I’m looking for ideas for what types of music to play in my store. Also does anyone recommend web based radio ? thanks!
We play 'iTunes Radio" in our place, I like it because we can customize what plays after a day or two by choosing “Play more like this” or 'Never play this song again"
I built the station of of a Stevie Ray Vaughn song to have a blues/rock mix.
After close, it gets switched over to heavy metal, or punk rock featuring the Dead Kennedy’s or the Ramones.
I have two stereo’s setup. One for the kitchen side (staff) and one for the customer area. The kitchen side we use Spotify/pandora/mp3 players to play music. The Customer area is tied to one of the TV’s (we have two).
It is fun watching people at lunch time just stare mindlessly at the movie or sporting event playing and not eating :D.
GotRocks: Small world. I have one of Stevie Vaughn’s guitars. I was given it when I hit Austin from living in Brussels with my band and my guitar and amp couldn’t keep up with the crazy volumes of Austin in the early 80’s. Charlie Sexton, Dylan’s longtime guitarist, gave me a nice old loud fender amp and between the old fender amp and guitar I was able to blast with the best of em. Austin was like that back then. We all worked together. I worked at upper crust bakery after gigs and there was an old blodgett deck oven in it. The owner dug my music and let me work whenever I needed money and she was cool with me making pies. I made NY pizzas and lots of musicians would hang out till the sun came up eating them with us.
The Dead Kennedys heard me playing my acoustic guitar/harp singing under a shade tree on the campus of Kean College in NJ before their show. They got me to open for them. I had no idea who they were and I only knew 1 chord on the guitar at the time. I entertained the crowd for 40 minutes with 1 chord and energy of a full punk band… Joey Ramone use to come down to visit in Austin and would sit front row at my gigs. Another Jersey boy made good! On the music radio/tv front I never will have it in my shop. I like it quiet so people can converse with no static. I eventually might do a gig here and there on our closed nights in the shop but never will play any radio with people there when food is served. My longtime drummer lives in Reno and we will have some fun playing a few gigs at the pizzeria. No food. Just music. Walter
Here is a link to my former life of music and about 6,000 of my songs. I am now doing everything as a 1 man band. What you hear is all live in real time, no overdubs, and all real instruments I am old school and old enough now to really be it 
.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=157137
I am in agreement with Walter. There are several places that I choose not to go to not because of the food or service but because I find carrying on a conversation over the music too difficult.
I’ve been trying to figure out how we’re going to do our dining room. Right now, our place is so small, we just have the radio on in the kitchen. I have an old smartphone that we use to play either Sirius satellite radio (usually Willie’s Roadhouse) or Pandora. Or an iPod. We just keep it at a reasonable volume. On days when we don’t have either music or the TV on, people always comment something along the lines of “how can you work with it so quiet in here?” We’ll probably play satellite radio that will come with the Dish package we’ll get when we expand the dining room.
heh when customers ask me that, i tell them it is very noisy in the kitchen with the ovens running and all the refrigeration running. At least it gives me a nice constant background noise to listen to.
And several times i have caught motors breaking down before they became a problem.
See, I am actually quite opposite, I like it loud and raucous in here.
The day that Tommy Ramone died (July 2014) we played nothing but the Ramones all day and night, and I was actually quite surprised that many of our customer complimented us on it.
We are a small, very small place, and without a bar or liquor served in Northern WI (the self-proclaimed alcohol consumption and DWI capital of the world).
So for us to make any coin, we need to turn tables as rapidly as we can. If they want to talk and hog tables, they are welcomed to sit out on the deck, or at a lakefront table.
Plus, with an open kitchen (actually in the dining room) we need a bit of noise to keep the language of the kitchen (is that considered Kitchenese with a lowland dialect?) not so prominent when we are trying to verbally communicate across the line to time orders between the meat side and the pizza side, and coordinate that with fryer & saute with an exhaust hood, make-up air, and refrigeration compressors screaming in our ears.
If our customers heard the nicknames of products that we use on the line, they might freak out a bit. (Our pulled pork & chicken combo is known on the line as the yank & choke, now do you get it?)
Now if we were fine dining as opposed to Swine dining, things may be different
Just one more reason I love my deck ovens! They’re quiet. We don’t keep it super loud. And other than my prep table and a deli cooler, our walk in and freezers are in the back. We also have concrete floors throughout (one of the first things I want want to change when we remodel) so sound kind of travels.
6,000 songs! Dang, Walter. Talk about prolific and what a history. Love the blues. Reminds me of back home Mississippi.
Thanks Missy! I have pioneered a new way to do music. Everything is spontaneously created live. I call it Spontobeat and have done over a million spontaneously created songs in my life so far. The music business offered me lots of fame/fortune if I would conform to the normal way of doing music but I refuse. I find pizza much more creative than repeating songs over and over. Walter
Check out your local cable provider and possibly XM/Sirus. Most likely will not happen, but if ASCAP or the other 2-music police discover you are not paying the royalty fees, could be big fines. I have found that it is usually an upset competitor or guest that narks you out, unfortunately! Cable/XM cover your fees through your subscription.
I am ALL about saving money but trust me on this one! do not skimp and try to skirt ASCAP or the other 2, I have 2 friends and one family member that are attorneys and they get solicitations all the time from them asking to find local restaurants that may be in violation, IF they record you and you can not provide proof you are STUCK real cheap and inexpensive way is an old Iphone or Ipod, down load Sirus xm app and sign up for business use!
(you could slide in Pandora one then cause technically you are paying royalty)
OH and since we are Rockstar Pizza yeah we Rock out!
So, you cannot really play the Internet radio station like last.fm or Spotify, that would be considered a violation!
What is the best option for satisfying the customers with music and not get into trouble?
Is this the way to go?
real cheap and inexpensive way is an old Iphone or Ipod, down load Sirus xm app and sign up for business use!
Pandora One is licensed for personal use only. A business needs a commercial license: http://www.dmx.com/pandora/pandora-business-offer
If you want to not play music royalties; have you restaurant be less than 3750 sqft, have 4 or fewer T.V.s, and over-the-air radio on no more than 6 speakers (4 in one room). Digital “radio” (pandora, grooveshark, satellite radio, etc…) doesn’t count and requires music licenses! More details of the rules can be found on this .pdf file: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/crsreports/crsdocuments/rs21107.pdf