Yet customers do not experience a space with their eyes alone. They also notice the pace of the environment, the way staff interact with them and what they hear.
Music can therefore form part of a wider brand strategy, helping customer-facing businesses create a more coherent identity across their commercial spaces.
Why Music Matters to Brand Identity
Music can reinforce the character a business wants to express. The right choice depends on the audience, surroundings and purpose of the space, rather than simply on which songs are popular.
- Premium or accessible: Music can support an exclusive, informal or welcoming identity.
- Energetic or relaxed: Tempo and intensity can complement the intended pace.
- Contemporary or traditional: Genre can reinforce how modern or established a brand feels.
- Social or focused: The sound environment can support conversation or concentration.
This deliberate use of music and sound is often described as sonic branding. A review published in the Journal of Brand Management explains how sound can form part of wider brand communication and why the way people experience music matters. In practice, the soundtrack should reflect the identity of the space rather than relying only on familiar songs or staff preferences.
Creating Alignment Across Brand Touchpoints
Customers experience a brand through several connected elements:
- Visual presentation: Logos, colours, displays and signage.
- Physical surroundings: Interior design, lighting and layout.
- Human interaction: Staff presentation, service and communication.
- Digital presence: Websites, social media and online content.
- Sound environment: Music selection, volume, energy and scheduling.
These elements should reinforce the same overall impression. A premium venue can feel less polished if the music is abrupt, repetitive or poorly matched to the setting. Likewise, an energetic brand may feel restrained if the soundtrack is too formal or subdued.
The aim is not to make every customer consciously notice the music. It is to ensure the soundtrack supports, rather than disrupts, the identity created through the rest of the space.
Moving Beyond Staff-Controlled Playlists
Leaving music entirely to individual employees may appear flexible, but it can make consistency difficult. One shift might favour chart music, another personal favourites, and another the same short playlist throughout the day. Explicit tracks, sudden genre changes and inconsistent volume can also become harder to control.
There is also a distinction between personal streaming and commercial music use. Spotify’s guidance on public and commercial use states that its service is intended for personal, non-commercial listening and cannot be played publicly by businesses such as shops, restaurants and salons.
A dedicated commercial platform such as SoundMachine can give businesses greater control over playlists, scheduling and the musical direction associated with their brand. The platform should support the strategy rather than replace the work of deciding what the brand ought to sound like.
Adapting Music Throughout the Day
A coherent musical identity does not require the same mood from opening until closing. Scheduled playlist changes can help the music respond to how a space is being used without losing its overall direction.
A café may begin with calmer morning music before moving towards a livelier lunchtime selection. A retailer may increase the energy during busy afternoon trading. Hotels may distinguish between breakfast areas, receptions, bars and lounges, while offices may take a different approach to communal spaces.
This practice is often called dayparting. It reduces the need for staff to make repeated manual decisions while allowing the soundtrack to suit different parts of the day.
Music Licensing Should Be Part of the Strategy
Playlist suitability is only one consideration when music is played in a commercial environment. Businesses must also understand what permissions may be required.
UK Government guidance on playing live or recorded music explains that organisations will usually need a licence when recorded music is played publicly or at a business. Requirements can vary according to the venue, how the music is used and the territory in which the business operates.
A commercial streaming service and a public performance licence should not automatically be treated as the same thing. Businesses should check which permissions apply rather than assuming a subscription covers every obligation. Understanding music licensing for business should therefore sit alongside playlist selection, scheduling and brand alignment within the wider plan.
Keeping the Brand Recognisable Without Becoming Repetitive
A recognisable sound does not mean forcing customers and employees to hear the same small collection of songs repeatedly. A considered strategy establishes direction while leaving room for variety.
It may define:
- Suitable genres: Styles that fit the brand’s personality and audience.
- Energy levels: The right pace for different spaces and trading periods.
- Content restrictions: Explicit tracks, themes or styles to avoid.
- Dayparting: Planned changes in mood or tempo.
- Different zones: Distinct selections for separate areas.
- Playlist variety: A broad catalogue that avoids obvious repetition.
This creates a recognisable musical direction without rigid uniformity. The soundtrack can remain connected to the brand while changing according to context, season or time of day.
Why Music Deserves a Place in Brand Planning
Businesses already make detailed decisions about how their spaces should look, how staff should communicate and how products or services should be presented. Music deserves a place in that same planning process.
The most effective approach is not necessarily the loudest or most noticeable. It is one in which the soundtrack feels appropriate to the environment, audience, service and time of day. When those elements work together, music becomes part of a coherent brand identity rather than an arbitrary playlist.