Music technology company Audoo partnered with GEMA, the German performing rights society, on its Music Impact Study as part of the PROs multi-faceted research quantifying the commercial value of background music in gastronomy and retail spaces, with Audoo technology recognising real-time songplay contributing to sales uplift.
Audoo Audio Meters – music recognition hardware – installed in hundreds of venues recognised over 130k tracks contributing to the insights demonstrating that the use of background music increased sales in retail by an average of 8% and in gastronomy by an average of 5.4% – the economic benefits suggesting that a music license is a worthwhile investment.
Overall, the most-played song in the Retail sample was ‘Lifeline’ by German artist Glockenbach featuring Ella Henderson and in the Gastronomy sample, ‘Austin’ by US artist Dasha. The other leading track of domestic repertoire was ‘Wave’ by FAST BOY and Raf (most-played song of the Gastronomy sample) and the top domestic artists overall were Trettmann (Retail sample) and Michael Schulte (Gastronomy sample). Further topline stats are below.
GEMA’s Music Impact Study was a large-scale study that took place under the direction of international scientists with the connection between music and sales examined using several methodologies – the empirical field study at the point-of-sale was preceded by extensive literature research, quantitative surveys and expert interviews.
In addition to the trends and insights revealed through Audoo’s intelligent client dashboard, the device’s simple plug-and-play self-installation process at venues, plus its GDPR-compliance, demonstrates the value of this technology to retail and hospitality businesses.
The success of the Music Impact Study underscores the value of precise music usage tracking and its potential impact on businesses.
Sonja Schönfeld, Project Manager of the Music Impact Study at GEMA, said: “The real-time dataset we were able to gather and analyse via Audoo technology on this study is great for seeing the overall impact of music in commercial spaces in such detail.”
Johannes Everding, Director of Business Development at GEMA commented: “Audoo’s innovative technology ensured a seamless and highly-effective data collection process and the results mark a significant milestone in understanding the commercial value of music with these kinds of insights for the benefit of businesses and rightsholders alike.”
Ryan Edwards, CEO and Founder of Audoo added: “Partnering with GEMA on this study is a testament to the power of real-world data in demonstrating the impact of music in public spaces. As we continue to work with like-minded partners who share Audoo values of making public performance recognition and reporting more accurate and transparent, the landscape for all parties evolves and improves.”
In 2024, Audoo announced a partnership with PMY Group to integrate the Audoo Audio Meter™ into tech stacks at major events, enhancing public performance reporting in these settings. The growing tech company also announced its partnership with the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) to amplify public performance royalty distributions in Ireland, and further added board advisors in Steve Clark, Isabel Garvey and Sean O’Malley.
Various music industry figures have estimated that unclaimed music royalties run into billions of dollars annually due to a lack of transparent and accurate reporting. The Audoo Audio Meter™ is a GDPR-compliant, state-of-the-art music recognition technology solution, backed by music icons including Sir Elton John and ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus. It supplies improved public performance data that makes it easier to recognise, in quasi-real-time, where and when music is being played and how the royalties should be paid.
About Audoo
Founded in 2018 by former musician and FinTech executive Ryan Edwards, Audoo is revolutionising public performance royalties with its advanced music recognition technology. The company serves songwriters, performers, PROs, CMOs, and other key stakeholders by providing transparent, real-time data on where and when music is played. Audoo’s state-of-the-art Audio Meters are now deployed across fifteen countries and four continents, ensuring accurate royalty distribution. Recognised by the UK Creative Industries Council and FEBE Growth 100, Audoo continues to set new benchmarks in music technology innovation. Learn more at Audoo.com.
About GEMA
In Germany, GEMA represents copyrights for over 95,000 members (composers, lyricists and music publishers), and over two million copyrights owners from all over the world. It is one of the largest societies for creators of musical works in the world.