Background Music does make a difference and the type of background music also makes a difference.
STUDY REGARDING RESTAURANTS

A study entitled The Influence of Background Music on the Behaviour of Restaurant Patrons by
Ronald E. Millman (published in the Journal of Consumer Research — Volume 13, 1985) found:

1. Patrons waiting in line for a period of time to be seated were more likely to leave if fast tempo music was being played.

2. The average bar bill for those dining in the restaurant was $30.36 when slow music was played
and 29% less — $21.62 — when fast music was played.

The total bill average for meal and drinks
was $55.82 with slow music — $48.62 with fast. The fast music had thus had a negative effect on the very profitable bar tab.

3. The study said, "it would appear that inappropriately loud or ill-suited music could create an avoidance condition."

4. A different study was cited, saying that people spent significantly less time in supermarkets with loud music than with soft music (Smith and Curnow, 1966).

5. In a 1982 study, Millman found that, compared to fast-tempo music, the slow-tempo background music produced a significantly slower pace of in-store traffic flow and a significantly greater sales volume.

Other studies on restaurant noise include: Retailer and Consumer Attitudes Towards Background
Music(1979) unpublished study by the Department of Business Administration at the University of
Texas, El Paso; The Effects of Background Music Upon the Shopping Behavior of Supermarket
Patrons, Journal of Marketing, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 86-91; Arousal Hypotheses and the Effects of
Music on Purchasing Behavior, Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 255-256. (Thanks
to Stephen O. Frazier, President, Citizens for a Quiet Environment, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
STUDY REGARDING MUSIC AT THE WORKPLACE

Psychology of Music, Vol. 33, No. 2, 173-191 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0305735605050650


The effect of music listening on work performance
Teresa Lesiuk
University of Windsor, Canada, tlesiuk@uwindsor.ca

This study measured the effect of music listening on state positive affect, work quality and
time-on-task of computer information systems developers.

Effects of music on work performance, in this case, software design, may be explained by increases in state positive affect.

Data from 56 (male = 41, female = 15) developers were obtained from four different Canadian software companies.

Data were collected in the participants’ actual work environments over five weeks.

Results indicated that state positive affect and quality-of-work were lowest with no music, while time-on-task was longest when music was removed.

Narrative responses revealed the value of music listening for positive mood change and enhanced perception on design while working.

Evidence is provided of the presence of a learning curve in the use of music for positive mood alteration.

Overall, the study contributes to the development of a model that aspires to elucidate music and
workplace interactions; as well, it has implications for organizational practice.