5 Music Apps for Bars and Restaurants

Choosing a Restaurant and Bar Music App - 5 Popular Options

Here are 5 popular music streaming services for bars and restaurants.

1. Soundtrack Your Brand - Best Overhead Music Solution

Soundtrack Your Brand has one of the biggest music catalogs of any streaming service, with over 120 million songs and 1,200 playlists, plus worldwide licensing for businesses in 74 countries.

With the Unlimited subscription, it’s the only on-demand commercial music service that lets you play what you want, when you want, without having to wait for other songs in a queue. Employees or guests can easily select a playlist or individual track they want to hear with the touch of a button.

On top of that, Soundtrack’s AI Playlist Generator lets you create a hours-long playlist from a single text prompt. The service also lets you directly import playlists from Spotify, schedule playlists, filter explicit tracks, and incorporate in-store messaging such as drink specials or closing time into your background music.

2. TouchTunes - Best for Jukebox Needs

TouchTunes features a jukebox-style playlist system that lets users queue songs on a digital jukebox. Users must download the mobile app from the app store for iPhone iOS or Android, search for the TouchTunes interactive jukebox location, and queue up their song of choice how they would with an old-fashioned jukebox.

The service does require users to purchase music credits with their credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay before they can play songs, and depending on how many songs they wish to play in one setting the costs can add up.

While this style of music streaming offers a novel music experience, the lack of ready-made playlists or functionality that allows users to play any song without having to wait for the tracks to cycle through can be drawbacks.

Additionally, the fact that the right mix of on-brand hits and more obscure songs can increase food and drink sales 9.1% (while playing random hits can lead to a 4.3% decrease in sales versus playing no music at all), leaving the soundtrack in the hands of customers can cause restaurants to miss out on revenue.

Due to these reasons, TouchTunes may not be the right fit for many businesses.

3. SiriusXM for Business - Best for Radio-Style Streaming

Sirius XM for Business is designed for businesses looking to incorporate satellite radio stations into their commercial streaming framework. The service has over 240 exclusive business channels and features artist-specific playlists from its subsidiary, Pandora. It also offers in-store messaging.

However, a drawback for this service is that users are dependent on the premade radio stations and can’t create their own using specific songs that match the vibe of the establishment.

The service may have niche appeal with users who prefer radio-style music streaming, but SiriusXM for Business is only available in the U.S. and doesn’t offer on-demand streaming. The lack of flexibility makes this service less appealing for users who want more freedom with the music they play in their bar or restaurant.

4. Rockbot - Best for Request Feature Add-On

Rockbot is a music streaming service that offers real-time control over your music, an optional plug-and-play music player, and the Rockbot Request feature which allows customers to request their favorite songs.

With 16 million songs on offer, Rockbot’s library is considerably smaller than those of its competitors. The service also has ready-made playlists but does not give users the option to create their own playlists.

The Rockbot Request add-on feature allows each customer to make two song requests. However, this feature costs businesses an additional $25 to $45 in addition to the core music service. This can drive up the total costs of subscription in the long term.

5. KingTrivia - Best for a Music-Oriented Game

King Trivia is not purely a commercial music streaming service in the traditional sense. However, what makes it a unique restaurant and bar music app is its Music Bingo game.

The service plays portions of songs over the sound system, then customers use digital bingo cards on their phones to fill in squares that correspond to the artists and titles of the songs they’ve just heard. However, the game gives the answers after the song clip ends, so it takes much of the challenge out of the game.

The limiting nature of the service, including the lack of on-demand play, makes King Trivia less ideal for business owners looking for an extensive catalog and greater control over their music.

The Best Restaurant and Bar Music App for Your Business

Whether you’re looking to create a fun atmosphere at a family-friendly restaurant, or create the ideal lo-fi soundscape at your upscale bar, Soundtrack Your Brand stands above its competitors as the right commercial streaming solution for your business.

With its massive repertoire of songs from around the world, as well as custom playlists at your fingerprints, Soundtrack has the music to suit your business needs.

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