How Do Genders React to Different Genres of Music Played in Your Store

How Do Genders React to Different Genres of Music Played in Your Store?

Many businesspeople have discovered the many ways in which playing music played store can improve their bottom line. Music helps attract customers to go inside your store, it helps define your establishment’s “vibe”, encourage sales, and alleviates boredom when waiting in line at the checkout counter. But to find the right music, you also need to take into consideration the gender of your typical customers.

It stands to reason that if your shop caters mostly to women, you’ll want to play music that most women like. If your shop has more male customers, then you need to play music that men appreciate. If your shop caters to both men and women in equal numbers, you have to play music that appeals to both genders so you don’t necessarily turn off a huge segment of your customer base.

Which just begs the question—what kind of music will appeal to a particular gender? Lucky for you, we have the answers:

  • A simple tip is to determine the gender of the singer—female vocalists resonate with female listeners, while male vocalists are appreciated mostly by male listeners (although this is not always the case). However, the main exception to this rule is the style and tonality of the male singer. If a boy band or a male singer is a crooner or sings in a high-pitched voice (like Justin Bieber), then this music is geared towards the female audience. Males respond better to more masculine voices and styles.
  • For women, the best genres of music are the various subgenres of pop music, along with “adult contemporary”. Women as a group also respond to music more emotionally. That means ballads will be more favored by women. Music for women also tends to feel more relaxing.
  • For men, it’s all about the more aggressive genres including rock and hip hop. If it hints at rebelliousness, anger, and violence, it’s music for guys.
  • Men also show a greater preference for heavier bass lines than women.

So if you are focusing on female customers, play the music of boy bands or female solo artists. For guys, you can play metal bands especially from the 1960s and 1970s, including Iron Maiden and Hendrix. Alternative rock groups from the 1990s will also be appreciated by more men than women.

Music that appeals to both men and women combine several of these factors into the music. For example, a rock band with a female vocalist may appeal to both men and women, and so can a male performer who sings pop while remaining definitely masculine. A rock ballad may also be appreciated by both genders.

Obviously there are several factors you will want to take into account when you pick the right music for your shop. Race and cultural factors cannot be ignored, while the age of your typical customer will also determine what kind of music you should play.

But it’s also important to take gender differences into account. Men and women in a group simply respond differently to some types of music, and you have to consider this when you choose your music, especially when your shop is geared towards a particular gender.

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