Background Music Systems

Background music is a powerful way to entertain customers, benefit employees and positively impact a business and the customer experience. This article looks specifically at the various background music delivery systems on offer from the most basic set-up for a single site to internet-streamed day-parting across multiple sites.

An important point to always consider regardless of the type of system is that if you play music that other people can hear then you require music licences. A good place to start is http://www.musicworksforyou.com/music-licensing.html which will directly connect you with the appropriate organizations.

FM & DAB Radio
The most straightforward option can be to play the radio. Radio is often a popular choice as a music source in non-public business locations such as factories, warehouses and offices and also in doctors/dentists waiting rooms where music selection is possibly less of an issue, budgets are minimal and where ads can be tolerated. DAB tuners offer a wider selection of music channels whilst also offering all the popular FM stations and therefore may be worth considering. DAB tuners are available from most electrical retailers from around £50 and FM tuners are generally available for slightly less.

“Narrowcast” or bespoke radio stations
If you want your own radio station, then some suppliers can deliver a specialist radio station that is themed to your business. It allows the flexibility to have a basic music-only service through to a service with DJs and advertising where you can even sell your own advertising space. The service can be delivered either via satellite dish or through a broadband connection and you can specify the styles of music played and the format of the station.
For a list of licenced in-store radio suppliers, click here. Contact a supplier directly for a quote.

CD Players
A CD player is another way of delivering background music. Options include a single or a multi-disc player which give varying lengths of music playing time. There are CD players built specifically to a commercial standard and these players generally deliver a higher sound quality, greater reliability and randomised song selection from a carousel of CDs. The main commercial CD player brands include Denon, Marantz, Tascam and Teac. Prices generally start from around £160 for the player alone. For more limited budgets a regular CD player costing around £100 will normally deliver music to a small site at an acceptable standard.
If you aren’t comfortable selecting your own music, then there are specialist companies who for a fee will supply music on CDs as frequently as you require. They generally take care of all the logistical issues such as selecting the music and sending it to the required venues each month. These companies normally offer a music consultancy service designed to match the music to your venue and customers. They can also include an in-store messaging service if required.
For a list of organisations that are licenced to copy sound recordings for use in a Background Music system, click here. Contact a supplier directly for a quote.

Hard Disc Music Systems / Internet Streamed Music
The more sophisticated background music systems use hard disk players which are generally supplied by professional background music companies. These systems which can be connected to the internet offer a number of benefits over other options mentioned above. The key benefits include:

• They hold much more music – often around 2,000 tracks – which delivers greater choice of music and a reduced risk of song repetition which can often be problematic for employees
• The systems can generally be programmed to play different tracks between specified times of the day (“day-parting”) and to change the selection at say weekends when a different mood might be required
• The ability to operate a uniform music policy across different stores or sites thereby ensuring brand consistency
• The music library can be updated remotely from a head office or by the music system supplier through the internet thereby removing the need for physical uploads which can go missing or manual intervention which can go wrong. This also has the benefit of ensuring the latest songs (and sometimes pre-releases) are played immediately upon release.
• The music is normally tailored to fit your target market and trading style. An expert will generally identify a recommended mix of artists, styles, genres, eras and tempos that fit the business requirements. The company providing the music normally has access to hundreds of thousands of tracks.

For a list of licenced suppliers click here. Contact a supplier directly for a quote.

Live music
Although not technically a music system, there is always the option of playing live music. This is generally popular in restaurants, pubs and bars and hotels. It can help create a romantic atmosphere or reinforce the authenticity of the venue (such as playing Flamenco music in a Spanish restaurant). Live music can create a desired atmosphere that makes the environment more enjoyable and set you apart from your competitors. Be careful that you do not alienate your customers by having music that contradicts the values of your business (i.e you don’t want to play cheesy music in a high end restaurant), and make sure that the volume of the music is not too loud that the customers are not able to talk to each other.
The going rate is usually around £150-£300 for a duo for one or two 45 minute sets and perhaps a meal and drink.

There is a large amount of information on www.musicworksforyou.com about the benefits of playing music.

Please note for all of the above both a PPL and PRS for Music licence is legally required. For more information contact both organisations directly:
PPL: 020 7534 1070 (www.ppluk.com)
PRS for Music: 0845 309 3090 (www.prsformusic.com)