at max 2 speakers.
The streaming platform does not matter. You can use anything you want. Its the actual act of playing music that often requires a licence depending on where you are. I live in a scandinavian country and have to pay a fee depending on the store size. 100 square meters would cost $60
(Interestingly i subconsciously converted to $... if you've worked retail in a tourist destination you must have heard 'how much is this in dollars?' but not really the same question for any other currency
Not from US, but from my observation these are the most commonly used music sources used in stores
Spotify - Good if you want customised song selection, playlists could also cover if you want similar songs to previously played songs.
Radio - Good if song licensing is a problem around wherever you are. Internet radios of specific genres could do the trick for you too.
YouTube- Good if you want large song compilations. You can find all sorts of "1 hour of (insert genre here)" videos all around.
I'm pretty sure that at least in Australia you need to pay a license fee to play a radio station in your business.
Why do they think it’s necessary to fill every area with music
It should be ok for places to be quiet. If employees want music they should wear headphones. That way they could listen to what they want too.
You have no idea. He eats on the clock, he brings his dogs to work, he comes and goes as he pleases, like he owns the place, he even has a cat that lives here. Not to mention the ps5 and switch he plays at work.