Choosing the right kind of music for your pub customers can make a major difference to your takings, says Phil Mellows.
You wouldn't let your barstaff bring their home brew in and sell it, so why should you let them choose the music?
Most licensees are aware that background music is vital to the intangible "atmosphere" that makes a pub successful. While you don't have to play music to be a hit — JD Wetherspoon has proved that — research has shown that most people like something tuneful going on.
Then it's a matter of what you play — and too many licensees are simply leaving it to the barstaff, whether they hook up a personal iPod, download from internet sites such as Spotify, or just choose from a box of CDs. If you're lucky they're tuned into what will appeal to your customers. But the danger is they just play the things that they like.
Helen Keeble, customer support manager for the Vidimixer entertainment system, advises pubs on how to tailor their playlists and put together themed music nights.
"The kind of music you play creates a large amount of the atmosphere in a pub and affects the length of time customers spend there," she says. "You've got to get it right. You can't put Lady Gaga on in the afternoon when you've got the older generation in.
"The basic rule is to play slower music during the day at a lower volume, and then introduce a more upbeat tempo in the evening. Beyond that it's difficult to be objective. Licensees need to be aware of what their customers' musical tastes are, and pick what they'll like."
The power of music
There's a lot of research to show how much music influences people's behaviour — right down to how much they'll spend across your bar.
"If used correctly, music can be a very powerful tool," says Nicola Formoy, at PRS for Music. "Our recent research showed a third of people are willing to pay 5% more for products and services from businesses that play music."
She cites a study carried out by academics Adrian North and David Hargreaves in a university bar and canteen. Diners were asked to state the maximum they'd be prepared to pay for 14 items with no background music and then with classical, pop and easy-listening music.
Compared to no music at all, classical music encouraged customers to pay 20% more and pop music 16% more.
"Naturally, you must consider carefully the type of music for your pub," Formoy goes on. "For example, taking into account the average age of your customers to ensure the mood and style best fits the desired atmosphere.
"Variety is also a consideration. Customers and staff can get bored and irritated if they have to listen to the same few songs repeated over the course of the day.
"And music doesn't just have to come from CDs, MP3 players and radios," she adds. "You could consider digital services, such as We7 or Spotify."
Changing times
This brings us to the question of technology, which has already had a profound impact on the music industry and is changing the way that pubs play music, too.
From the 1950s the jukebox took over from the piano. Then, with the introduction of CDs, music moved to the back bar. Computer technology enabled the creation of playlists to give greater control. But it could be that the jukebox isn't quite dead yet, as Tom Arundel, business development manager at Soundnet, the leading provider of music to the UK's pubs and clubs, argues.
"A CD player behind the bar results in a fairly limited choice of music, and it's open to abuse by barstaff. It seems cheap, but it takes time and effort to source the CDs and get a good range of music.
"Having an MP3 player sounds cheap, too. You can create your own playlist on an iPod or MP3 player, perhaps half a dozen different play-lists for different times of day. But that takes time too. It's something people don't think about.
"A licensee should think through all the costs involved. You've got to look at what's out there and choose what's right for your pub. Do you need anything more than the most straightforward solution?
"Don't just make a decision based on a booklet that comes through the post. Ask the supplier to put you in touch with a pub that's al-ready got the system and ask them what it's like."
And what about that jukebox?
"People have negative ideas about the jukebox," he says. "There's a fear that you're giving control over choosing the music to the customer. But that harks back to the old CD systems where a customer could pick any track.
"Jukeboxes are digital now and have all the functionality of a background music system — you can offer a choice of tracks at different times of the day and customers choose from a style. You're still giving the customer choice, if that's your selling point, and you can make an income from it too."
Success with a jukebox, though, depends on keeping the music up to date. No less than 85% of jukebox revenue will come from chart hits.
If you have to wait for a machine operator to mail you CDs every month or fortnight your playlist very quickly gets out of date. "But if you connect the jukebox to the internet you can get a chart update on the following Monday, which gives you a greater chance of increasing revenue," says Arundel.
"For community pubs especially, I think that a jukebox like this has a real part to play."
Hi-tech jukebox
The latest generation of jukebox, still in development but hopefully available to pubs within the next few months, is on its way from Virtual Jukebox.
The system will enable customers to text a request from around seven million online tracks — 99% of published music. But licensees will still be able to control the
mood, as the company's Adam Castleton explains.
"A web-based control panel can turn off the jukebox function or restrict requests to a genre that doesn't conflict with your venue. Licensees can set up a genre of music when they want it played, in effect generating a playlist.
"People will stay in the pub longer if music they like is being played."
They will also stay longer if the acoustics are right, according to Tony Andrews, chief engineer at Funktion-One, which designs loudspeaker systems.
"I've had 30 years to observe and think about this," he says. "There are two extremes — one is the noisy pizza place where you put your fork down and everyone knows about it. The other is the classy place with carpets, drapes and soft furnishings.
"People like the noise and clatter, but it wears your brain out. It makes people irritable and they don't even know it's happening. A couple of hours is wearing. They'll get fed up and leave. It's something I don't think interior designers understand.
"As for the music itself, full-on rock and roll is best avoided. It's shouty and clunky, and is in direct competition with people talking because it's in the same frequency range.
"An acoustically vexatious environment will drive people away, and they won't even be able to tell you why. There's no formula, but the trick is to strike a balance."
Vital statistics
Research carried out by MusicWorks revealed:
• Pub-goers believe music is the single most important factor in giving a venue a great atmosphere.
• One in three pub-goers will spend 5% more where music is being played.
• Of the 91% who said they liked a pub with music…
• 79% said it would encourage them to go there more often.
• 60% said they would go to another pub if the music stops.
• 39% said they would buy another drink if music's playing.
Music and the law
If you're playing music in public you must be licensed by PRS for Music and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL).
PRS collects a licence fee on behalf of song writers, composers and publishers. PPL collects a licence fee on behalf of performers and record companies.
The cost of each licence varies depending on how you want to play music, the type of premises you have and so on, but it starts at 18p a day.
For more information call:
• PRS for