How Sebastian opened a jazz bar and created an awesome music experience

Sebastian used to be a brilliantly talented and passionate jazz pianist. While playing in bars and restaurants, Seb dreamed about having his own jazz club that would become a mecca for jazz lovers. However, he didn’t have enough money and needed a stable source of income. 

To make his dream come true, Sebastian entered a business school to study restaurant management. Meantime, he played in a modern jazz band and worked as a head waiter to earn a living and build the necessary cash balance.

When Sebastian was 32, he pursued his dream and opened a jazz bar. To create a wonderful interior, Seb hired a professional designer who decorated the place in the dark palette colors, laying emphasis upon lightning and cushioned seats. Furthermore, she used record ornaments from the jazz greats and neon signs to the walls.

As a true jazz admirer and musician, Seb realized that music plays an important role in creating the venue atmosphere and memorable guest experience. In the past, he saw many establishments that lured clients thanks to wonderful live performances and beautiful, carefully selected background music. And Sebastian wanted the same. 

At first, Sebastian was thinking about hiring jazz bands and individual musicians to appear on stage 4–5 times a week in the evenings. After doing some search, he found that a jazz band costs on average $500–$1000 for two hours. In some cases, the price could reach $1500–$2000 per event. 

In order to contract with a musician performing locally for 90 minutes (2 sets of 45 minute performances), the bar owner would have to pay approximately $250–$550 or more. The cost varies depending on the performance length, goals, the number of band members, and their proficiency. In addition, Sebastian revealed that travel costs might be added to the total amount. 

Seb was disappointed with massive budget he’d have to spent on the fulfillment of this dream. So, he began looking for other opportunities. Pretty soon, Seb discovered that the market offered royalty-free music like Soundstripe and online radio services, for instance, Radio Record and Vanilla Radio. He also heard a lot about popular music streaming services.

However, online radio wasn’t the way because of various advertisements and inappropriate compositions not matching the bar’s ambiance. Sebastian tried royalty-free music platforms but it turned out that they rarely included famous songs. 

To his regret, he learned that music streaming apps such as Spotify and YouTube Music cannot be used for commercial purposes and this could lead to significant fines. Besides, AI algorithms tend to switch on inappropriate tracks disrupting the atmosphere.

The task to ensure efficient background music curation was even more complicated, since Sebastian knew how essential it is to make the music playing at the right time, volume, and tempo. Every song in a playlist had to fit the bar’s brand style. Then, Seb aimed to prevent guests and staff from getting bored with the same tracks.

One day, when browsing social networks, the jazz amateur came across Moodby Play, a B2B music streaming platform that provided millions of licensed songs, numerous playlists for different establishment types, and over 500 custom stations. Seb also remembered that had already heard about the application from his friend Liam. 

Sebastian enjoyed that Moodby Play cooperated with qualified DJs and involved plenty of cool features for businesses, from explicit lyrics filter to remote music control. On top of that, he found he’d receive access to Moodby, a mobile jukebox app that lets guests request favorite compositions right from their seats.

After a few days, he met with Liam owning two Irish pubs and asked him about Moodby Play. Liam said they had been using Moodby Play for almost 8 months and were completely satisfied with it. The next day, Seb set up the service in just 5 minutes and started his 30-day free trial. 

Now, 5 months later, Sebastian is happy to engage guests through tailored background music that combines classical, instrumental, smooth, acid, and modern dance jazz. In some cases, the bar founder streams playlists with swing, blues, and classical music. 

Thanks to Moodby Play, Seb improved customer loyalty by 25% and retention — by 20%. Using it in conjunction with the jukebox app, he managed to increase revenue by 15%. 

On special occasions, Sebastian invites live jazz bands and musicians to hold performances and entertain the audience. But with Moodby Play, he doesn’t have to do so too often. As a result, Seb was able to not only deliver an amazing guest experience but save costs.

If you want to learn more about Moodby Play, feel free to contact us via support@moodby.com and we’ll answer all your questions.