HOW TO BUILD THE IDEAL PLAYLIST FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Music is pure mathematics in its theoretical structure, but it is something very subjective and complex in the emotional bonds it creates with the listener.

A song that for some awakens the deepest feelings, for others it may go unnoticed as background music. Everyone has their own musical taste, but when putting together a playlist for an establishment, it is necessary to leave passions aside and focus on music.

So what works and what doesn't work in a commercial environment where we have to please all tastes?

The first thing to always do is analyze the brief sent, the target audience and the brand's attributes to be able to find the artists and genres that will guide our research.

In addition to the briefing, other factors and behaviors must be analyzed. 

A younger audience demands a track full of more current music, from the charts to viral hits on TikTok. While a more mature audience demands more classic and even serious music, this does not mean that the soundtrack is made up of monotonous songs. If studies prove that music influences customer purchasing intentions, then music cannot refer to sad themes and melodies without energy that motivate them. If your business has a wider age range, from young people to the elderly, for example, this mix must be reflected in the trail, always with the balance and sensibility that the moment demands.

More popular brands have an audience that consumes radio music. A cooler brand (not to be defined by social class), consumes a more sophisticated type of music.

An establishment that operates in several shifts must understand the behavior of its customers. In a bar/restaurant, for example, when sitting down to have lunch, the customer wants to hear a pleasant sound so that they can have their meal more peacefully. At night, the atmosphere changes and calls for a more lively sound, to encourage your consumption. It's no surprise that the name of these after-work meetings, accompanied by alcoholic drinks, is called Happy Hour. It's time to relax with friends and that calls for a trail with this energy.

Let's use a beachwear brand as an example of a trail, using the brief below as a reference:

“Young and trendy brand, with 30 years of existence and a target audience of 30-45 years old. The brand wants a pleasant and lively environment on a sunny day with your feet in the sand and lots of national music.”

As it is beach fashion, we will direct the search towards artists and bands that have a less electronic and more organic sound and bring that pleasant feeling of the sun warming the skin.

As the brand already has a connection with Brazilian music, this is the path we focused our research on. So who are the artists we can use on this track?

Using known tracks is always a cool way to start. People already have an emotional bond with several national music classics, so there are some examples of artists that we can explore the catalog and find perfect tracks to compose the playlist, such as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte and Vanessa da Mata.

We can extend the research to new artists, to give a fresh touch to the playlist and show that the brand, despite 30 years on the road, is young and up-to-date. Here we can use tracks from artists such as Gilsons, Melim, Mallu Magalhães and Julio Secchin.

To complete the track, we can put on some international tracks to create an even more beachy atmosphere like “Don't Worry, Be Happy”, by Bob McFerrin, which brings that feeling of well-being instantly.

And, finally, those golden tips that will be useful for almost any business:

– Always be aware of songs with explicit content.

– Never sad music! (unless they ask for it in the briefing, lol.)

Did you like it?

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By Arlei and Jean, curator of good music at Tecla Music.

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We are the Music Key: music branding agency specialized in curation and sound management for brands with more than 15 years of experience in the market. We translate the values of your business and help inspire customers with sound strategies – for different platforms. And there, let's make noise? Click here to hire!