Music can be just as much a part of your bar or brewery’s identity as your beer list. The right soundtrack sets the mood, keeps people relaxed, and encourages them to stay a little longer. Just like with featuring new beer releases, customer experience, and retention can be improved with a well-curated music selection. However, it is not enough to select your personal playlist and press play. Playing music in a commercial area without the appropriate licences will attract legal and financial fines.
Knowledge of the limits of law will allow you to enjoy the pleasure of music without danger. In the case of breweries, this is not just about bans and fines, but rather about the establishment of the proper environment where music, craft beer, and community meet. A fresh pour and the proper playlist can make an ordinary visit a memorable taproom moment, creating an added incentive to keep customers inside the building longer and more frequently.
Why Licensing Is Important
Public performance in the United States: Music performed in the open air is subject to public performance regulations. The rights holders have to give you a license to play music in your venue. Performing Rights Organisations (PROs) such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR often administer these rights. They also collect fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and publishers to ensure that artists get a good share of their work. Music that you buy, either as a download or on CDs, or through a streaming subscription, does not give you the right to use it in your business. Using a venue without proper licensing is a legal risk and could incur fines that would become a lot more expensive than the proper procedures.
The Problem with Personal Streaming Services
Businesses often use personal streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. These services are helpful, but are only paid for private use. Playing them in a bar or brewery violates their terms of service and can trigger enforcement from PROs. There’s also the matter of professionalism. Consumer streaming platforms can play ads, or drop jarring transitions between genres, or explicit lyrics can creep into your playlist, none of which contribute to ensuring you keep a steady vibe with your guests. That uniformity is relevant in a brewery situation when people are not simply going there to drink the beer but to be a part of the atmosphere you have created around the beer. It goes without saying that adding richness to your taproom with a well-considered choice of music is an excellent way to make the flavor of each pour shine, without having to hear a dull noise in the background.
The Legal Approach: Licensed Background Music Services
The simplest and safest way to play background music for bars is to use a licensed background music service. These providers secure the necessary agreements with PROs on your behalf, so you don’t have to manage multiple licenses yourself. Many also offer curated playlists, the ability to customize your own, and scheduling tools to match different times of day. You can play high-energy music during peak hours on a weekend night and light acoustic music on a weekend afternoon. The songs are all licensed, so you can do as much as you can within the boundaries of the law when you put your ideas to use.
Managing Multiple Locations
If you run more than one bar or taproom, keeping the music consistent helps reinforce your brand identity. Many licensed music platforms allow you to control the playlists in all locations from a single dashboard. This eliminates the chances of one branch playing folk rock while another is blasting heavy metal, giving customers a uniform experience regardless of the branch. Customer loyalty has also improved. Guests who appreciate the ambiance in one location will appreciate the ‘feel’ in the other and will love the same quality and style of music played, especially when they can enjoy live music at breweries that carry the same vibe.
Building a Music Plan
Think of music as part of your overall brand strategy, not just background filler. Ask yourself:
- What kind of mood fits my brand during peak hours versus slow times?
- Does my music reflect the personality of my beer selection and regular crowd?
- How often should playlists be updated to keep things fresh without losing my signature style?
Answering these questions helps you develop a music strategy that will reinforce your brand image and retain your customers.
Staying Compliant Without Losing Flexibility
A licensed provider doesn’t limit your creativity. Many services allow the incorporation of custom playlists, genre blending, or the insertion of branded ads between songs. You enjoy the freedom of being flexible without conflicting with the law. Certain platforms also enable the incorporation of seasonal or holiday themes, event-specific playlists, or special promotional inserts to enable you to interact more with guests without losing a branded and fresh feel.
Why Music Matters
Music plays a significant role in the experience you are providing to your guests. Licensing it not only safeguards your own business, but also the artists, and makes sure that the environment you and your business have worked so hard to create remains undisrupted. You can concentrate on making great beer, on selecting your tap list, and on providing visitors with an environment that is alive with a licensed background music service. Quality pours combined with the appropriate music highlight the importance of music at bars, turning your brewery into more than just a drinking establishment, but a place of gathering that people will remember and want to go to with their friends again.
