Background music for retail stores and shops
Properly licensed, professionally curated, and built to keep playing when your internet doesn't.
The right music in a shop affects how long customers stay, what they spend, and whether they come back. The wrong music - or worse, no music - sends them home faster. We handle the licensing, the curation, and the technology so you can focus on running the shop.
What every UK retailer needs to know about playing music in-store
If your shop is open to the public, playing music there is a "public performance" under UK copyright law. That means two licences:
PRS for Music covers the songwriters and composers. PPL covers the recording artists and labels.
Most retailers hold these together through TheMusicLicence, the combined PRS/PPL scheme. The fee depends on your floor area, opening hours, and how the music is used.
What's not legal - even with TheMusicLicence in place - is playing Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music or YouTube through your store's sound system. Consumer streaming services are licensed for personal use only. Their terms of service explicitly exclude commercial use. The fact that "everyone does it" doesn't change the contract you've agreed to, and it doesn't help if a licensing officer asks.
This is where Rosi fits in. Our music library is licensed for commercial use, properly encrypted, and delivered through a system designed for retail environments - not a consumer app repurposed for business. You still need TheMusicLicence (nobody can replace that - it's the law). But you won't have a separate streaming compliance problem on top of it.
Music does more than fill the silence
Decades of retail research show music isn't background - it's a quiet commercial lever. The right music in the right shop at the right time of day affects four things measurably.
Dwell time
Tempo and volume directly affect how long customers stay. Slower, lower-volume music encourages browsing; faster, louder music drives quick decisions. The right setting at the right time of day extends visits and basket size.
Spend per head
Multiple retail studies show music tempo affects pace of decision-making and what customers add to their basket. A 10% change in average tempo can move conversion rates measurably.
Brand identity
Your shop's sound is part of its identity, the same as your fit-out and your product range. A generic playlist makes you a generic retailer. The right sound, consistent across visits, becomes part of how customers remember you.
Staff atmosphere
Your team works full shifts. The music they hear shapes their day. Retailers with a thought-through music programme see better staff retention and a better front-of-house experience.
Six things that matter in a retail environment
What sets us apart from streaming services dressed up as commercial products, or from old-school music suppliers selling expensive proprietary hardware.
Retail-appropriate curation
Different playlists for different times of day. Calmer in the morning when shoppers are browsing, energetic in the afternoon when they're deciding. Curated by humans who understand retail rhythms - not algorithms guessing at "lo-fi beats to retail to."
Centrally managed
One dashboard, all your stores. Push a seasonal playlist change at 9am and every site updates at once. Different programming for different store formats, all controlled from one place.
No proprietary hardware
Runs on a standard Windows or Linux box you probably already own. No expensive new kit, no vendor lock-in, no waiting weeks for installation. If you need new hardware, we can supply it - but we don't require it.
Plays offline
Friday afternoon, broadband drops, music keeps playing. The system caches your scheduled playlists locally on your shop's hardware, so a dropped connection doesn't silence the store.
Fully licensed
Commercial-use music library. We help you understand your PRS/PPL position rather than pretending licences don't exist.
UK-based support
Real people on the phone when something goes wrong. Based in Cornwall, available across UK trading hours - not an outsourced ticketing system or a Slack channel that never replies.
Built for independents and multi-site retailers alike
We work with single-site independents and multi-site retailers. The product is the same; how you use it depends on your scale. Both get the same licensed library, the same offline reliability, and the same UK-based support.
Independent retailers and single shops:
- Simple monthly pricing, one venue
- Curated playlists for different times of day
- Multi-zone if you have a stockroom, fitting rooms, or café area
- Licensed, reliable, low-touch
- Contact us for pricing tailored to your shop
Multi-site retailers (3+ shops):
- Central dashboard managing every site
- Brand-consistent music across all stores
- Different programming by store format or region
- Multi-zone per store: shop floor, changing rooms, stockroom
- Estate-scale pricing - speak to us for a quote
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use Spotify in my shop?
A: No - Spotify isn’t legal for business use. We offer properly licensed or royalty-free alternatives.
Q: Will the music match my brand?
A: Absolutely. We tailor playlists to suit your products, customer age range, and store design.
Q: Can I change the music during promotions or sales?
A: Yes, you can switch playlists, or we’ll do it for you. We offer advanced options. For example, you can introduce Christmas music during November and slowly increase it during the following weeks, stopping automatically. We can also automatically alter the mood and feel of playlists depending on the weather, reflecting the changing buying habits of customers.
Q: What happens if I lose internet?
A: Your music continues uninterrupted thanks to local playback.