Indeed, whether a restaurant is seeking to increase table turnover, retain patrons by fostering a soothing ambiance, or liven a festive gathering, music plays a crucial role. No resource has greater value when it comes to establishing a desired mood for a particular restaurant setting. Perhaps the most obvious examples are sports bars, where music from TVs highlighting action in the game provides a fitting soundtrack to the hustle and bustle of a lively crowd.

At the other extreme are steak houses and fine dining establishments. Here, the desired sonic mood is one that establishes a sense of calm and relaxation, one befitting a larger proportion of mature patrons. Falling between sports bars and steak houses is the neighborhood pub, which varies in nature and where the demographic is more mixed. Examples include college bars and restaurants, where indie pop or alternative music ratchets up the energized ambiance.

No matter the desired mood, numerous studies have established that music is central to creating the proper atmosphere — and driving profits. To cite a sampling:

• • A recent CNN article showed that people chewed food nearly a third faster when listening to high-volume, fast-tempo music, potentially increasing table turnover. Also according to CNN, a French study observed that as decibel levels increased, men not only consumed more drinks but also finished each drink in less time.
• • A study published by the Journal of Culinary Science & Technology determined that food tastes best to diners when 1) classical music is softly played, and 2) there’s the presence of subtle background “chatter.” The same study showed that the absence of music detracted significantly from the dining experience, with patrons describing something as innocuous as the “clink” of cutlery as unacceptably noisy. Music, of course, serves to mask such noise.
• • A Scottish study published by the Association for Consumer Research found that diners increased their expenditures by 23% when slow-tempo music was played. Most of the additional spending went toward the drink bill, which grew 51%. Because drinks are typically a high-margin item, the increase in profits was especially significant. Of course, it’s up to individual proprietors to determine whether profits are enhanced by fast table turns or by encouraging patrons to remain for long periods of time. Music can be a powerful tool in achieving either goal.

To facilitate such uses of music, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), provides the necessary licensing to comply with copyright statutes for the use of more than 7.5 million musical works. Operating on a non-profit-making basis, BMI distributes approximately 84 cents of every dollar it collects to its roster of songwriters, composers and publishers. In essence, the organization serves as a “middleman” between restaurants and owners of intellectual property. “Organizations like BMI — performing rights organizations — are advocates of a system whereby people are compensated for their work,” says Casey Monahan, Director of the Texas Music Office, an adjunct to the Texas State government. “It’s extremely important, not only for restaurants but really for everybody in the country, to understand the value of, and the significance of, intellectual property.”

Originally published on Tuesday, December 17, 2013
3793 views at time of republishing

What types of music used in the public areas of a hotel always need a license?

• All live performances
• CDs, MP3s
• Streaming music from a website

In addition, radios in public areas must be licensed under any of the following conditions:

• If all the public areas combined contain more than six loudspeakers
• If there are more than four loudspeakers in any one public room or adjoining outdoor public space (like a patio)
• If there is any cover charge to enter the public area where the radio is played
• If the hotel uses music on their phone lines when callers are on hold

For TVs used in public areas, a license is needed under any of the following conditions:

• If the hotel uses more than four TVs in all the public areas combined
• If the hotel uses more than one TV in any one public room
• If any of the TVs used has a diagonal screen size greater than 55 inches
• If the TV uses more than six loudspeakers in all public areas combined
• If the TV uses more than four loudspeakers in any one public room or adjoining public outdoor space (like a patio)
• If there is any cover charge where the TV is being used

Fortunately, hotels don’t have to negotiate individual licenses with each songwriter, composer or publisher of the music they play. BMI grants permission, through one music license, to publicly play approximately half of all the music played in the U.S., with other performing rights organizations licensing the rest. The average annual BMI fee for a select-service hotel is $650. To cover your use of BMI music only, the fee structures are based on the type of music played:

• Live music only is based on entertainment expenses, with a minimum annual BMI fee of $225 for expenses less than $2,000.
• Recorded music only (CD’s, MP3s, streaming music from a website, etc., without audio-visual accompaniment such as TVs or DVDs) is based on the number of guest rooms, with a minimum annual BMI fee of $364 for up to 100 rooms.
• Live and recorded music together without audio-visual (such as TVs or DVDs) is based on entertainment expenses and the number of guest rooms, with a minimum annual BMI fee of $436 for up to 100 rooms. Live and recorded music with audio-visual and up to 100 rooms is $546.
• Radio and TV use that are licensable according to the criteria above are included in the tiered structures for recorded music, also based on the number of guest rooms. The minimum annual BMI fee for TV with up to 100 rooms is $546.

For hotels with more than 100 rooms, please refer to BMI’s hotel license at www.bmi.com/hotel and conveniently stay in compliance with copyright law to play any of the more than 8.5 million musical works that BMI represents.

Originally published on Tuesday, September 23, 2014
1866 views at time of republishing