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Noise pollution is one of the top customer complaints that restaurants receive and understandably so. Blaring music in particular (and rambunctious diners) can create a very unpleasant dining experience and destroy the romantic mood you want to feel with your significant other on your date night.  However, studies have proven that the right music for restaurants and bars can induce positive emotions among customers resulting in an increase of sales.

Effectiveness of Restaurant Background Music

Imagine walking into a posh steakhouse only to be greeted with hip hop music upon arrival. The juxtaposition would seem indecorous to you as a guest. On the flip side, however, a pleasing fitting sound of soft country music would be more compatible with the steakhouse’s ambience. Granted, some guests may be more perceptive to music than others. The restaurant background music may seem distractingly loud and unseemly to some of them. In this guide, we further elaborate on what kind of music to play at a restaurant, how to curate the ideal restaurant music playlist, and steps to procure a music license for your restaurant.

Choosing the Right Restaurant Music

Music evokes a range of emotions. Hence, emotions are one of the most vital components of customer dining experiences. Restaurant background music can excite us or repel us depending on the volume and genre. It can maximally set the mood. From heavy-metal rock, to slow jazz, indie-pop and rap music, there are many options to choose from. However, most restaurant background music services provide a very limited catalog with little or no customization whatsoever. Fortunately with emerging advanced technologies, newer companies are able to offer larger music libraries and apps to restaurants, enabling easy access, customization, and control. Unlike the archaic systems of yesteryear, the current digital solutions that we’ve become familiar with over the years are equipped to handle multiple locations and take minutes to set up.

Jazzing Up your Restaurant Décor

Music background can not only set the mood but also highlight your design. Ambiance can make your restaurant more memorable and enjoyable for your customers. The overall atmosphere is indicated by the way each restaurant arouses senses and emotions. Therefore, a great music playlist is considered to be another integral factor of your restaurant’s design and layout which requires strong detail orientation and attentiveness. The style of your restaurant furniture should coordinate with your restaurant music and interior design. In addition to the right music, comfort level and durability of restaurant chairs and restaurant booths can have a notable impact on customer experience.  Ultimately, the quality of food, service, and the restaurant’s aesthetics marked by the furniture and color scheme combined together should create a cohesive brand.

Tuning into Sales and Customer Satisfaction

Playing the right background music has the potential to increase patrons’ satisfaction and has also shown to increase profits. Research shown by Soundtrack Your Band confirms that. The study analyzed approximately 2 million transactions and 16 restaurants. Subsequently, results showed that restaurants that played background music that fit their brand’s personality have piqued positive emotions among customers and increased revenue.

You can enlist the help of music services to search for a pre-made playlist or create your very own. If you decide to use them, it’s important to have a legitimate business account with them. Spotify features a range of restaurant specific music playlists.  you can alternatively play a song, artist, or album from a Spotify radio that expresses your brand the best. Pandora radio, another music service, enables you to play songs from artists that communicate with your ambiance.

Soundtracks for Every Environment and Time of Day

As previously mentioned in this article, matching your background music and design with your brand is the most important aspect of creating an effective playlist. Your music playlist should either contain a wide selection or be updated frequently. Patrons and staff members alike will appreciate the variety. Keeping your playlist dynamic can go a long way too. The songs you select intended for your ambiance don’t collectively need to sound the same. You can switch up the band, tempo, and genre every so often. You can alter your background music based on the time of day by dividing your playlist into different energy levels or creating a new playlist altogether. For instance, the music played at restaurants during the morning should be calm and uplifting. Slightly more energetic songs and beats are recommended during brunch or lunchtime. Music should be livelier during happy hour. Dinner invites a more dynamic mix. Upbeat background music should be played around late evening.

Playing the right music for the time of day is important. Likewise, selecting the music for your atmosphere is a necessity. Many restaurants tend to mix and match the type of background music they play as the environment changes. Awareness of these changes is crucial for determining the appropriate music for your environment. If you run a family-friendly restaurant, songs with explicit lyrics are not recommended.  In fine dining establishments, music’s role can enhance the quality of food and service. Music typically played at an upscale dining setting resides at a lower energy level, generating a more relaxing feel to the ambiance. If your bar and grill is separated from your dining area (assuming you even have one), you may want different streams of music for your restaurant so you can distinctly define your vibe in each area. Music needs to match with the fun but relaxed vibe at a lounge. Music in such circumstances will actually help define the lounge so carefully sorting through a specific genre and vibe of music can establish the mood at your venue.

Music License for Restaurants and Bars

The overall customer experience is heavily affected by the ambiance at your restaurant. Playing live or recorded music is a critical part of the atmosphere you want to achieve. However, playing music requires you to be conversant with copyright infringement laws and licensing restrictions. Unfortunately, owners who neglect to research the laws pertaining to playing music at restaurants may open them up to expensive lawsuits filed by music rights holders such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. A music license allows you to play music that is licensed by another person or organization. Users must obtain permission from songwriters and composers who may charge a fee for permitting you to play their music at your venue. Costs for obtaining a music license may vary based on the capacity of your business, number of times the music is played, whether the music is recorded or live, audio, video, and the measurements of your space.