How to choose background music for your business
What to look for, how to match the sound to your brand and what a music license covers.
Music plays a bigger role in business spaces than many people realize. Background music can strengthen how deeply a brand connects with customers, especially when targeted based on the time of day.
The right background music helps customers connect with your brand, feel at home in your store and stay longer. When the experience resonates, it encourages purchases and leaves customers with a positive impression they're more likely to share with friends and family, building organic brand awareness through word of mouth.
In contrast, the wrong background tunes can irritate customers or make them feel overwhelmed or out of place, which may encourage them to leave sooner than intended. That's not good for brand perception or sales.
How do you choose background music for your business?
When choosing background music for your business, you need to consider your brand identity, your customers' behavior and the time of day. And, most importantly, you need to make sure your background music is licensed for business use.
Here are six steps to success:
Define the feeling the space should create
Profile customers and how long they stay
Set genre, tempo and energy level
Adjust by time of day
Keep the music consistent
Make sure the music is licensed for business use
Why does background music matter for a business?
Background music isn't just there to fill silence. It shapes how a space feels, how long people stay and how they remember their visit. Around 79% of customers notice background music.
When the sound doesn't fit, it can become a distraction.
That's why background music should be treated like any other element of your commercial space, alongside lighting, layout and service. The rule of thumb to keep in mind is that all these elements need to complement your product.
How does music affect customers and brand perception?
Every business communicates something the moment a customer walks in. Music is part of that message. According to one Gant study, 42% of customers spent more time in a store playing music and sales rose an average of 37% when the music aligned with the brand.
A calm, minimal soundtrack can make a space feel relaxed and premium. Brighter, more energetic tunes can create a sense of movement. Warm, familiar sounds can help customers feel welcome and at ease.
Problems usually arise when the music feels disconnected from the rest of the brand. Imagine a minimalist interior paired with a chaotic playlist: it can be confusing, even if the individual songs are popular.
Music works best when it quietly reinforces your brand rather than competing for attention.
How to make background music match your brand
If you're deciding how to make background music work for your business, start with your brand identity, not with the playlist.
Ask yourself:
What do I want customers to feel in this space?
How would I describe my brand in a few words?
Do my current playlists support that feeling?
Different businesses naturally lean toward different sounds. For example:
Cafés often benefit from relaxed, warm music. Consider genres like folk or jazz.
Restaurants usually need steady, unobtrusive tracks that allow easy conversation. The right genre depends on your concept, but pop and jazz are good starting points.
Gyms may need higher energy music during peak times. Keep things uptempo with genres like house or techno.
Salons and spas generally require calm, minimal sound. Genres like ambient or classical are worth a look.
Retail stores can benefit from music with a moderate energy level. It comes down to your store's concept, but genres like pop and rock are diverse enough to find the perfect sound.
Hotel lobbies typically call for warmer sounds. Genres like nu jazz or downtempo can help get that classy, modern vibe.
As an example, you run a cosy café with homey decor, shared tables and a communal vibe. You want your guests to feel like they're in their second living room. The music should be calming (although not enough to put them to sleep) and the energy level should be high enough to stimulate conversation but not make guests feel like they're in a rush. A playlist with some indie folk or instrumental jazz might be the right choice.
The goal isn't to impress customers with musical knowledge. It's to create a space that feels intentional and comfortable.
How do you choose music that fits your customers?
To choose background music that works, you first need to understand who your customers are and how they use your space.
Ambient sound is most effective when it reflects both your audience and the context of their visit. Different customer groups respond differently to genre, tempo and energy level, depending on why they are there and how long they plan to stay.
Soundtracks do not need to match customers' personal taste exactly. What matters more is that it feels appropriate for the space and the activity taking place. This distinction is often overlooked, but it plays a key role in creating an environment that feels comfortable rather than distracting.
Before building a playlist, take time to answer a few practical questions:
Who is your ideal customer? Consider creating a few simple customer profiles.
Why are they visiting your café, salon or store?
What are they hoping to find or experience?
How long are they likely to stay?
Why did they choose to visit in person rather than shop online?
What do they want from the experience overall?
The answers to these questions will guide your music choices far more effectively than personal preference alone.
How does the time of day change the right music?
Calmer music during quieter periods and higher-energy music when foot traffic increases. Customer needs often change throughout the day, so many businesses adjust their playlists based on this.
This approach, known as dayparting, is widely used in retail, hospitality and service environments to better align soundtracks with customer behavior. Soundtrack's music scheduling can help change your playlists automatically throughout the day.
What do genre, tempo and energy level mean for background music?
Quite a bit, in fact. But first, some definitions of these three aspects of music:
Genre is a specific style of music with common (but not universal) aspects among them. These elements could be the instrumentation, song structure, vocal style or even inspiration.
Tempo is the speed at which the music is played.
Energy is an abstract concept that uses things like rhythm, bass intensity and musical tension to consider how energized music makes a listener feel.
When deciding how to make background music effective in your commercial space, three elements matter most: genre, tempo and energy level.
Genre sets the tone and emotional direction of a space. Think about how different it feels to walk into an upscale, high-end boutique compared with a trendy, casual clothing store aimed at skaters, snowboarders or surfers. Even before you look at a product, the music helps signal what kind of experience to expect, so picking the best music genre for your business is crucial.
Tempo influences how people move and how long they stay. Slower tempos tend to create a calmer atmosphere and encourage customers to linger. Faster tempos increase energy and momentum. You can hear this difference clearly when you compare the music in a spa or yoga studio with the high-energy sound used in spin classes or cardio-focused gyms.
Energy level is about intensity. Background music usually works best when it feels supportive rather than dominant. For example, a café might use mid-energy sounds that create warmth without competing with conversation, while a bar or gym during peak hours may intentionally raise the energy to create excitement and drive activity.
When the genre, tempo and energy are aligned with your space, brand and customers, music enhances the experience instead of distracting from it.
Should background music stay consistent or vary?
One of the most common background music mistakes is inconsistency.
Playlists that jump between styles, moods or decades can feel chaotic. Smooth transitions and a clear musical direction help a space feel calm and well considered.
You can still keep things fresh by rotating tracks regularly, using different playlists for different times of day and introducing seasonal variations. It's also a good idea to listen to staff and customer feedback and make slight tweaks accordingly. This is all the more important for businesses with several locations: using a music service with central control can help keep the same sound everywhere.
Should different areas of a business have different music?
You can maintain consistency while keeping the atmosphere engaging by adjusting soundtracks for different areas of your business. This approach works best in larger spaces, where tunes from one area do not interfere with another. Competing audio can quickly become distracting or uncomfortable for customers and for staff working long hours in the space.
If your business has clearly defined zones, it can be helpful to think about how playlists and music selection support each one. For example:
Entrances should reflect your brand and set expectations as customers arrive.
Dining or seating areas benefit from gentle music choices that support conversation.
Retail floors often work best with moderate energy selections to encourage browsing without feeling overwhelming.
Service and checkout areas should allow for clear communication between staff and customers.
Waiting or quiet areas usually require softer, less intrusive background music.
Thinking in terms of zones helps create a more balanced and comfortable experience as customers move through your space, especially if your music streaming service supports different music streams in each zone.
Can you use Spotify or Apple Music in a business?
No, you cannot use Spotify to play music in your business. Personal streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube are licensed for private use only.
Using these services in a business environment can violate copyright law and may result in fines.
Your personal music account is licensed for private listening only. Business music services like Soundtrack can help your business ensure that your background music is compliant with how music licensing works in your country.
If you've already built playlists in Spotify, Soundtrack's Spotify Import tool can bring them over in a matter of moments.
How does Soundtrack help you choose and manage background music?
Choosing and managing background music for a business can be time consuming, especially for owners and managers with limited time.
Soundtrack is built specifically for commercial environments, making it easier to create suitable tracks without added complexity. In practice, Soundtrack works by combining three essentials:
Curated playlists tailored to different industries and moods
Tools to control energy levels and schedule music throughout the day, including dayparting
Fewer licensing headaches (check your local music licensing rules) so you avoid copyright violations and potential fines
Simply put, Soundtrack handles the music, allowing staff to focus on service rather than sound. Find out how different businesses use Soundtrack by reading these customer stories.
Looking for a more bespoke experience? Soundtrack Curation offers custom playlists tailored to your brand, updated on a monthly basis.
Whether you still need to compare business music services or already have an option in mind, make sure you keep your brand top of mind.
No matter the business, Soundtrack is the right choice for background music in your business. Try Soundtrack for free with a 14-day trial.
What is the key to choosing the right background music?
Fit the brand, the customer and the time of day (and make sure the music is licensed).
The right background music helps a space feel considered and comfortable. When it fits the setting and reflects the brand, it supports the experience without drawing attention to itself.
Music should welcome customers, support what they are there to do and make the space feel right. When people feel at ease, they are more likely to stay longer, tell others about their experience and return.
Frequently asked questions about background music for business
What is background music for business?
Background music refers to playlists used in a business setting in order to create a specific atmosphere and support the customer experience. Background music is using music with the intention of prompting guests to do something, whether it's staying longer, buying more or even coming for repeat visits.
How do I make background music fit my business?
Start with your brand identity: think about what kind of music exudes these values. Next, address the customer's needs: consider what kind of music could add to their experience or detract from it. Last, remember the time of day: not every opening hour is a peak hour, so don't be afraid to turn it down a notch when fewer customers are around.
Why is background music important?
Background music can trigger a chain reaction that alters mood, comfort and time spent. Music can spark emotions, but those emotions can be strong. The right music puts customers at ease by improving their mood, which in turn makes them feel comfortable enough to linger in your business.
Can I use Spotify or Apple Music in my business?
No. Businesses can't use personal streaming services to play music for their customers because their terms and conditions say so.
Do I need a license to play music in a business?
Yes, businesses need a public performance license in order to play music. In the US and Canada, a Soundtrack subscription includes this license. In other countries, public performance licenses are available from your local performing rights organizations.
What is dayparting in background music?
Dayparting means adjusting music based on the time of day, such as calmer music in the morning and higher energy music during busy hours. Soundtrack's scheduling feature can help your business set up dayparts for the entire week.
How often should business playlists be updated?
Monthly playlist updates are a good rule of thumb to keep music fresh without losing consistency. Soundtrack's playlists are refreshed on a monthly basis.
What happened to Spotify for Business?
Spotify for Business is now called Soundtrack.
How do I choose background music for a small business?
Put yourself in the shoes of a customer. When picking background music, the goal isn't to match everyone's taste or show off yours: it's to provide music that's appropriate to the setting. Think clearly about the customer journey and how music can push that in the right direction.
What kind of music should a shop play?
Shops benefit from music with a moderate energy level. Music that's too intense might make shoppers feel like they need to leave, but shoppers also respond well to music that feels familiar. The genre you opt for depends on your shop's concept, but pop and rock are good starting points.
What kind of background music suits a restaurant?
Restaurants flourish with music that sets the stage for conversations. The genre you opt for depends on what kind of restaurant you run and the clientele you attract, but consider jazz, pop or soul to keep the chatter going.
What is the best music for a waiting room or office?
Waiting rooms and offices call for calming music. Music should help guests in these environments relax and focus; try instrumental tracks, be they classical, jazz or hip hop.
How loud should background music be?
Background music should be around the same noise level as a normal conversation, which falls somewhere between 60 and 70 decibels. With that said, every space is unique, so this might not work for every business. A good rule of thumb: try to keep the music three decibels above the usual background noise in the space.
How do I keep music consistent across several locations?
Multi-location businesses should use a business music streaming service that supports central control. With Soundtrack, your head office can set guardrails for which playlists individual locations pick and you can monitor what's playing, all from a single dashboard.
Can I use my own playlists in a business?
You can use your own playlists in a business, but you can't use them in a personal music streaming service like Spotify or Apple Music. Soundtrack has a Spotify Import feature that allows businesses to bring their music with them (as long as the songs are in Soundtrack's catalog).
Is royalty-free music the same as licensed music for a business?
No, royalty-free music isn't the same thing as licensed music. Royalty-free music is made by musicians who are paid a one-time fee for the performance and forego their right to collect royalties. Most music you're familiar with isn't royalty-free, which means that music creators earn proper royalty payments when their music is used by businesses.
