Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Cyril Haearn · Post by **Cyril Haearn** » 6 Jun 2018, 4:58am

Hoping for a stastiscally significant result, controversy, opinions

Prompted by background muzak in the Guardian h****t video

Diolch yn fawr iawn

Cyril Haearn · Post by **Cyril Haearn** » 6 Jun 2018, 4:59am

Hoping for a stastiscally significant result, controversy, opinions

Prompted by background muzak in the Guardian h****t video

Diolch yn fawr iawn

fixerupper · Post by **fixerupper** » 6 Jun 2018, 6:24am

Yes I love music , but I dislike most of the din we have to put up with in shops .....

Post by **Mick F** » 6 Jun 2018, 7:11am

Drives me crackers!
I've complained on more than one occasion.

In pubs and restaurants too. :shock:

thirdcrank · Post by **thirdcrank** » 6 Jun 2018, 7:41am

The level of amplification is so high in some shops, staff are likely to suffer hearing loss. HMV used to be particularly bad in this respect. Not really piped music, of course, but the racket coming from some cars is so loud even with the windows closed, it's OTT for somebody on the pavement. If you are stationary in traffic in a car and you can feel the throb of the base from another in the queue, you know the other driver must be heading for impaired hearing.

Unfortunately, there's no reliable way of knowing which pubs don't have piped music. CAMRA pub reviews have the Q classification for quiet - in terms of noise rather than popularity - but it seems to be meaningless. The landlord in our own music-free pub (Chris Wraith at The Chequers in Ledsham) says that it's because landlords lack confidence. IMO a decent pub gets the atmosphere from the happy chatter of the customers. I wouldn't presume to tell somebody how to run a pub; I just wish there was a way of knowing which would suit us without trailing to find out.

Live entertainment is different.

For anybody else sharing my opinion, the Blue Lion at East Witton and the Craven Arms, Appletreewick are both top notch.
Of course, Sam Smith's houses don't have music, but they do say that that's because Humphrey won't pay for the licence and PRS levy.

rjb · Post by **rjb** » 6 Jun 2018, 8:13am

rjb · Post by **rjb** » 6 Jun 2018, 8:18am

Our village community cafe has no music and no WiFi and is much the better for it. No one hogs a table with their laptop open, nor plays with their phone etc. It makes strangers talk to each other and promotes a sense of community. Come and try it. North Curry, near Taunton, Somerset. It has become very popular with cyclists.

But at stations every one should have some entertainment on the platform to soothe weary passengers.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 60%2F&_rdr

francovendee · Post by **francovendee** » 6 Jun 2018, 9:03am

I feel really sorry for the staff, at least I can grab what I need and get away from it.

thirdcrank · Post by **thirdcrank** » 6 Jun 2018, 9:26am

francovendee wrote:I feel really sorry for the staff, at least I can grab what I need and get away from it.

I'd agree 100% in places like shops where somebody all day on a checkout has it blaring above their head but in some pubs the music seems to be played for the benefit of the bar staff.

pwa · Post by **pwa** » 6 Jun 2018, 9:34am

I can't think with loud music playing. I don't have it in the car for that reason. And I do leave shops because the music drives me out. I like silence. Silence gives me pleasure.

bovlomov · Post by **bovlomov** » 6 Jun 2018, 9:53am

The selling point of Wetherspoon* pubs is (or at least used to be) no music and no noisy fruit machines. That, together with reasonable, cheapish food, sounds like an attractive package. Yet, for some reason, I've never been in a Wetherspoon pub that I liked. They just don't feel like a pub should. My preference is for 'nothing pubs'. That is, drab decor, no buzz, no music (or quiet music), long term landlord. Such places hardly exist in London these days.

Another bugbear is eating places or pubs with terrible acoustics. Where the ordinary noises of crockery and cutlery and quiet chatter echo between hard surfaces to generate an earsplitting roar, above which everyone must then raise their voices.

[*No comment about the owner.]

thirdcrank · Post by **thirdcrank** » 6 Jun 2018, 1:10pm

I'd not want to give the impression of being a boozer because I'm not. We do enjoy a pub lunch and we are in the fortunate position of being able to afford to treat ourselves. It's my impression that people divide into two groups, the first who don't notice music and the second, those who don't like it. I base this observation on the number of people we know who will recommend somewhere they've enjoyed but when asked about music didn't notice.

Post by **Mick F** » 6 Jun 2018, 2:23pm

I agree on that TC.
Folk don't care one way or another, and other folk don't like it.

Therefore, wot's it for?

thirdcrank · Post by **thirdcrank** » 6 Jun 2018, 3:10pm

Mick F wrote: ... Therefore, wot's it for?

I think some people are convinced they need music to give their place some atmosphere and as I mentioned further up, my own experienced pub landlord says people lack confidence: they are worried that people won't be attracted to somewhere that doesn't seem lively. I fancy also that if you have an expensive renovation, then having a sound system installed is seen as part of the package. At least with a jukebox, the person who pays calls the tune, but otherwise, you are stuck with somebody else's selection often on a compilation.

As I said earlier, I think in some cases it's the bar staff who plonk a radio etc on the bar for their own entertainment.

The staff in some places don't really understand the issue. I've gone in somewhere with it blaring out and asked if they've a quieter room and the answer has been "there's nobody in here." I don't like to make any sort of an issue because I'm out to enjoy myself and grumbling spoils it. Also, getting one person to turn it down often results in somebody else turning it back up a few minutes later. I don't want to tell anybody how to run a pub, or expect them to do so to suit my preferences. I'd just like clear info before I go. It's only a few weeks since I found out about the CAMRA rating system but in that time we've been to four or five listed as quiet which had significant music and checked in advance by phone on Monday and saved a trip to another.

A couple of different experiences: I remarked to the chap behind the bar at the Craven Arms how nice it was to have no piped music and falling about laughing he said "I'll sing a song if you like."

We went to the Star at Sancton and the music was really loud, made worse by the harsh acoustics. We came straight out and there was a party on the way in. An older (than me) chap remarked that he hoped they wouldn't have the music on. We went on to the Pipe and Glass at South Dalton which has music but so much quieter.

Cyril Haearn · Post by **Cyril Haearn** » 6 Jun 2018, 6:55pm

I have read many articles about how food stores are planned to maximise sales, during the day retired people are shopping, appropriate music is played to encourage them to loiter and buy more
In the evening people go shopping after leaving work, different music is played to maximise sales appropriately
Doubtless the whole thing is a strategy dreamed up by expensive con-sultants with ongoing monthly fees

Still have a memory of a bookshop in Bonn, baroque music, not too loud, smelt of coffee
Books smell good too

Hoping some muzak-lovers will be along soon :wink:

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