This is an article is about selecting the best in-store music provider. To help larger companies that offer an in-store music service to other businesses. *If you are a small or medium business looking for an affordable and high-quality in-store background music service direct to your business, please go here: in-store music or SoundToro´s in-store music service.
How to Choose a Music Catalogue Provider for In-Store Music Services
If you are a company that offers an in-store music service and you are looking for in-store music providers (royalty-free or with rights included) to contract their services, you are in the right place. In this article, we will answer some of the questions that Free Music Projects considers integral when choosing an in-store music provider with a good catalogue of royalty-free music so you, in turn, can offer a high-quality In-Store Music Service to your clients.
Below we answer the Top Five Questions and considerations about In-Store Music Providers and their respective music catalogues:
- What must the catalogue of the best royalty-free in-store music providers offer?
- How many songs should a good in-store music provider have in their catalogue?
- What musical styles should an in-store music catalogue include (and why)?
- How long can an in-store music provider’s catalogue be used for?
- What does Free Music Projects recommend?
What must the catalogue of the best royalty-free in-store music providers offer?
First of all, what you want to be able to offer your clients is dynamisation and stimulation leading to and at the point of sale. All businesses need to have in-store music that is cohesive with the service they are providing, the product they are selling, or the brand image they want to transmit to their clients.
To achieve this, there must be various musical styles in the music provider’s catalogue, which will allow you to offer versatility in the in-store music channels. At Free Music Projects, we think that 100 musical styles are not necessary to provide a good service. Only those musical styles that strategically allow you to sound the vast majority of stores, establishments and shops.
How many songs should a good in-store music provider have in their catalogue?
A music channel must have a minimum of 200 songs or tracks so that the repetitions are not too high. Further, at least 10% of the channel should be renewed with new music on a weekly basis.
In channels with a high number of songs, from say 500 onwards, the renewal of 10% may not be so necessary since 500 songs, with an average duration of 3 and a half minutes, equates to around 30 hours of music. In this case, at the customer level, the quality of the service is satisfactorily maintained with 500 songs on a channel. Consider a customer who walks into a store for 45 minutes, twice a month. Certainly, maintaining 30-hour playlists is something that can work perfectly. On the other hand, employees may still demand renewals of the music catalogue. Consider an employee who is in-store an average of 8 hours a day. For every four days they spend in the store they will listen to each song once. In terms of your in-store music provider, working with a higher volume of songs guarantees that you are working with an acceptable catalogue volume.
What musical styles should an in-store music catalogue include (and why)?
Generally speaking, the main musical styles are: Pop-Rock, House or Deep House and Chill Out / Chill House. Jazz is also a frequently used style. This is not solely our humble opinion. This is a summary of more than 10 years experience as an in-store music catalogue provider of royalty-free music here at Free Music Projects.
Pop-Rock is a style that you will find in all kinds of businesses, specifically supermarkets and in businesses selling consumer goods.
House, Deep-House and similar styles are mainly used in fashion retail chains, where factors such as youth and style are of great importance. Fashion and music are elements that are closely related, and we have no doubt that they will continue to be for years to come.
Jazz is widely used in hotels and restaurants, as it creates a pleasant atmosphere that is usually veiled in the background. Good background music is music you feel, without having to listen to it.
Other important styles can be:
- Ambient: Widely used in resorts, retreats, spas and in chains of certain natural products.
- Christmas: For two months of the year, this is without a doubt the most used in-store channel. On a commercial level, Christmas lasts two long months, making it a channel that is worth being prepared with love and respect. It is the most special time of year … right?
How long can an in-store music provider’s catalogue be used for?
The answer is simple: It depends. If they work with a catalogue of 5,000 songs, they normally work with different Playlists and exchange them intelligently. In this way, they can work with that amount for a couple of years. However, it is always convenient, despite working with large amounts of music, to carry out small renovations that refresh their entire catalogue. Even if it is only by 5%.
What does Free Music Projects recommend?
We’ve curated different music catalogues for more than 10 years, for all kinds of distributors, companies and establishments, and have had direct contact with all kinds of clients. We believe we can help you.
We are a Music Catalogue Provider for In-Store Music Services
If you are thinking of offering an in-store music service for businesses in your country, or you already do but you want to change your royalty-free in-store music provider, do not hesitate and contact us. You will save a large amount of money by saving payments to PRO´s or other copyright management entities. We firmly believe that we can help you, and do not hesitate, we will give you the best service at the best price.
You can contact us at our Customer Service.