FEATURE:
More Than Mere Background Music
PHOTO CREDIT: No Revisions/Unsplash
Featuring New Artists in Café and Coffee Shops
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EVERY time…
PHOTO CREDIT: @nputra/Unsplash
I sit in a coffee shop or café, I hear the same sort of music! I know each chain has a sound and soundtrack that they are mandated to play. Normally the music is lighter and has a Jazz, Classic or Folk sound. I guess this is best suited to patrons. If the music was too intrusive or loud, then it would put people off and encroach on conversation. I can appreciate how costs are involved, so using the same music means that there is a consistent vibe. The chain or coffee shop does not have to pay too much for music. The thing about music in cafés and coffee shops is that it can actually stimulate conversation and ideas. Music is very inspiring and can motivate. I do wonder how much thought it given to the importance of music in a setting like this. What occurs to me is how useful it could be for new artists to have their music featured. I know independent coffee shops can do this, but what about larger chains and facilities? Not only would it provide a different sound and variety to a café, but it would give exposure and platform to great acts. At a time when streaming still means a lot of new artists struggle to get heard and make money, there does seem to be this opportunity to hear new music in a physical setting. It is not only coffee shops where this could happen – though they are prevalent and do attract a large and eclectic crowd.
I am not sure how many new and aspiring artists can make a living from their music. They can tour and sell merchandise. Streaming hardly pays anything and, unless the artist can sell vinyl and CDs, it can be a real struggle to make profit. It is a shame to hear, as there are so many great artists around right now. Not to say cafés and coffee chains could pay artists too much to use their music. I think the benefits come when people hear these artists and are curious to follow up and buy their music. Of course, people may just go away and stream the music instead. I’d like to think that, given the setting and the fact people are listening to the café music without headphones, they would then look to replicate that experience by buying physical music. So many new artists are discovered through streaming sites. Where people are listening on phones and laptops. Given greater license to new artists in coffee shops and even cinemas would open up these artists to new audiences. I have heard of smaller and independent artists who have been played in smaller coffee shops. They can hear people react to their music. It has led to them being shared online in a way they might not have otherwise! I do get bored of the same music being played in cafés. It can appear repetitive and insipid. Maybe people don’t pay as much attention to the music in coffee shops as they should! I don’t think this is to do with the fact they are caught up. So many people come into these places and listen to their own music. Instead, a variety of great new music might influence them to listen to this and, as such, take in their surroundings more. By giving new artists this opportunity and prominent position means that what we hear in cafés and coffee shops is…
PHOTO CREDIT: Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash
MORE than background music.