The Power of Music

Music to a place of business can be as important as advertising to your exact target market. Most people think very little about the sounds they hear, especially to the background music that may be playing in an office or an entertainment type of establishment. It’s important to think about what type or style of music to play and who is the individual your trying to attract. I have been all over our great province of Ontario and have visited establishments located just about everywhere. I have good stories and bad ones. But for the most part I have noticed that the choice of music played can be seen as being totally out of touch with the clientele that attend. The bad part of this, and the good part for most of these establishments is the lack of competition. Without it the businesses know they have the market cornered in their area and realize that people have no choice but to attend their establishment. This in my mind has to be corrected. Whether you play music for the patrons at a bar or people in a waiting room, you need to understand that music does make a difference on the individual’s behavior.

Lets break this down a little bit more. We have all been to a dance bar on Friday night. At least I hope so. If you get there early enough you will have the opportunity to hear first hand the effects of the music played to the crowd. The night starts slowly with maybe a few early 80’s songs, then towards the middle of the night the beat is picked up and the pace is set. The DJ by now should be reading the type of crowd attending and get their feet moving. By the end of the night the beat is pulled back and the music begins to wind down for the entrance of the two, sometimes one slow song signaling the end of another night out. Why is this done? Simple, music effects behavior. Could you imagine what it would be like to end the night on the proverbial high note? The establishment must calm the crowd before asking them to leave. Slow songs at the end tend to do this. Puts people in a mellow mood for their exit. For all you beverage serving establishments trying to do better with bar sales here is a little tip: Do your best to get the crowd moving and dancing, have the DJ or music service provider program in a dance floor clearing song. Something that people rarely dance to. I know this sounds crazy but usually when people leave the floor although a little upset about the change of venue, they head straight to the bar to refresh their drink! Once that song has finished have the format continue with more floor filling tunes. Drop these types of songs two or three times a night and watch your sales increase.

Music is so important. It tends to keep your clients happy and can pretty much guarantee that patron(s) will return the following week. Maybe even sooner! Music played in the office environment can have similar effects. It has been well documented that music does affect the mind and learning potential of the individual. It was best said by Mr. Kristian David Olsen “Music is a power too great for man to comprehend at this point but through further study man can learn how to better harness its power to use it to its full potential.”

James Butler

Rems Entertainment