Playing Rock Music in Your Store

When consumers buy albums or song tracks, they overwhelmingly choose rock.

In fact, according to Music Business Worldwide, close to 30 percent of album and track consumption happens within the rock music genre. By comparison, pop takes in only 14.9 percent of consumption, and country music is responsible for only 11.2 percent of consumption.

If you are searching for popular music for your business, so you can play tunes consumers are at least somewhat familiar with, rock music could be an ideal choice. But rock music has a variety of different sub-genres, and you will need to do a little more digging before you make your final choice.

Defining Rock Music

Musicologists define rock music in fairly simple terms. For example, in an article about the origins of rock music published in The New Yorker, the author reports that rock music is designed to feel spontaneous, and it is created by three or four instruments and three or four chords. These are the sorts of tunes an amateur musician feels comfortable playing even if that person has little musical training.

Rock music that fits this description might be created by:

• The Rolling Stones
• The Doors
• The Eagles
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Journey

But rock music is also undergoing a transformation. As experts interviewed by Billboard point out, rock purists might have very tight rules in mind that define the genre. Modern listeners are willing to bend those rules a bit, and they ask their radio stations to do the same. As a result, some rock stations play music that could be classified as pop, R&B, or soul. The lines are blurring.

In general, however, rock music could be considered simple, tuneful, and rhythmic. This is music that most people know at least something about. Whether they know the particular sound you are playing or not, they might easily understand that the music you are playing could be considered rock if it comes with drums, guitars, vocals, and a few basic chords.

Types of Rock Music

Combining elements of several genres, rock music often has elements of R&B (rhythm and blues, jazz, and country music while using electric instruments. Rock is known for having catchy music, a strong beat, spirited performances, and often thought-provoking lyrics.

There are many subgenres of rock music, which can include the following:

• Classic rock: This is a genre from specific time periods with a radio format. It often features popular songs.
• Alternative rock: This often includes different subgenres of rock or other musical genres with experimental instrumentation and edgy lyrics.
• Garage rock: Born in garages, these songs typically have easy chord progressions and raw untamed energy and aggression.
• Punk rock: A blend of rock ‘n’ roll and garage rock, punk rock songs have distorted guitars, extreme vocals, power chords, and fast tempos.
• Progressive rock: Often experimental, these songs are often long with odd time signatures.
• Indie rock: Often written by independent artists, songs have a clear melody with simple lyrics.
• Blues rock: This type features a combination of blues and rock music.
• Acid rock: Also called psychedelic rock, acid rock uses distortion, reverb, reversed sound, original use of instruments, and phasing.
• Folk rock: This type often features folk music with rock elements like heavy guitar and drums.
• Glam rock: Influenced by bubblegum pop, this type features a high level of theatricality, rhythms that make you want to dance, and catchy melodies.
• Yacht rock: This type features melodic, upbeat songs that evoke feelings of sailing the high seas drinking champagne.

Is Rock Right for You?

Consumers expect to find a connection between the music you play and the products you sell. When that connection is clear, your products become more memorable to your consumers.

For example, in a study in the journal Psychology and Marketing, researchers played rock music or classical music while showing consumers a series of products. When rock music was playing and participants were interviewed a short time later, they were more likely to remember what researchers called "rock items" associated with rebellion and freedom. When classical music was playing, they were more likely to remember classic items.

There are all sorts of businesses that might benefit from an association with rebellion and freedom.

• Motorcycle shops
• Some types of bars
• Fitness centers
• Gun shops
• Sporting goods stores

You can also tap into the vast library of rock music and select your tunes based on the average age of your customers. If you are dealing with a group of listeners from the baby-boomer era, they might appreciate music from the 1960s and 1970s. Listeners from Generation X might appreciate 1980s rock or 1990s grunge. Since rock covers such a wide swath of music that extends over a long period of time, you have plenty of musical options to choose from.

Sample Playlists for Retailers, Restaurants & Gyms

When choosing what type of music to stream in your business, you will need to think about your demographic and business type. For example, classic rock will generally cater to the older generation, while alternative rock can be more influential in a location with a younger and edgier crowd.

Consider the type of atmosphere you are trying to create and whether or not you want the music in the foreground (something people are actively reacting to) or in the background (not as distracting, more useful for setting the tone and influencing mood).

Sample Rock Playlist for Retail Establishment

Here is a sample rock playlist for your retail establishment:

‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles

‘Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen

‘Iron Man’ by Black Sabbath

‘White Wedding’ by Billy Idol

‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ by Journey

‘Summer of ‘69’ by Bryan Adams

‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana

‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin

Sample Rock Playlist for Restaurants

For a restaurant, a sample rock playlist can look like this:

‘Ballroom Blitz’ by Sweet

‘Born in the U.S.A.’ by Bruce Springsteen

‘Black Dog’ by Led Zeppelin

‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen

‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond

‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ by the Scorpions

‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ by Def Leppard

‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi

‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ by AC/DC

‘Danger Zone’ by Kenny Loggins

Sample Rock Playlist for Gyms

When running a fitness center or gym, consider the following playlist:

‘Enter Sandman’ by Metallica

‘Last Resort’ by Papa Roach

‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes

‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC

‘Metalingus’ by Alterbridge

‘I Stand Alone’ by Godsmack

‘Testify’ by Rage Against the Machine

‘Are You Ready’ by Disturbed

‘Back in Black’ by AC/DC

‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns N’ Roses

How to Legally Stream Rock Music in Your Business

To stream rock music in your business, you will need to use a business music streaming service or provider such as Pandora CloudCover. These music streaming services already have agreements in place with the major PROs (performing rights organizations), which represent different artists and can grant you legal permission to play these copyrighted songs in your business.

With an annual or monthly subscription to a business music streaming provider, you will have access to all the songs in their library, and the legal copyright licensing is handled for you. You also commonly have the ability to select specific genres of music, songs for your specific industry, and customize your playlists from the music catalog. A business music streaming provider can be convenient and cost-effective, easily giving you the results you want.

Must You Pay for Your Music?

Since many rock songs are older, it can be tempting to consider them part of the public domain. Songs that are within the public domain are free for anyone to use without payment. Unfortunately, there are very few songs that fall into this category. In fact, the songs that do fall within the public domain might not seem like rock songs at all. James Cordon pointed this out during his late-night show by creating remixes of songs that are clearly within the public domain, such as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Since most rock songs fall outside the public domain, that means you must form a relationship with the copyright holders of the songs you would like to play.

We can help. At Cloud Cover Music we have literally hundreds of rock songs available for you to play, and we have negotiated relationships with copyright holders, so you will be in compliance with the laws when you spin your tunes. We would love to show you how our system works. Just call us.

Sources

• Rock Music Is Twice as Popular as Pop in America, But R&B Rules Streaming. (January 2015). Music Business Worldwide.
• The Elvic Oracle. (November 2015). The New Yorker.‍
• Is Rock Still Relevant in 2016? (December 2016). Billboard.‍
• The Effect of Musical Fit on Consumers' Memory. (June 2010). Psychology and Marketing.‍
• Public Domain Songs With Jaime Foxx. (January 2017). YouTube.