Music in shops: how to choose what plays
Most shops have music on. But who chose it? Usually whoever opened up that morning. So every store sounds different, and rarely like your brand.
Why music in your shop matters
Music is the first thing customers hear when they walk in. It sets the tone for the whole visit: calm or lively, young or classic, budget or premium. Customers rarely notice it, but they notice when it is wrong. A busy Saturday with slow songs feels sluggish. A quiet Tuesday morning with loud beats feels restless.
So music in your shop is not just background. Like your interior and your lighting, it is a choice that shows who you are.
Three ways to play music
Your own playlist or Spotify
- Staff choose the music
- Every store sounds different
- No jingles or ads of your own
- A personal account is not for business use
Background music service
- Music from fixed channels
- The same sound everywhere
- Little room for your own message
- Licensed for business use
Your own in-store radio station
- Matched to your audience
- The same sound everywhere
- Your own jingles and commercials
- Tempo and mood through the day
A personal streaming account is meant for use at home. The terms of those services do not allow it in a shop, quite apart from the music licences you need anyway.
What good shop music does
- Fits your customers, not your staff's taste
- Changes tempo through the day: calmer when it is quiet, more energy when it is busy
- Enough variety for people who work there all day, familiar for those in for ten minutes
- Refreshed regularly without changing character
- Always on: no silence when the tablet dies or the playlist runs out
Music as a radio station
With your own in-store radio station we take care of all of it. Our music department has scheduled music for national radio stations since 1997 and builds your format around your audience. Between the songs you hear your own jingles and your own offers. Every store receives the same stream, through the sound system that is already there.
Questions about music in shops
About Spotify, licensing and the right music.
Can I play Spotify in my shop?
Not with a personal account: under its terms it is for home use only. For business use you need a service or station made for that, plus a music licence.
Do I have to pay for music in my shop?
Yes. Playing music in a shop is public use, and you pay the collecting societies for it. Read more on music licensing.
Which music suits my shop?
That depends on your customers, not on your taste. We make a music proposal based on your audience; you set out your preferences and limits.
How loud should the music be?
Loud enough to set the mood, quiet enough for customers and staff to talk easily. Every store gets a short instruction at the start.
Can customers hear our shop music at home?
Yes. With your own station you can make the stream public and put it on your website, or have it listed on radio portals. That way customers take the atmosphere of your shop home with them.
Can I play music from my own brand?
Yes. We produce jingles, brand music and commercials in our own studios. See audio production.
Get in touch today
and discover the power of in-store music.