Music In The Workplace

Listening to music is a big part of many peoples’ lives. Regardless of the genre, music is listened to throughout the day all over the world and is one of the most popular forms of entertainment today. Music is listened to on the way to work, at work, to workout to, or to help one fall asleep. However, one problem in business is choosing the right music to play.

There are many different ways to broadcast music in a facility. A popular option taken by many organizations is to have their own personal station that is run by companies such as Neptune (music provider for the Tarleton Recreation Center). Another radio option businesses use is satellite radio or other music players on the internet such as Pandora. Some business even stay old school and use traditional FM radio and/or CDs.

However, no matter what time of day it is, there is always going to be someone in the workplace who does not agree with the music selection. To cope with this, a great option could be to have certain types of music played throughout different times in the day. For example at a gym; if the majority of your 6am-12pm crowd is older patrons, classical 70s and 80s rock might be the best option and switch it to today's hip hop and r&b hits from 12pm-close.

Another often unnoticed problem that business could be held liable for is broadcasting copyrighted music without authors’ consent. When the business benefits from the music, it is only fair that the artists should be compensated for contribution to performance1.

In the recreation setting, patrons deal with unpreferable music by simply placing headphones in their ears. However, the facility staff still has to suffer through music they might not particularly enjoy. Although music is preferred by many in the place of business, it might be less of a hassle and liability to leave the music off? With the potential problems such as too many “F bombs”, copyright issues, and displeased clientele ears’, music should be managed properly or left off to ensure the best environment for the customers entering the business.

1"Is Your Gym Guilty of Music Piracy?" Is Your Gym Guilty of Music Piracy? Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.climbingbusinessjournal.com/is-your-gym-guilty-of-music-piracy/>.