Before deep-diving into the importance of music in coffee shops, let’s learn when the coffee house concept was originated.

History of Coffee Houses

According to historians, Coffee Arabica is the first species of coffee to be cultivated and traded. The Yemeni part of Arabia started producing coffee in the 15th century. By the 16th century, coffee was grown in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. According to historians, the first coffee house dates back to 1475, when a shop named Kiva Han opened in Istanbul (Constantinople).

During those times, in the Middle East, public coffee houses were places where people could listen to music, watch performances, play board games, and catch up on the latest news. Coffee houses were also important as a center for information exchange.

When the first coffee house in Europe opened in Venice in 1647, then in England in 1650, coffee houses became an essential part of European men’s lives as a social gathering point. Their presence acted as a catalyst for several cultural and political transformations during the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition to exchanging views and nurturing public opinion, they helped foster a sense of community. As a meeting place for like-minded scholars, the coffee houses were popular with natural philosophers, antiquarians, and historians who assembled there to share ideas, read, and debate. Political groups frequently used coffeehouses as meeting places. 

Today, cafes serve a similar purpose as they did back then: people go there to socialize, work, read, or simply to pass the time. There are about 65,000 coffee shops and cafes in the US alone. Source

With this growing interest in coffee houses, we now see multiple coffee shops and cafes in the same neighborhood. For that reason, coffee shop owners need to be creative to differ from others. It could be a loyalty program, organic beans, vegan options, and music.

Why Coffee House Music Playlist Matters

Researchers have found that coffee and music, specifically the tempo, influences the length of time the customers will spend at a café or coffee house. Generally, a fast-paced environment forces customers to grab whatever they want and leave quickly. On the other hand, slow-tempo music provides your customers with a sense of total relaxation. As a result, they will be spending more time and money at the coffee house.

The genres may vary depending on your clientele, from jazz to soft-rock, alternative to blues, or electronic chill. The playlists should be relaxing enough not to interrupt their work and conversations, but they shouldn’t be monotonous to make them sleepy and unenthusiastic.

Must Read: Coffee Shop Music Genres – How to Choose the Right Music for Coffee Shop?

Background music is an essential part of any establishment. When correctly used, it can positively impact your bottom line. For that reason, it’s crucial to evaluate your coffee shop’s atmosphere and choose the coffee house playlists accordingly. 

As mentioned above, a fitting coffee house soundtrack can influence a customer’s time spent at your shop. However, coffee and background music can do more than that. Let’s review a few of its benefits.

1. Increases spending 

According to studies, you can increase customer average ticket size with slow-tempo background music. Research suggests that customers buy more drinks and add-ons such as desserts or snacks in coffee shops when pleasant and slow-tempo music is in place. 

2. Increases customer satisfaction and patience

It’s scientifically proven that music affects our taste buds! For example, high decibel sounds decrease our taste perception, meaning the food will be less tasty when loud coffee and music is on. 

Additionally, other experiments show that coffee tastes sweeter when a test subject drinks coffee with a higher-pitch frequency. 

Slow to medium tempo music will help your customers enjoy the coffee shop’s atmosphere without interfering with their relaxed mood. 

Waiting in line for a coffee isn’t something everyone enjoys, but we all have to endure it from time to time. Introducing music gives the mind something to concentrate on, making the wait more bearable.

3. Sets the right mood

Song lyrics can affect how customers perceive your coffee house. Too sad or emotional tracks may bring customers’ moods down and even bring back negative memories. 

Playing slow to medium tempo music doesn’t mean sad songs. You can play instrumental tracks or tracks that are empowering. Knowing your target market will help you choose the fitting soundtrack for your coffee shop. 

4. Makes your staff happier and motivated

With pleasant music playing throughout the day, your coffee house workers are also more relaxed, less tired, and more welcoming to customers at the end of the day. Coffee and Music reduces stress and increases satisfaction. Not just for your guests.

It is essential to remember that your staff is there for long hours and almost every day. The playlists should have enough songs, so they don’t hear the same songs repeatedly. 

Bonus: How to Design the Perfect Atmosphere for your Coffee Shop?

For coffee house owners: do this to get professional background music

It would be easy to think that all you have to do is turn on YouTube or Spotify, and the coffee and music playing from your speakers will make your guests instantly happy. But this is not the case. A coffee house music playlist can quickly become counterproductive if you don’t choose the right one.

The wrong genre or style of music can negatively impact your business. It is essential to consider your target group’s demographics, age, income level, and music preferences before selecting the type of music to play.

Not to mention the fact that if you use the sources mentioned above to play your background music, you could be subject to heavy fines. Spotify, Pandora music, or other personal use music providers are for our personal entertainment, not for the business environment.

Don’t worry; we have a solution below. Read on.

The solution is a business music streaming provider that gives you a commercial license, a huge selection of coffee and music, and other tools – such as curated playlists – to help you keep your background music professional.

Jukeboxy Music for Business gives you all this and more for a very affordable monthly fee. And with a 14-day trial subscription, it’s a must-try. Find details here: Jukeboxy Music for Business

Final Thoughts

Having background music in your coffee house is crucial. A fitting coffeehouse playlist can do much more than you think for your business. 

There is no one “coffeehouse music genre” that works for all audiences. Coffee shops must carefully choose them. For that reason, expertly curated playlists are essential, and the results are guaranteed for brand recognition, thus, increasing sales. 

The post Importance of Music in Coffee Houses appeared first on Jukeboxy Blog.

There are 200+ million people drinking coffee every day in the U.S. alone, which clearly indicates that there has never been a better time to open a coffee shop. There is a growing trend among Americans to visit their neighborhood coffee shops rather than drink at home.  

As of 2022, there are 65,410 Coffee & Snack Shops businesses in the U.S., an increase of 2.4% from 2021. Source

With many coffee shops or cafes in most neighborhoods, you don’t want to open the next one; you want to open the unique one that is different from the rest in many ways. Otherwise, it may be challenging to make your business a success. 

In this article, we want to help you do just that.

For a unique coffee shop to be successful, there are two main factors:

• thoroughly carrying out the basic design tasks
• creativity

The following are necessary, of course, but we won’t go into details because these are not the steps that will make your coffee shop unique:

• business plan: don’t start without it
• find the right location: considering expected pedestrian traffic and parking facilities
• file for permits and licenses: it is crucial to note that waiting for approval on your permits may take time
• finding suppliers

And now for the exciting part – the tasks you need to do if you want to open a unique coffee shop. Let’s go into more detail.

Importance of the layout

Try to focus on serving people efficiently, especially during peak times. A much-needed rule of thumb is to make sure that your floor plan for your coffee shop provides employees with sufficient space to work efficiently.

The two most important questions you should ask when planning your layout:

• Could your staff be moving around effortlessly?
• Is seating comfortably accessed?

The layout of your coffee shop tells your customers exactly where to go while drawing their attention to the products you want them to buy. Customers are more likely to purchase more than just a cup of coffee if bags of coffee or merchandise are placed in their line of sight as they put their order.

Create a space that’s Instagrammable and interactive

Studies show that the restaurant industry is still doing well because people like immersing themselves in experiences, such as going out to eat. Additionally, with the growth of social media, and platforms like Instagram that allow people to share their experiences, more people look for places that are “instagrammable.”

When you design the interior of your coffee shop with eye-catching, attractive elements, you are aiming for the best coffee shop experiences for your guests, but you could also be generating free social marketing.

If you have outdoor space, creative decorations like colorful flowers can attract the passerby, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee will sure make them purchase one.

MUST READ: How to Design the Perfect Atmosphere for your Coffee Shop?

Choose a theme and build the atmosphere around it

Coffee shops should be decorated according to a theme to enhance their distinctive features. You can, for example, use colors and styles from the 1950s if you are looking to have a vintage-style cafe. Color trends from the mid-20th century include pastel colors schemes, black and white dots, pink, mint green, turquoise, blue and pale yellow. There was also a time when black, white, and red colors were in vogue. 

When designing a coffee house for a specific demographic, complementing colors and lighting – dim or bright – are also important considerations. 

Strong themes are sure to attract a specific type of customer base. An example of this would be a dog-friendly or cat-centric coffee shop, which would cater almost exclusively to pet owners.

Find furnishings and decorative elements – such as sculptures or expensive art – that enhance the mood of the theme. Large and impressive is fine, even if you must sacrifice a few seats. Believe us; you’ll be more successful if your café’s interior is unique than if you had three more seating available. Perhaps you should invest in some designer coffee machines or a counter—something you won’t find anywhere else in the neighborhood.

Internet access

It may not sound exciting or important at first, but believe us, it is. Your coffee shop must provide customers with Internet access in this digital age. Students and working professionals who need to check email, conduct online research, or write a complicated term paper often seek refuge at coffee shops. Customers choose coffee shops instead of libraries and book stores to accomplish their online tasks because they want a fresh alternative to a muted location.

Are your customers likely to spend a lot of time working on their laptops? How many electrical outlets do you have? Many people who work from their computers choose coffee shops based solely on whether they can charge their computers or phones. You can also differentiate your coffee shop by having the fastest Wi-Fi, the most outlets, and the most laptop-friendly space.

Put the cherry on top with the coffee shop background music

Suppose you’ve completed the previous steps diligently; there’s still one more thing to consider in order to achieve creating a really unique coffee shop! And that’s background music. 

What makes the background music in your coffee shop unique? If you don’t play the same coffee shop genres as everyone else.

Choosing the right type of music for your cafe depends on the mood you want to convey. Consider a relaxed/chilled environment. It will help if you design a place where your customers can feel at home and enjoy their coffee or snacks while having conversations with others. To create such an environment, you must have genres that promote this type of atmosphere—some ideas for the music genre: jazz, deep house, and lounge.

MUST READ: How to Choose the Right Music for Coffee Shop?

These days, there are plenty of online resources for playing music. These include YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify. However, they all provide a personal license, so you cannot use them in a business environment, including cafes, or you will face very high fines.

“Can I use Spotify, Youtube and Apple music as a commercial music provider? The answer is here.”

To solve this problem, you’ll need to select a business music streaming service that offers a wealth of tracks, curated playlists, and other helpful business features in exchange for a low monthly subscription fee.

One such provider is Jukeboxy Music for Business, which gives you the industry’s largest selection of music for $29.99 a month, and in a few minutes, you can have fitting music playing in your coffee shop. 

You can see what features are available with your subscription here:

Jukeboxy Music Features

Takeaway

To summarize, these are the areas to look out for if you want your coffee shop to be unique:

• design a great layout for your shop
• provide the fastest Wi-Fi and the most electrical outlets
• create an eye-catchy space for Instagram sharing
• choose a theme for your niche and build an atmosphere around it
• play coffee shop background music that is unique to your business

What makes a coffee shop unique?

A unique coffee shop stands out through a combination of a well-thought-out layout, fast Wi-Fi, ample electrical outlets, and an Instagrammable, themed atmosphere. These elements create an inviting space that draws in customers. Additionally, playing distinctive background music tailored to your café’s vibe can set your coffee shop apart. For a seamless music solution, consider Jukeboxy Music for Business, offering a vast selection of tracks and curated playlists for just $29.99 a month, ensuring your coffee shop’s ambiance is as unique as your brand.

The post How to Open a Unique Coffee Shop in 2022? appeared first on Jukeboxy Blog.

High-quality products, excellent customer service, fresh baked goods are key factors for a coffee shop’s success, but they are not the only ones. As part of the aesthetic element, the ambiance and music played in the background should also be considered. Having good background music helps create a relaxing mood within the coffee place. When people take a sip from their favorite coffee blend, the coffee shop soundtrack enhances their overall experience. Coffee Shop Music Genres;

When you ask coffee shop owners about the secret to their success, they will probably give credit to the music they play in the background. If you are a coffee shop owner or planning to open new one, you should consider implementing brand-fitting coffee shop background music.

How to create a coffee shop playlist?

Looking to develop a better customer experience at your coffee house? Make sure to avoid the two common mistakes coffee house owners make when choosing the type of music to play:

• following the latest trends
• playlists are created based on the preferences and tastes of them or their staff

While both seem logical enough, they have little connection to what you want to accomplish. It’s not about creating a different sound, but rather about boosting your business. So, what are your options when it comes to coffeehouse background music?

For your cafe to have a certain mood, you’ll need to choose the right music. While your customers enjoy their coffees and snacks, they also want to read or chat with their friends, at least at most coffee shops. Choosing a chill and relaxed vibe would be a good choice. On the other hand, some coffee shops in large cities and busy areas usually have more in-and-out customers, streaming chill and mellow playlists will not work well in these types of cafes. 

Jukeboxy Music for Business caters to many coffee shops around the country. While analyzing their playlist usage, we noticed that they all use different types of genres to appeal to their target market.

“Check out some of the examples of coffee shop playlist“

We’ll break down the coffee shop music genres below to help you find the right sound for your store and your customers.

Chill and Lo-Fi beats for cool coffee shop vibes

Lo-Fi stands for “low fidelity,” and research suggests that this genre is an excellent choice for focus and studying. If your coffee shop caters to people who come to study, work, or read, this would be the best choice. 

Chill beats also create cool coffeehouse vibes. If that’s the vibe you’re going for, this genre is the perfect choice for your coffee shop.

Jazz for enhancing coffee shop experience

The dynamic element of jazz makes it a popular music genre in many businesses, including coffee shops. Jazz is a mixture of musicians’ instrumental diversity, vocal melody, and the whole act of improvisation. Generally speaking, jazz creates a calming atmosphere that is ideal for relaxing settings like coffee shops.

Jazz is usually associated with a calm mood. However, since its birth, different styles of jazz music have been created, and they all cater to different moods. Depending on your coffeehouse’s atmosphere, you can create a fitting vibe with coffee house jazz music that your customers will enjoy. 

Types of jazz music that we think would go well with coffee shops:

• Early Jazz, often called “Dixieland Jazz” is a good choice for creating a positive and happy coffee shop music vibe.
• Bossa Nova, born in Brazil, also known as Brazilian Jazz, is an excellent choice for coffee shops with a Latin cafe vibe. 
• Nu Jazz has been around since the early 90s, which blends jazz elements with electronic music. This genre is excellent for trendy coffee shops with Generation X customers.
• Soul Jazz is a blend of jazz, r&b, gospel, and soul music, and it’s often instrumental. This type of jazz music allows people to have conversations and creates a relaxed atmosphere. It is an excellent choice for coffee shops with lots of seating areas for customers to enjoy their company.

Acoustic and instrumental music for a relaxing atmosphere

Acoustic or instrumental music for coffee shops is another excellent choice. It’s soft, soothing, and doesn’t distract our attention. For that reason, it’s a good match for coffee shops that provide a space for studying, reading, or having a conversation. 

This type of music may sound like a boring choice, but it doesn’t have to. There are many instrumental and acoustic versions of popular songs that your customers can enjoy while not being distracted by the background music.

Upbeat music for coffee shops in metropolitan areas

Big city coffee shops are usually bustling almost all day long. Playing relaxing, chill, or instrumental music may not be the best choice if your coffee shop is always busy with in-and-out customers. 

We recommend the following coffee shop music genres: 

• Electronic music – we’re not suggesting techno or trance music here, but you can try electronic chill, deep house, and electronic-pop
• Indie music – there are many types of Indie music out there; we recommend Indie Dance or Indie Pop music which can blend well with your energetic atmosphere.
• Pop music – you can never go wrong with upbeat pop music, especially if you cater to different generations. Try mixing different decades from the 70s to the present day. 
• Classic Rock music – another “you can’t go wrong” genre for busy coffee shops with different generation clientele. Study shows that even Millennials love the “Classic Rock” genre. You can read more here.

There are, of course, many other genres that would go well for coffee shops. When choosing the coffee shop music for your store, you should consider the following: 

• What type of coffee shop vibe you are trying to achieve? 
• Who is your target market?
• What is your table turnover goal? Do you prefer many in-and-out customers, or would you like people to spend hours at your cafe?

It may be overwhelming to find the fitting soundtrack for your coffee shop, but don’t worry! There’s a reason there are background music services for businesses that can provide the best sound for your store!

Extra Read: How to Design the Perfect Atmosphere for your Coffee Shop? 

Use a business music streaming service

You might have searched for “coffee shop indie music” or “coffee shop sounds” in your browser and found all these amazing Spotify or YouTube playlists. Then, you start streaming Spotify in your business. In a perfect world, you are all set with the background music at your store.

In reality, however, you are illegally streaming music at your business!

Check out our guide: Can I use Spotify, Apple & Others? 

Music streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube are for personal use only. They provide a private license for a single user to enjoy music for their own entertainment. Using these services in a business environment is considered “Copyright Infringement” and has serious legal consequences. 

The other disadvantage of subscribing to a music service where you need to create playlists is; it takes time and effort to find the right tracks. Do you really have that much time to spend on music curation for a cafe playlist? 

We recommend subscribing to a monthly package from a commercially licensed business music streaming provider to avoid these pitfalls. Such as Jukeboxy Music for Business, which has one of the largest music libraries in the industry. There are over 350 expertly curated playlists in different genres, moods, tempos, and decades. You can find coffee house playlists specifically curated with various types of coffee shops in mind. This way, you’ll always have the kind of music your patrons love. 

You can try it all with a 14-day free trial and a monthly subscription of $29.99, thereafter. Most importantly, the music at your business will be licensed through ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR.

The post Coffee Shop Music Genres – How to Choose the Right Music for Coffee Shop? appeared first on Jukeboxy Blog.

Multibillion-dollar market exist for coffee globally. The US coffee industry alone is a $14 billion market. In 2020, COVID caused a slight decline, but the trend toward coffee is increasing again. The coffee industry’s growth is underway, making it an excellent time to open a coffee shop. You may not be sure where to start; we will go over the steps to help you open your own coffee shop in this article.

Step #1: Choose a business option

Starting a coffee shop business can be achieved in three ways. If you’re wondering how to open a coffee shop, you can do one of the following:

• Open your own shop from scratch
• Buy coffee shop franchise rights
• Rent or buy an existing coffee shop

These various options all have pros and cons. As a franchise owner, you are bound by many aspects of that franchise, from the type of beans you can use to the shop’s decor. On the other hand, you might have fewer costs if you buy another coffee shop like construction. Consider both pros and cons before you decide which option would be the best to start.

Step #2: Establish a business plan for your coffee shop

A coffee shop business plan is primarily a document that describes the idea behind the business and how it will succeed. The questions it answers include how much it will cost to set up your cafe, how you will fund those costs, and how much money you expect to make. Considering your competition, target market, and pricing structure is an essential part of your coffee shop business plan.

When you finalize your business plan, you can present it to potential investors, financial institutions, and partners who might help you to open your cafe. This document is crucial, so you should take the time and effort to make sure it’s right.

Step #3: Look for commercial space

Finding the best commercial space for your cafe is important because a good location can increase your customer base. The space itself is also crucial and should be taken into the account. In addition to where the store is located, it is essential to consider both the location and the physical space to determine whether it is suitable for a coffee shop.

• Is the street busy with foot traffic?
• How many coffee shops are nearby?
• Are you able to fit in as many tables as you predicted in your business plan?
• Is the kitchen space sufficient?

To ensure all the required paperwork and regulations get filled out, we recommend hiring a lawyer when you find the perfect location.

Buy or rent?

If you have the funds, you can buy a store and forget about future rent increases. However, we are assuming that this will be your first coffee shop. In that case, starting with a rental would make more sense and less risky. Suppose the location is not what you have imagined, or you decide to expand in the future; you can find a new rental store without a mortgage liability.

Planning to open a coffee shop? Checkout our guide about Best Sound Systems for Cafe and Restaurants in 2021. 

Step #4: Apply for licenses and permits

When opening a coffee shop, there are some licenses and permits that are necessary. If you fail to obtain these licenses in a timely manner, it may delay opening your location or result in penalties from multiple agencies. Legal assistance may help you outline the steps and ensure that you do not miss anything under the local and state laws. Generally, the easiest way to get permits is to start with the required business licenses for your coffee shop in your State and then work your way down from there to the local requirements. 

Step #5: Buy and install equipment

Purchasing of new equipment

The equipment like fridges, coffee makers, coffee grounders, etc., will be the highest-priced items on your list, but you can find ways to save some money. If you can purchase directly from the manufacturer, you will eliminate the middleman and extra mark-ups. If buying from a distributor, consider the market and the prices available. Spend some time browsing, search multiple distributors, and get quotes from different ones to find the best price that will fit your budget without compromising quality.

Purchasing used equipment

Used equipment will be cheaper than the brand new one for sure; however, you need to consider the lifespan of that specific machine. For example, when buying a used espresso machine, a professional one can last anywhere from 1 to 15 years, depending on how well it was previously maintained. Ensure to check all the previous maintenance or service on the machine and the original receipt to see the date of purchase. 

If the equipment is about to reach its lifespan, spending more money and buying reliable equipment will be better in the long run.

Free (sponsored) equipment

When you sign long-term contracts with food & beverage suppliers, they may sponsor your fridges or coffee makers. It’s a win-win for both the supplier for marketing purposes and for you for saving money on the equipment. It may require some skills and luck, but don’t give up on this option if your budget is lower.

Step #6: Hire and train your employees

One of your biggest challenges will be hiring the right staff; baristas, general managers, cleaning staff, pastry chefs if you are offering food, and so on. Retaining your employees will also take a lot of work in this very competitive industry. You can reduce the turnover with competitive salaries, education benefits, holiday bonuses, and motivation. 

It’s also important to clearly explain your expectations when hiring and training the employees. You can invest in trainers from the industry who will provide constructive criticism while praising a job well done. There is no substitute for practice when it comes to interpersonal communication.

Step #7: Create an inviting atmosphere 

Customer satisfaction relates to the way you present your coffee and decorate your shop. Many people visit a coffee shop because of its “vibe,” so you should consistently convey how you want your consumers to feel. The cafe is both a relaxing place to sit quietly and study, as well as an excellent place to meet with friends over coffee. Here are some ideas:

• Set the mood by using color
• Create a condiment station for customers
• Provide books and magazines
• Make latte art

+1: What about music?

There was a reason that we saved it for last, as we believe music can play the most crucial role in creating the right atmosphere. Avoid streaming music through Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube.

Read our guide about using Spotify, Apple and others.

These services are for personal use and will not cover your business music licenses. If you ignore the Copyright Law, in other words, if you play such music in your café, you could be fined thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. You need to choose a commercially licensed background music provider if you want professional background music and compliance with the law.

Such providers are not expensive at all, so you don’t have to worry about spending a significant part of your budget on music. Try Jukeboxy, where you can get tens of millions of songs and curated soundtracks for as little as $24.99 a month. Create an unforgettable atmosphere in your coffee shop and play the music that will keep your customers coming back for more.

The post Guide to Open Your Own Coffee Shop in 7+1 steps appeared first on Jukeboxy Blog.