Take a quick look around your office. Do you see anyone listening to headphones or earbuds?
What about you, do you listen to music while working to pass the time? Do you ever wonder why that is, what about music makes it ideal for a working environment, either personally or over a loudspeaker? Well, historically, the act of listening to music while completing a task goes back to sailors singing old sea chanteys or military drills set to song, and we all have heard the “Whistle While You Work Tune,” popularized in the 1937 Disney animated classic Snow White. These examples of music and work showcases the correlation between the act of singing and/or listening to songs and completing sometimes mundane tasks.
It’s Even More Popular Today
While music and work have always gone together, now, the stats for listening to music while working have surged. Some 93.7% of adults aged 18 and above are listening to local AM/FM radio as they work from home. Furthermore, Nielsen ratings found that 8 out of 10 radio listeners are either listening about the same or more since the Pandemic. In fact, not only are they listening in more, but they are doing so differently than in the past. Many employees today listen via their computer, smart speakers, mobile devices or home stereos. Most radio stations offer online streaming, and those numbers have increased significantly in the last year and that trend isn’t expected to slow down anytime soon.
Radio Listening is Beneficial
The science of neurobiology tells us what we already knew. That listening to music at work has marked benefits for your employees. Here are a few notable examples:
Benefit for Employees
- Makes the day more enjoyable. Mundane tasks are a little brighter with your favorite music in the background and your favorite DJs making you laugh.
- Makes the time seem to go faster. The adage “time flies when you’re having fun” is absolutely true. Music energizes and inspires. It helps prevent fatigue and sluggishness during a long day.
- Reduces stress levels, helps people feel better, especially during or after a bad day. That’s why many psychotherapists use music therapy in their treatment regimens with patients. Music has the ability to affect our moods and emotions.
- Helps promote concentration and focus. Alpha brain waves increase when listening to music. These alpha waves are directly connected to cognition, problem-solving and memory.
- Music builds morale. Companies that allow workers to use headphones or listen to music overhead consider that a privilege. If you don’t think so, try taking it away. It’s a small perk that staff can really enjoy and appreciate.
How to Incorporate it into an Office Setting
Obviously, employees working from home don’t have to worry about integrating their listening habits into the office. However, in-office employees can do the following to begin respectfully enjoying music as they work:
- Keep the dancing to a minimum. Though they are quite entertaining, they can also be distracting, so save the moves for later. While it’s almost impossible to NOT tap your toe to the beat, keep the break outs for your living room.
- Hit pause if you are talking to someone, either in-person or on the phone. Communication is important, so remove your headphones and give a co-worker your eye contact and full attention when they are talking to you
- Don’t sing out loud, even if you have a great singing voice, not everyone may agree or appreciate it. Save the America’s Got Talent audition for your shower.
- Keep your volume low enough that you can hear if someone is speaking to you or your phone rings. Much like driving, you need to be able to remain aware of your surroundings and give a co-worker your full attention when it’s needed.
- And finally, it goes without saying…but use headphones. Know how much it irritates you when a car pulls up next to you at a stoplight with their tunes blaring so loudly that everyone within a 3-car radius can hear? It’s irritating, right? Don’t be “that guy” at the office either.
Retail Radio: Benefits For Shoppers
Not only does listening to radio help employees enjoy their job and get through the day with a little spring in their step, but listening to the radio also helps in retail settings with regard to shoppers’ buying behavior. Here are a few notable benefits of retail radio:
- It builds brand awareness in the consumer’s mind. Your business will be associated with the music you choose to play. Since music anchors experiences, it makes sense to connect your brand with the right station in the minds of consumers.
- It is known to create a positive and enjoyable experience, encouraging customers to feel comfortable in the store and to therefore shop longer. Music background increases sales and can even improve each ticket size
- When using retail radio, you don’t have to worry about music licenses. If you don’t go this route, you can be fined for playing unlicensed music and subject to pay artist royalties. Playing radio stations like KDVC eliminates this problem.
- Radio stations choose their programming based on the listening preferences of your specific geographical location, meaning shoppers will most likely enjoy the music being played. KDVC plays music from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, with selections that inspire listeners to sing along.
What to Avoid:
There are a few things you want to avoid if you do opt for retail radio. They are:
- Playing music too loudly. Your customers aren’t at a concert, your music shouldn’t be so loud they are unable to concentrate or have a conversation with another shopper or employee.
- Playing music no one likes. Make sure your radio station choice fits the vast majority of your clientele. No, you won’t be able to please 100% of your customers 100% of the time, but just aim to please most of them, most of the time. Know your target customer profile and match their listening preferences when selecting the station to play in your store.
Embrace Retail Radio with KDVC 98.3FM The Dove
Now that you see how great listening to music can be either in an office setting, working at home or in a retail environment, it’s up to you to choose the right station.
98.3 FM The Dove is specifically designed for at-work listening. We choose universally popular music with very limited commercial breaks and no announcers, which is ideal for the work or retail setting. KDVC that only has 60-second long commercial breaks for a lower commercial inventory. That means less interruption in music and a better listening experience for your customers and staff. The music selection is also specifically selected with the most popular hits from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s…a pretty wide swath…which means it’s almost impossible for someone not to find something they can sing along to.
The Dove is specifically programmed for comfortable at-work listening and a positive shopping environment for retailers and office buildings. Whether you listen on the air or online at www.983thedove.com doesn’t matter.
What matters is that it’s yet another reason to LOVE the Dove!