7 Best Coffee Shop Music Playlists For the Perfect Ambiance

This list of the seven best coffee shop music playlists has something for everyone, from up-to-date easy-listening hits to playlists designed to be the perfect background music.

Picking the best coffee shop music for your store can take time and effort. However, if it feels like a chore to curate the right café music, you should know that it is worth the time and effort.

The ambiance provided by the right music help with coffee shop marketing. It sets you apart from the Starbucks of this world and helps them gain returning customers. Of course, the correct type of music differs depending on the style of the coffee shop.

The good news is that we have a coffeehouse music playlist to suit all tastes, and we are sure we can help you pick the right music for your store.

How to Get the Right Coffee Shop Ambiance?

How to get the right coffee shop ambiance?
Setting the mood in your store doesn’t have to be costly

A good cup of coffee, espresso, or latte is why customers keep returning to a coffee shop. However, good coffee, high-quality coffee beans, and well-trained baristas aren’t the only reasons customers keep returning.

Nowadays, the coffee shop is a place to relax, unwind and catch up with friends. The ambiance set for its customers is a crucial element that some coffee shop owners forget.

And the good news is that setting the mood in your store doesn’t have to be costly. Of course, things like comfortable furniture and warm lighting can help.

However, just having the right music in your coffee shop can help customers feel at ease and make your coffee house the place to be.

Music helps create a vibe you can be known for in your community.It is so powerful that the background music you choose to play can even affect the types of customers you attract.

For example, if you play easy-listening music, your coffee shop may feel like a jazz cafe and attract older customers.

If you play indie rock or hip hop, younger clientele may see it as a cool place to be. If you play instrumental music, customers may come to study and work on their laptops. Music is powerful. Here’s how you can use it to your advantage.

The Power of Coffee Shop Music

The power of coffee shop music
One of the more interesting findings was customers’ urge to buy upmarket products when listening to classical music

Did you know that music affects the purchasing behavior of customers? For example, fast-tempo classic rock songs may get people moving faster through the queue, while a smooth jazz playlist may prime people to purchase sophisticated products linked. The Association for Psychological Science published about music’s subtle impacts on customers.

One of the more interesting findings was customers’ urge to buy upmarket products when listening to classical music. Of course, music will not change buyers’ personal preferences, but if you are trying to sell a particular type of coffee or product, it might be worth thinking about the music you should play that could help with sales.

For example, if you are trying to sell high-priced products, such as coffee grinders, then play the New York Philharmonic playlist. 

Play soft country music if you want your customers to buy everyday products like coffee cups. Recognizing music’s power means that the playlist you put on, from the likes of Spotify or YouTube, could help your bottom line.

Best Background Music for a Coffee House

Choosing the best background music for a coffee house depends on what sort of vibe you are trying to give off.

If you are hoping to create an inviting, relaxing environment, laidback indie pop and Americana artists like Bon Iver and Lumineers are perfect additions to your playlist.

The vibe of your coffee shop should be led by the music you play. Bon Iver and The Lumineers are acts that are popular with people in their 30s.

If you’re in an area with many young professionals, that music could be ideal for keeping your customers happy. Chances are, you’re in an area with a hefty mix of customer age profiles. For this, you’ll want soothing music, offers some background ambiance, and isn’t too distracting.

Of course, some singer-songwriters fall into that bracket. However, you are probably as well off opting for soothing tunes like soft jazz music for most of the day.

The truth is that many people come to coffee shops to relax, work or meet friends.

Thus, playing music that sets a vibe while not clashing with personal taste and isn’t too distracting can be a good approach.

7 Top Playlists for Your Coffee Shop

Top playlists for your coffee shop
Relax Jazz Cafe Piano and Guitar Instrumental Background

 Here is a list of some popular coffee shop music playlists available online:

  • Indie Coffee Shop – This Spotify playlist is over six hours long. This coffee shop playlist is sure to go down well with hipsters living in the area, with songs like Phoebe Bridger’s “Motion Sickness” setting the mood.
  • Cozy Coffeehouse ☕ – An Indie/Folk/Acoustic Playlist. This largely acoustic playlist is perfect for sweater weather and will help give that warm feeling to all who enter your coffee house.
  • Soul Coffee – This Spotify playlist is more than three hours long and offers soulful tunes from the likes of Amy Winehouse. Ideal for those customers who are coming ‘back to black’ coffee.
  • Arabic Coffee – Another Spotify playlist, which is more than seven hours long, includes a mixture of classical ethereal sounds and creates a sophisticated vibe.
  • Relax Jazz Cafe Piano and Guitar Instrumental Background to Study, Work – This YouTube playlist is four hours long and offers a wide range of coffee jazz tunes. Perfect for customers who want pleasant music in the background as they sip.
  • WINTER IN JAPAN – This lo-fi hip-hop playlist was designed to be the ideal accompaniment to study. And it fits ideally into coffee shops and is sure to be welcomed by your customers.
  • Coffee and Piano – Here, you get almost five hours of the most beautiful piano music on the planet. And this is a playlist that was designed with coffee in mind. Amazing or what!?

Using one of the premade playlists will save you a lot of time, but be sure you choose a playlist that lasts at least three hours so that customers can’t tell when the music loops back through.

Another option is to curate your own or to encourage customers to help you curate the best coffee shop music playlist out there.

Customers could give you feedback and advice on songs that could be added to the playlist. Then, you’ll reduce the work on yourself while further embedding your coffee shop into the local community.

Another option is to run a social media campaign for customers to direct message you songs they want to hear in your store.

Once the playlist is complete, share it on Spotify or YouTube. Customers might enjoy listening to the playlist at home and in your coffee shop. 

What Does Music Signal to Coffee Shop Customers?

In addition to affecting your customers’ purchases, music can also send subtle signals to your customers. Do you want to be known as a coffee shop that is a great place to read a book?

Or do you want to be known as the coffee shop to meet and have small group discussions? 

The music you play will create an atmosphere that will attract different types of customers. Think through your music choice with this in mind.

If you want to turn over your tables faster, maybe playing more upbeat music like hip-hop or pop music will help.

All-in-all, the list of possibilities associated with music in your coffee shop is endless. And all of the final decisions are yours. Making them wisely will help you stay a beat ahead.

Author

  • Cian Murray

    Cian Murray is an experienced writer and editor, who graduated from Cardiff University’s esteemed School of Journalism, Media and Culture. His work has been featured in both local and national media, and he has also produced content for multinational brands and agencies. Find Cian on muckrack.com.