Why Loud Background Music ?

[modeller]

I have recently left two Supermarkets before I had completed my shop and went to a different one because I got fed up with the loud obtrusive music.
Why do some shops think it will help sales. The same thing happens in many pubs and restaurants. You go there to chat and socialise but frequently can't because of the canned background noise.

[modeller]

I have found the Co-Op and Asda are the worse in my area. Some of the worse places are where you can't hear the music but rather the thump , thump, thump, background beat.
The usual response is when you complain they say " No one else has complained !" or " Yes I know but it's company policy and controlled centrally and we cant turn it off or down "

[ummmm]

I'm going to the coop soon. I will pay attention.

[ummmm]

I forgot to pay attention :-)

[thedealer]

Unfortunately, businesses believe the statistics produced by the Performing Right Society (via their "research" site http://www.musicworksforyou.com/) If you were to look at these statistics a few months ago, you could click on them and realise that they referred only to people who actually like background music in the first place. Recently the site was revamped and now these same statistics look as if they refer to the whole population. This clearly isn't the case. If you ask PRS for more details as to how they obtain their statistics, they don't respond. A third of the population is aged 50 and over. I would love to know the proportion of over 50s who participate in PRS research. PRS are desperate to get as much revenue as possible through selling licences. Businesses should challenge the statistics they are being presented with.