How to Choose the Music for Your Small Business (+ Playlists)

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You had an amazing idea, and you decided that your community really needed to know about it. So you opened up your own small business. You're not alone. According to the 2021 Small Business Profile created by the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are 32.5 million small businesses in the United States alone.

You can flesh out your idea and connect with your consumers by choosing the right music to play in your small business. To do that, you'll need to get set up with a partner.

An Expense You Should Plan For

Running a small business can be expensive, and as authors writing in the Houston Chronicle point out, a rule of thumb suggests that you'll reinvest most of your first-year net revenue into your business. Money will be tight, and it's understandable if you're tempted to cut corners.

Unfortunately, playing music in your shop will — in most cases — rely on some form of payment. As the Better Business Bureau points out, music that you play for your customers is considered a "performance" under the law. It doesn't matter that you're not selling tickets or hiring a band. When you play music in a place where strangers gather together to do something, it's considered a performance.

"In order to play music, you'll need some kind of connection with these PROs. Without that connection, you could get fined for each instance of playing a song. Those offenses could really pile up, and that could impact your ability to make a profit."

The people who created that music hold a license for it, and that means they expect to get a fee every time that music is played. Composers, singers, and other musicians hold contracts with one of the major performing rights organizations (or PROs), who collect those fees on their behalf.

In order to play music, you'll need some kind of connection with these PROs. Without that connection, you could get fined for each instance of playing a song. Those offenses could really pile up, and that could impact your ability to make a profit.

There are two exceptions for very cash-strapped businesses, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.

The first: If your small business is held in a facility that is smaller than 2,000 square feet (or you run a food-based or drinking establishment that is less than 3,750 square feet), you can play local radio in your organization.

The second: You can play music that falls within the public domain (think: old). You'll need to be careful to ensure that you are playing the original, protected version of the piece. Any cover or rerecording could be subject to licensing issues.

These options could be workable for some small businesses. They could, however, keep you from really tapping into the benefits of using music in your business.

Why Should You Explore Your Options?

The music you play can have an influence on what your consumers do and how much they are willing to pay you for their experience.

For example, in research highlighted by the Association for Psychological Science, scientists found that playing country music prompted consumers to pay more for utilitarian products like toothbrushes or ballpoint pens while playing classical music prompted consumers to pay more for high-end products like cologne or gold earrings.

It may sound unusual or even a little disconcerting, but the music you play can help to prod your consumers to spend their hard-earned money with you rather than spending it somewhere else.

Researchers writing in Scientific American say that music has the ability to touch brain cells that control both emotion and movement. That's why people march to the beat of a band, and it explains why people walk a little faster in a store with an upbeat tempo playing overhead.

How could you use this inherent ability of music to help your brand? You could look for songs that help to reinforce your brand positioning. Your playlist might vary if you consider your brand to be:

  • Technologically savvy
  • Made for young people
  • Rebellious and alternative
  • Caring and kind
  • Nostalgic
  • Foreign

Think about the words you might use to define your brand, and then use those words to help you come up with artists and/or songs that complement the words you've chosen. You could come up with the right playlist in no time.

In research highlighted by the Association for Psychological Science, scientists found that playing country music prompted consumers to pay more for utilitarian products like toothbrushes or ballpoint pens while playing classical music prompted consumers to pay more for high-end products like cologne or gold earrings.

Playlists

1. Country: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ze2tulcmXnVnD1OQHamU3?si=WLrrsHLjQS2DstAm48WJmQ

Song: Whiskey River

Artist(s): Willie Nelson

Song: What Would I've Become

Artist(s): Ryan Bingham

Song: The Housefire

Artist(s): Turnpike Troubadours

Song: The Color of a Cloudy Day

Artist(s): Shelby Lynne, Allison Moorer

Song: Stockyards

Artist(s): Casey Donahew

Song: Stay

Artist(s): William Clark Green

Song: If I Was a Gun

Artist(s): Ian Munsick

Song: Message In A Bottle

Artist(s): Stoney LaRue

Song: Molotov

Artist(s): Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Song: Oh, Tonight (feat. Kacey Musgraves)

Artist(s): Josh Abbott Band, Kacey Musgraves

Song: Outlaw State Of Mind

Artist(s): Chris Stapleton

2. Classical: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kjR7rHDvjxeU7DAVLWYVr?si=DmFW8cudQJqPbW9_n_gYFw

Song: Borodin - String Quartet No.2 in D major: Notturno: Andante

Artist(s): Alexander Borodin, Borodin Quartet

Song: Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: II. Air

Artist(s): Johann Sebastian Bach, Joshua Bell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

Song: The Well-Tempered Clavier: Book 1, BWV 846-869: 1. Prelude in C Major, BWV 846

Artist(s): Johann Sebastian Bach, Lang Lang

Song: Liszt: Années de pèlerinage, Troisième année, "Italie", S. 163: IV. Les Jeux d'eaux á la Villa d'Este

Artist(s): Franz Liszt, George Li

Song: Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622: II. Adagio

Artist(s): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sabine Meyer, Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker

Song: Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: II. Adagio assai

Artist(s): Maurice Ravel, Andrew von Oeyen, Emmanuel Villaume, Prague Philharmonia

Song: Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48: II. Walzer: Moderato, tempo di valse

Artist(s): Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Moscow Soloists, Yuri Bashmet

Song: String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Op. 132: V. Allegro appassionato

Artist(s): Ludwig van Beethoven, Koeckert Quartet

Song: String Quartet No. 53 in D Major, Op. 64, No. 5, Hob.III:63, "The Lark": II. Adagio - Cantabile

Artist(s): Franz Joseph Haydn, Kodály Quartet

Song: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: I. Molto allegro

Artist(s): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Riccardo Minasi, Ensemble Resonanz

We Can Help

At Cloud Cover Music, we're here to help smooth the road for small businesses. We can help you choose a playlist that reflects your brand and helps consumers to know who you are and what you stand for. We can also take care of licensing issues, so you'll be able to play what you want without fines. Let's get started.

References

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