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Mood-setting background music for retail stores

Licensed music curated to enhance the shopping experience, from opening hours to closing time.

See how it works

Strike the right chord in
your shop

Attract more customers and keep them in-store with SoundMachine.

Upbeat music icon with upward trend graph representing improved customer movement.

Drive more sales

Upbeat background music energizes customers, prompting spontaneous buying decisions.

Shopping bag icon with heart symbol representing brand alignment through music

Enhance your brand

Curated background playlists strengthens brand identity and creates a memorable shopping experience.

Clock icon symbolising increased time spent in-store and repeat customer behaviour

Increase in-store time

Background music encourages longer shopping visits, leading to more browsing and higher sales.

Person icon with upward arrow indicating improved staff morale through music

Keep your employees happy

The right background music uplifts staff mood enhancing productivity and customer service.

The sound of better shopping

Our platform helps you manage background music for retail stores, giving you full control over your store’s mood with licensed playlists, scheduling tools, and custom stations.

  • Pick your ideal sound from over 500+ curated stations across a wide variety of genres
  • Import custom playlists from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Youtube, and more.
  • Talk with a dedicated music concierge to help make the perfect station.
Learn more about SoundMachine's music tools

Music for retail made easy

Build the right in-store atmosphere throughout the day with scheduled music mixes, promotional messages, and multi-location control, all from one easy-to-use interface.

  • Schedule stations and custom mixes, building the right ambiance throughout the day.
  • Incorporate promotional messages for your store at exact times or in precise intervals.
  • Link as many locations as you like to your account and control music from a single interface.
Learn more about SoundMachine's programming tools

Why background music for retail isn’t just background noise

Music influences shopper behavior, from how long they browse to how much they buy. These stats show why investing in professional background music for retail pays off.

20%

potential increase in customer return rate to retail stores

34%

potential increase of time spent in-store with pleasing music

90%

of retail shoppers report store ambiance affects buying decisions

Figures and statistics are based on findings from reputable industry reports and academic research studies.

Music license solutions for different retail environments

Whether you run a trendy boutique, a large department store, or a multi-location brand, SoundMachine offers the perfect soundtrack to enhance your customers’ shopping experience.

Boutiques & specialty shops

Craft a unique, memorable atmosphere with handpicked playlists that reflect your brand personality and keep customers browsing longer.

Department stores & large retailers

Set the tone for every department with dynamic, zone-based music programming, designed to energise shoppers and complement your store layout.

Pop-ups & seasonal shops

Create instant impact with flexible, plug-and-play music options. Capture attention and spark engagement with fresh, on-brand tracks.

Multi-location retail chains

Control music across all stores from one central dashboard. Keep your brand voice consistent while customizing by region, season, or time of day.

Try for free
Book a demo

Go beyond curated stations

Already using Spotify, TIDAL, or Apple Music at home? You can import playlists from major platforms into your fully licensed retail account.

How to get started

It only takes a few steps to get fully licensed music in your store.

1. Pick your plan

Choose one of our plans, tell us about your company, and you're in! Explore all features for 30 days, completely free.

2. Define your sound

Choose from 500+ stations or import custom playlists from major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, and more.

3. Program your content

Schedule stations, custom playlists, or mixes and get attention with promotional messaging.

4. Enjoy the music

You're done! Watch as both customers and employees feel more energized by an improved shopping experience.

Trusted by retailers worldwide

Thousands of retailers across the world trust SoundMachine to create the right atmosphere with licensed, flexible music solutions.


Learn more about music for retail

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Frequently Asked Questions

No, personal streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube are not licensed for commercial use. To legally play music in a retail environment, you need a business-grade service like SoundMachine that includes public performance rights.

Playing music in a store is considered a public performance under copyright law. Without proper licensing, you could face fines from performance rights organisations. Services like SoundMachine handles these rights for you. For any other country, please consult our local collecting societies or send us an email at support@sound-machine.com

PROs, like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, represent songwriters and music publishers. They ensure artists are compensated when their music is played in public spaces. Stores need licenses from these PROs or can use a licensed music provider like SoundMachine to cover all rights legally.

Yes, it does. Studies show that background music can increase sales by up to 9%. It influences customer behaviour, dwell time, and even how customers perceive your brand.

Tempo can directly influence how customers move through your store. Slower music encourages browsing, while faster tracks can increase shopping pace. The key is matching tempo to your brand tone and customer flow goals.

It depends on your brand. Popular genres in fashion and lifestyle retail include indie pop, lo-fi, mellow electronic, or soft acoustic. The most important factor is keeping your sound consistent with your store’s identity.

While employee input can be valuable, consistency is key to brand experience. You can offer staff a selection of approved content, but all playlists must come from a licensed commercial music provider to remain compliant.

Yes. With SoundMachine, you can manage music across multiple locations from one central dashboard. This lets you maintain brand consistency while customising content by time, region, or store type.

Make your store sound special. Try for free.

Book a demo