How to use background music for restaurant branding

“Music is an integral part of the customer experience and venue atmosphere. With tailored background music, establishments can develop brand identity, boost guest engagement, and even generate higher revenues. According to studies, restaurants playing brand-fit music that reflects their culture can increase sales by over 9%.” —Sergei Cherniavskiy, CEO and Co-Founder at Moodby.

Background music is not just a way to fill the silence or the sound of voices in a public place. Music can act as a powerful tool to design and strengthen restaurant branding. Studies show that personalized music can affect people’s mood, the passing of time, and our purchasing decisions. 

By streaming carefully selected background music, establishments can provide a unique customer experience. In fact, music influences the perception of the venue’s atmosphere, so prestigious expensive restaurants generally play classical and instrumental compositions to create an air of sophistication and elegance. 

Therefore, setting the sound of your hospitality business right is about developing a restaurant brand identity that clients can connect and become loyal to. In this article, we will explore how you can use background music for restaurant brand design.

• Why does music matter for your restaurant brand? 
• How to choose the right music for restaurant branding
• Music for restaurant branding. A secret ingredient

Why does music matter for your restaurant brand? 

Background music may have a significant impact on customer experience. According to a study by Cornell University, music can affect how much money diners spend, how long they stay, and how they are satisfied with their visit.

For example, experts found that the purchase amount was higher when the music was soft in volume and slow rather than when it was loud and fast.

Based on polls taken by over 11,250 consumers globally, 81% of respondents say background music improves he overall ambiance, putting them in a better mood. The report determined that 70% of participants feel more connected with the brand when listening to carefully selected music.

Music can also influence how people perceive your restaurant brand, since it can evoke associations with certain cultures, moods, values, and lifestyles.

If you choose, for instance, classical tunes at your place, visitors may associate your hospitality brand with elegance and quality. Rock tracks, in turn, are generally related to energy and excitement.

How to choose the right music for restaurant branding

To select background music for restaurant branding, it is important to consider certain aspects. Make sure that music playlists match your brand identity and the target audience’s preferences.

1. Restaurant brand identity 

Restaurant brand identity is the way an establishment presents itself to its customers and the public. It includes elements such as the venue’s name, logo, design, menu, service, atmosphere, and values. A strong brand identity helps attract clients, build loyalty, and differentiate the place from competitors.

Background music is among the most important restaurant branding aspects. However, it is often overlooked by many businesses and this is where you can gain a competitive advantage and create a memorable experience. 

With tailored music, it is possible to reinforce the restaurant’s theme, style, and brand personality. In order to choose background music, consider what values, traits, and emotions define your restaurant brand. Think about what feelings you want to convey when people come to your HoReCa place for the first time.

For example, a fast-food restaurant might play upbeat and energetic tracks to improve table turnover rate and encourage impulse purchases. Meanwhile, a fine-dining restaurant may opt for jazz and classical music to design a sophisticated relaxed ambiance.

If you want to induce a sense of warmth, friendliness, and comfort, you can freely play acoustic and folk songs. Starting a Mexican restaurant, you can stream salsa and mariachi music to provide a festive and authentic vibe. 

In case restaurant branding is based on innovation, creativity, and uniqueness, electronic or experimental music will be a perfect match. 

2. Target audience

A survey of more than 2,100 diners revealed that streaming brand-fit background music helped restaurants improve client satisfaction and sense of well-being rather than when playing to random popular tracks.

According to a MRC study, 65% of respondents believe that designing a compelling atmosphere with music is vital for establishments. Analysts say that nearly 55% of participants stayed longer at a public venue when enjoying the music. 

So, determine the target audience and describe ideal customers, taking into account demographics, preferences, and expectations. Then, pick music playlists for your restaurant brand accordingly. 

Catering to young people, for instance, you can play contemporary or indie music. If potential and/or current clients are mainly families with children, you should select upbeat or kid-friendly music to delight them.

3. Music licensing 

The restaurant should obtain the necessary licenses to stream background music legally. Using B2C apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music for business goals is illegal, since they serve for private use only. Otherwise, you may encounter significant fines and lawsuits from music rights holders and organizations.

Licensing terms may also vary depending on various factors that include venue location, the source of music, format. For example, local authorities may require special permissions to play background music at public places.

To learn more about music licensing, read our guide on the topic.

Music for restaurant branding. A secret ingredient

To choose music for restaurant branding properly, you need to consider multiple aspects that involve genre, tempo, volume, and language. All songs should match each other in order not to disrupt the customer experience and overall ambiance. 

Furthermore, playlists lasting for even 20 hours get boring very soon. It is also important to regularly update them. Compiling a playlist manually, in turn, requires not only the knowledge of music psychological effects on consumers but a lot of time and effort. 

As mentioned above, playing music via apps like Spotify and YouTube Music for business goals is illegal and may lead to fines. When using radio, establishments have to deal with numerous ads, talks, and not suitable tunes. Meanwhile, hiring DJs, music curators, or live artists is generally very expensive. 

This way, it is essential to select a music curation solution that will provide not only the best playlists for your restaurant brand but help you create an awesome music experience. We recommend that you choose a B2B music streaming platform with licensed content, rich business-focused functionality, and a simple user interface.

Moodby Play is a B2B music management service that offers an extensive library of regularly updated playlists and stations composed by professional DJs.

Moodby Play has:

• Pre-scheduled stations to suit different client moods throughout the day.
• Full control over the played music.
• No ads or interruptions.
• Access from any device, from any place.
• The possibility to block and shuffle tracks.
• Easy setup, no hardware required.
• Offline mode.
• Jukebox song request app for guests.
• Onboarding and support from our team.
• Personalized music stations on demand in cooperation with our DJs.

Join our Moodby Play music streaming platform to shape restaurant brand identity, boost the audience’s engagement, and drive sales. Start a 30-day free trial!🎁

“Music content is a massive part of the F&B business for drawing in customers, making them stay and creating venue personality… Music curation is a growing need and a business that ultimately creates atmosphere, identity, branding — which all result in that X factor: loyalty.” —George Marchant, Head of Pavillon Bar & Kitchen.