Does Playing Music Increase Sales? The Power Of Music In Retail

By Rieva Lesonsky

There’s proof a business’s music choices have a significant impact on the customer experience.

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In his iconic song, American Pie, writer and singer Don McLean asks, “Can music save your mortal soul?” Who knows? But we know that music can boost your small businesses’ sales, according to a recent survey from Soundtrack.

The survey shows that 91% of [business] leaders think “music can make or break the customer experience.” Ola Sars, the founder and CEO of Soundtrack, agrees, believing that music has the power to increase retail sales.

Sars has a deep background in music. Before founding Soundtrack, he started Pacemaker, the world’s first pocket-sized DJ system, and was the co-founder of Beats Music, which Apple bought for $3 billion and transformed into Apple Music. In a joint venture with Spotify, Sars launched Spotify for Business in 2013, a music streaming service specifically designed for businesses. In 2018, he spun off the company creating Soundtrack Your Brand, now called Soundtrack; Spotify remains a minority investor. Today, Soundtrack services over 80,000 businesses in 74 countries with a music catalog of over 100 million tracks.

In the Soundtrack survey, 72% of business leaders said they “face challenges” when developing and implementing a consistent music strategy. So, I asked Sars for his advice and insight on how to overcome those challenges.

How Music Affects Sales and Customer Experience

Setting the Mood

Rieva Lesonsky: How does music affect the overall mood or ambiance of a store? Can it influence how long customers stay?

Ola Sars: There’s proof a business’s music choices have a significant impact on the customer experience and can influence behaviors such as how much time and money customers spend in-store. According to a study from MRC Data, 84% of shoppers notice the background music in stores. For example, Gant has shown that customers spend around 42% more time in a store when music is playing. The same study revealed that sales increased by an average of 37% when brand-fit music was played instead of random music.

Brand-fit music aligns with a brand’s identity, values, and target audience and creates a cohesive, multi-sensory experience. Brand-fit music should be used across marketing channels, from advertising to retail environments to digital platforms.

Lesonsky: Does the tempo or style of music impact the speed at which customers shop? If so, how should retailers choose music based on this?

Sars: Tempo impacts how customers move through a store. Fast-paced music makes people move faster, while slower-paced songs set a more leisurely pace. The music’s tempo can also affect the perception of time. While fast tempos make shoppers perceive that more time has passed, the opposite is true for slow tempos, signaling to their brains less time has passed.

If your store’s bottom line benefits from a higher volume of customers moving through your space and checking out quickly, songs with a faster tempo would be best. But if you’re hoping to have customers stay longer and buy more or higher-priced items, slowing them down with tempo can help achieve that.

Familiar music creates a sense of ease and comfort, making customers feel more at home in a store. The caveat is that if the music is familiar but doesn’t match the store’s brand, it can distract customers rather than enhance their experience.

Establishing a music strategy that fits your brand is essential to harness its power in customer experience.

Attracting Customers

Lesonsky: How can the right music help retailers attract customers and encourage them to shop?

Sars: Business leaders who recognize that playing music in their stores is a crucial aspect of the customer experience are in a better position than those who do not leverage it. Our recent survey of retail brand leaders showed that they believe music [is integral] to their customers’ experience, and 92% think the right music leads to longer stays and higher spend per customer.

When you use music in your store that aligns with other aspects of the customer journey, it allows your brand to emotionally connect with your customers on a higher level—something that signage alone would not achieve.

Lesonsky: What role does music play in appealing to a retailer’s target demographic? Are certain genres more effective for specific audiences?

Sars: To create the customer experience for the demographic that your store appeals to, businesses first need to know their audience. Connecting the brand identity to the target customers is key—what are their demographics, psychographics, lifestyles, and motivations? These will be the cues that define their favorite type of music, artists, and expectations as they enter the business and associate with your brand.

Another approach is to use an AI playlist creator to instantly generate bespoke music playlists that fit a business’s exact requirements after entering a simple prompt that can include business type, location, time of day, mood/genre/atmosphere, and target audience. For example, prompts such as “moody tracks for Gen Z on a Sunday afternoon” or the “soundtrack for a sophisticated shopping experience in the city” produce ready-made playlists in seconds—then all the staff has to do is hit play.

Lesonsky: How can retailers use music to reinforce their brand image and stand out from competitors?

Sars: 93% of the business leaders we recently surveyed say that music has helped differentiate themselves from their competitors.

It’s not about playing a specific artist you think your customers will like because it’s hard to please an entire customer base. Focus instead on the music genre that best fits your brand and the customer experience you’re aiming for. When guests can easily tie the music, scent, or visuals to a business, it helps them emotionally connect and builds loyalty.

This is especially important if you have multiple locations, as you want customers to have a cohesive, positive experience every time they interact with your brand. However, if customer demographics vary in the different communities they serve, retailers should be open to varying their music strategy.

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Helping Employees

Lesonsky: Can background music help employees stay focused or energized during shifts? If so, what types of music work best?

Sars: In a study with Filippa K, a Scandinavian clothing retailer, we researched how employees’ choosing the music for the day impacted their stores. The study found that employees preferred high-intensity songs at a high volume, which decreased customers’ time in stores and, on average, sales by 6%.

A compromise to balance employee choice and sales goals is needed. Allow employees to play upbeat music in the opening or closing shift to help them stay energized as they prepare the store for the day or as they push through closing for the night.

Lesonsky: Are there specific genres or tempos of music that can reduce stress for retail workers during busy periods?

Sars: Slower music and beats can create a sense of calm, reducing stress in high-pressure retail environments. Studies show classical music lowers cortisol and enhances concentration, but it must match the brand. Jazz can have a soothing effect without being too repetitive.

General Strategy

Lesonsky: Are there any licensing or copyright issues retailers should be aware of when playing music in their stores?

Sars: There is confusion around legal music use in commercial settings and proper licensing requirements. Almost half (49%) of business leaders don’t fully understand the legal implications of music licensing.

Simply having an employee plug their phone into the aux or connect via Bluetooth to in-store speakers to play music from their personal Spotify or other consumer streaming services, such as Apple Music, YouTube, or Amazon Music, is illegal because the music you play in a retail location must be cleared for commercial use. The best way to ensure this is to enlist a B2B music provider that is fully compliant, covers PRO licenses, and can provide a certificate with your monthly or yearly subscription. This helps eliminate potential fines.

About the Author

Rieva Lesonsky creates content focusing on small business and entrepreneurship. Email Rieva at rieva@smallbusinesscurrents.com, follow her on Twitter @Rieva, and visit her website SmallBusinessCurrents.com to get the scoop on business trends and sign up for Rieva’s free Currents newsletter.

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