Bars and restaurants depend on their suppliers for food items, linens, beverages, and everything else that keeps their businesses operating. These suppliers service many establishments in any given area, and although they offer some variety, they can’t always accommodate each bar or restaurant’s unique branding theme. Instead, it’s up to the owners of these establishments to be creative with their recipes, décor, lighting, furniture, and ambiance to offer their customers something different, and hopefully, do more than break even. This is where music can play an important role.
By nature, the music of different songwriters is unique. It’s what keeps people from getting bored and why they listen to new songs as well as oldies, never lacking in a variety of favorite artists to choose from. Multiply this by the number of genres there are, including the ones that are hybrids and cross-over styles, and you’ve got an abundance of music to choose from to market your business. No other business tool can claim the same versatility.
By securing a BMI music license, you not only have legal access to nearly 13 million songs from more than 800,000 unique songwriters for one annual fee, you have the important ability to choose how and when to play these songs in your business. Whether it’s live music every night, recorded music in the background, or TVs that bring your customers into the sports arena from the comfort of your establishment, you have options.
So, how do you figure out what music to play? Look at your customer base and experiment. Ask your servers for their input. They may not only give you great ideas but feel like they contributed and are part of the experience, which is good for you and your business. You might even ask some of your regular customers – they’ll probably be flattered that you asked for their opinion and you’ll build an invaluable relationship with them. And while you experiment with BMI music, you’ll only pay for what you play with the option to change your fee up to three times per contract year. All this is what versatility really is – an opportunity to create your own niche that your customers will come to look forward to.
BMI supports you in your decision to market yourself and we’re happy to answer any questions you have about music licensing at (800) 325-1395. You can also check out our website at bmi.com and find out how we support songwriters, who also uniquely market themselves. These efforts keep the world of music spinning, because when writers are paid for their creativity, so are businesses.
