AUDIO-LOUNGE

Many research studies in many different countries have concluded that music can influence desired behavioural responses in subjects in everyday life.

If used correctly, music can potentially be a very powerful tool for almost every kind of organisation. There are broadly four contexts in which this is true of music.
1.Encouraging a positive attitude towards a product by associating it with emotionally connecting music. Think the Cadbury’s Flake commercial.

2.Improving the comprehension of a message by syncing it with congruent music. Many commercials with a call to action employ music that lyrically reinforces the message

3.Changing the tempo of human activity through beats per minute and volume. Playing slower and softer music can encourage customers to stay longer and spend more money (see examples below).

4.Shifting the listener’s emotional state to encourage a different behaviour. According to research by Entertainment Media Research, four in five people frequently listen to music to deliberately put themselves in a more    positive frame of mind

Probably the most well-known example of a music research experiment was conducted by North, Hargreaves and McKendrick. This involved playing a mixture of French and German music next to a supermarket display of French and German wines over a two week period. When French music was played, French wine outsold German wine by five bottles to one. Conversely when German music was played, German wine outsold French wine by nearly two bottles to one.

A similar experiment was conducted by North and Yeoh in Malaysia. Students were given a choice of Malaysian or Indian food after being played music from one of the two countries. When Malay music was played, three times as many participants chose Malay than Indian food. When Indian music was played, nearly six times as many respondents chose Indian over Malay food.

The tempo, volume or pitch of the music is another influential variable of direct relevance to retailers. A study on background music by Sullivan carried out in a medium-sized mid-range restaurant found that the playing of soft music led to meal durations 20% longer than when loud music was played and as a consequence the amount of money spent on food in the restaurant was 7.5% higher. A separate study by Caldwell and Hibbert found that when slow music was played in restaurants the time spent dining was 20% longer but 51% more money was spent on drink per head and 12% more on food per head.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BACKGROUND MUSIC

Several studies now link the influence of music on brain activity to behavioral response. Recently published articles investigate the influence of music on brain activity by trying to make sense of how we listen to music. It claims that the act of listening is actually an act of neural prediction.

The ability to anticipate forthcoming events has clear evolutionary advantages, and predictive successes or failures often entail significant psychological and physiological consequences. In music perception, the confirmation and violation of expectations are critical to the communication of emotion and aesthetic effects of a composition.

Researchers examined the brain waves of twenty participants while they listened to various hymns. They found that it was the unanticipated pitches, outside of the melodic pattern, that caused a spike in brain activity and an interesting sequence of neural events.

An element of surprise required to activate certain neural processes but that music affects some primary neural mechanisms. It is common knowledge that music is linked to emotional response as we experience it on daily basis but observing how background music can affect behavior can be far more powerful.

THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS STUDIES INTO THE BENEFITS THAT MUSIC BRINGS AND THE WAYS IN WHICH IT CAN HELP DIFFERENT KIND OF BUSINESSES MAKE MORE MONEY.

Not only can playing music in the workplace improve the morale of your staff, but by helping to establish a better atmosphere it can also make your place of business more appealing to customers and the way they do business with you.

Using music to soothe customers who are forced to wait for service – be it on the telephone or in a queue – has been proven to work, as research has shown that people are likely to be more patient if they are played music.

Shops and stores use music to keep customers on their premises longer, and therefore are more likely to buy, while mood music has been found to vastly improve the experience for diners in restaurants. For example, a fast tempo music can lead to customers finishing their meals quicker. Customers are also more likely to return to a restaurant whose ambience is enhanced by music, than one which does not use music.

Similar benefits can be reaped across nearly every form of commercial activity and that is why music is ubiquitous no matter where you go in public these days, be that in shopping malls, supermarkets, fashion boutiques, pubs and bars, doctors’ surgeries, hairdressers, art galleries, on aircraft and just about anywhere else you can think of.

There are several types of deejays. Radio DJs introduce and play music that is broadcast on AM, FM, shortwave, digital, or online radio stations. Club DJs select and play music in a bar, club, disco, at a rave, or even in a stadium.

Hip-hop deejays select and play music using multiple turntables, often to back up one or more MCs. The reggae deejay is a vocalist who raps or chats over pre-recorded rhythm tracks while the individual choosing and playing them is referred to as a selector. Mobile DJs travel with portable sound systems and work at a variety of events.

A good DJ should have the basis of his appeal firmly rooted in the choice of music he plays, his range and how he allows one track to relate to another. In this day and age many DJs are more likely to try to impress with technical ability, as oppossed to their skill in selecting music.  What definitely makes the difference, is the DJs ability to CREATE ATMOSPHERE with his musical selection.