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Sonos is a leading American audio technology company that is best known for pioneering wireless multi-room audio systems, which make it easy for listeners to stream music and other content throughout their homes. The company continues to innovate, creating wireless speakers, home theatre systems, headphones, architectural components, and integrated home audio solutions that revolutionise how people listen and connect to sound.

Quality products and services aren’t enough to set your business apart from the competition — the modern customer wants quality experiences. Filling your space with consistent sights, smells, and sounds helps amplify your brand and drive strong emotional connections to your business.

As a restaurant, retailer, hospitality, or fitness franchise owner, you know how integral sound is to establishing an atmosphere: the inviting hum of music that fills your locations, sets the mood, and helps customers connect with your brand in a more intimate, emotional manner. 

Now the question is: how do you get it right? Music streaming for businesses is more complex than it is for individuals. You’ve probably noticed difficulties in these key areas:

Each of these factors has a negative impact on your business through unexpected costs, reduced employee productivity, and, most importantly, indirectly by the experience you strive to provide to your patrons.

Streaming music for businesses — bring together company, customer, and culture

Music plays a significant role in creating consistent branding and fostering positive customer experiences. It sets the stage for your company and customers to form a deeper, emotional connection — ultimately enhancing customer loyalty and retention.

The impact of music on consumer decisions in restaurant selection and retail purchasing behavior is profound.  A two-part study of 550 shoppers found that the presence of music 

increases the amount of time and money spent

 by customers. These findings have been replicated across both the retail and hospitality industries.

So, whether you run a chain of luxury fashion stores or are looking to successfully scale a 

, creating a consistent sound experience within and across each location is the key to creating an atmosphere that drives more sales.


In the same breath, many businesses still treat music as an afterthought — relying on makeshift sound systems and playlists.

Sonos Era 300 black mounted on the wall in an office space

How businesses get caught up in the noise

Creating a consistent atmosphere is not as simple as setting up a few speakers and pressing play on your favorite music app. Not only can this lead to inconsistent customer experiences and reduce your ability to efficiently manage the sound of your brand, but the reduced foot traffic and sales can actually impact your bottom line.

Here are some of the key contributors to poor music streaming experiences for retail businesses and restaurants.

Inconsistent sound systems lead to inconsistent experiences

Inconsistencies in the atmosphere of a restaurant or retail store can be jarring for customers, who then don't know what to expect when they walk through your doors. Will the music be too loud for conversation? Does the tempo feel too rushed? Is there going to be any music at all?

These inconsistencies are typically the result of one of two things: businesses using different hardware setups across locations or locations not using the same music catalog and settings.

By now you’ve probably realized that the hardware you use in your business — 

 — are fundamental to the quality of your sound experience. Even the most meticulously curated playlist is going to fall flat for customers if the pieces aren’t integrated with the architecture.

Finding the right sound system is especially important for growing businesses. You may have a setup that works well for a flagship location, but how are you going to replicate that experience across two, five, or even a dozen different stores with different spatial constraints?

Managing a jury-rigged sound system may be sustainable for your first few locations, but it’s a lot more difficult to provide consistent sound beyond that.

Finding the right sound system is just step one. Once all the speakers are set up, you still need to find the right music. For most business owners it comes down to this question: What type of music are you going to play in your space — and which app will you use to stream it?

You have to consider whether you have the rights to the music you stream in your commercial space. Playing music in your place of business is different from listening to music in your home. Generally, playing music in retail, hospitality, and restaurant environments requires commercially licensed music.

Commercial music streaming services offer a turn-key solution for business owners by providing pre-licensed music that is legal to play in commercial spaces like retail stores and restaurants. Investing in a catalog of commercially-licensed music for your business means worry-free streaming across all your locations.

Sonos Radio album covers with sound waves

As your business expands, it's not just product and service quality that you need to maintain, but experiences as well. Creating a uniform atmosphere across locations is key, but to achieve this you need to be able to monitor and manage your sound.

If you run multiple retail stores or restaurants, you likely check in across your locations to ensure the quality and consistency of your products and services — whether it's the taste and presentation of your food to the packaging and product displays of your merchandise.


Well, you need to do the same for your music.


But with all the other things you have to manage, visiting each location to ensure the volume, playlists, and sound experience match is time-consuming.

An improvised setup not only disrupts the ambiance of your locations but can directly impact the customer’s experience by consuming valuable employee time. Instead of focusing on key tasks and providing the best customer service possible, your staff finds themselves running back and forth to manage the sound.

The best music streaming solutions for businesses alleviate your staff from the administrative burden of managing your brand’s sound — freeing them up to support your customers and provide a better experience.

So, now that you know about the common pitfalls of business music streaming, it’s time to learn how you can take control of your brand’s sound — whether you have five locations or 500.


Crafting this consistent brand experience across multiple locations might seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.

You need a unified music strategy where your hardware, music, and system work in harmony to provide consistent, quality sound. The best practices for curating playlists and music selection involve understanding your customer demographics, the desired atmosphere, and the brand image you wish to project.

Streamlining music management with a centralized platform is a game-changer. It eliminates inconsistencies, reduces the management hassle, and ensures a seamless brand experience across all your locations.

By now you’re aware that creating a complete sound experience for your business — one that drives purchases and keeps customers coming back — involves a lot more than just streaming music.

Sure, you need a catalog of commercially-licensed music to create the perfect vibe, but a lot more than music goes into maintaining and evolving a sound experience that amplifies your brand across multiple locations.

When selecting the sound solution for your business, be on the lookout for these four benefits:

You’re running a multi-location business, the last thing you need is to spend valuable time physically checking in on each store to ensure the sound is right.


A sound system with remote monitoring and management capabilities lets you check the current song, playlist, volume, and system health in each store through your computer or mobile device. If one of your locations is deviating from your brand standards, you can easily adjust the music or volume — from anywhere.

Remote monitoring and management

For most business owners, getting access to a catalog of music that can be legally played is priority one. You want access to licensed music from indie artists or top acts who can help define your brand sound.

But to provide that truly great ambiance that keeps customers coming back, you need a system that lets you limit access to only your most trusted employees and even gives you ultimate control over everything — from volume levels to start and stop times. The best part? You don’t need any technical experience.

Content access and system control

If you’re in the middle of a dinner rush or holiday sale and your sound system acts up, the last thing you need is an unresponsive support team. You’ve already spent time and money setting up the hardware and investing in a catalog of music, so why stop there?

Give yourself peace of mind with a complete sound service solution that can help you navigate issues with licensed content, hardware updates and repairs, and system support.

Premium product support

The sound experience in your stores is the result of three things: the hardware, the music, and the amount of control you have over both. Popular music streaming options provide the music, but they don’t give businesses the rest of the tools to create a truly great sound experience.

What's crucial is a solution that offers more than just music streaming — it should provide comprehensive control over your brand's sound.

The overall sound experience

Sonos Pro dashboard screen and yoga class with Sonos Five

With Sonos Pro, you have the power to customize and control the music in each of your locations from a centralized platform — bringing you the hardware, licensed content, and system control you need to create amazing sound experiences.

As the pioneer of multiroom audio, Sonos provides top-tier sound experiences that improve the vibrance and ambiance of any space. The speakers are also simple to 

, so you don’t need a high degree of technical expertise. Well, these Sonos products are now available in a packaged solution that helps integrate them into your business structures.

Sonos Pro lets you select from a catalog of commercially licensed content so you can find music that resonates with your brand. It integrates with Sonos Backgrounds, Soundtrack Your Brand, Mood, and other catalogs of music that are fully licensed for commercial use, so you can play your favorite genres worry-free.

With the Sonos Pro dashboard, you can schedule when and where music plays, and adjust volume levels to suit the time of day or atmosphere. These remote monitoring and management capabilities allow you to maintain consistency across all your locations, regardless of where they are situated.


What's more, Sonos Pro offers excellent customer support, helping you quickly resolve any issues and minimize downtime. You’ll also get a customer success manager to make sure the system meets your exact needs.

In essence, Sonos Pro is an end-to-end solution that amplifies your brand by delivering consistent, high-quality audio, access to commercially-licensed streaming services, and a dashboard to amplify the sound across all your business locations.

The modern customer's quest for quality experiences makes the need for a robust, business-centric music streaming service more critical than ever. By opting for 

, you can transform your business locations into captivating spaces that your customers love to visit, ultimately driving customer loyalty and boosting your bottom line. 

 with the premium business music streaming service today, and let your brand's sound echo in the hearts of your customers.

*Sonos Pro is only available in certain territories.

Sonos One white on a table with a person and a sign that says "The Future Belongs to the Brave"

Music Streaming for Businesses: How to Choose the Right Solution

If there’s one thing you’ll notice when stepping inside a 

, it’s the familiar, warm atmosphere — much like the restaurant’s original farmers’ market stand. Their secret? Sound. Sizzling veggies, chatting customers, and inviting music that meets the mood.


Sound is one of the biggest contributors to setting the tone of a space, and it’s exactly what Chaia is leveraging as it conquers one of its biggest challenges to date: How to keep growing without losing the friendly ambiance that it’s known for.

Since their market days, co-founders Bettina Stern and Suzanne Simon have successfully expanded their footprint to three locations.

“Our years selling at markets gave us a chance to slowly build our business and to figure out what worked,” says Bettina. “Selling at markets was up close and personal.”

This taught them the value of welcoming each and every customer. “From those early days at [the] market, we were able to differentiate ourselves, define our purpose and values early, and we’ve never strayed.”

A photo of a plate of three tacos at Chaia Tacos

A closeup photo of a row of overhead lamps above a seating area at Chaia Tacos

As Chaia has grown, it’s recreated that same personal, welcoming atmosphere at multiple storefronts. One of its most important tools in that effort has been Sonos Pro. With personalized, flexible, and quality music options at each restaurant, Chaia can ensure all of its guests feel welcome no matter where they visit.

The challenge: creating consistent ambience

Chaia already knows how to succeed as a farmers’ market stand and as a series of local shops, and now they’re 

 to grow throughout the DC-Maryland-Virginia region and beyond. As Chaia grows, they’ve been working to make the ambience they’re known for consistent in every location.

While Chaia values giving team members freedom over what music plays, they need to be sure that the music aligns with their values and brand, and will put a smile on customers’ faces. As Bettina explains, “We want to forge ahead into our next chapter of growth with all the good vibes intact.”

A photo of the open seating area for diners at Chaia Tacos

A closeup photo of a tray of a dozen tacos at Chaia Tacos

A photo of a table full of diners at Chaia Tacos with a black Sonos One mounted on the wall in the background

Chaia can set up their music and forget about it. They don’t need to worry about licensing or if the music will fit the ambiance. Plus, the user-friendly dashboard makes addressing any technical issues a breeze.

Juan Dromgoole, Chaia’s Director of Operations, says that “with a simple visit to the Sonos Pro dashboard we’ve been able to solve everything.” If anything does require further attention, Sonos’ excellent support team can take care of it.

He acknowledges that Sonos Pro has been able to provide excellent support through a dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM) – ensuring any technical issues are quickly resolved. Within the dashboard, Chaia is able to effectively manage the music and ambiance. In case anything requires further attention, Chaia can rely on Sonos Pro's dedicated support team, giving them peace of mind and the freedom to focus on their business.

Most importantly, Sonos Pro lets Chaia’s team focus on their work. Its reliability combined with scheduling features means that they don’t need to constantly look after the music system. Juan noticed that “Our supervisors’ focus has shifted to running the floor rather than worrying about the music so much.”

By empowering employees to control the music and create the perfect ambiance with specially-curated stations, Chaia can keep the local flavor it's known for across every location.

With Sonos Pro, Chaia  can enjoy the convenience of managing all features from one central location, even when they are off-site. This remote management makes it easy for businesses to customize and adjust the music to fit their customers' needs, no matter where they are. The scalability of Sonos Pro is a huge difference-maker for Chaia, and it means they can keep growing without worrying about their ingredients for success.

Those early days at the market taught Chaia’s founders three ingredients that helped them grow quickly. By staying attentive to these factors, they have been able to keep expanding.

Chaia staff ensure that every customer feels welcome as soon as they walk through their doors. They first learned this value at the farmers’ markets, and they’ve worked hard to keep the same ethos as they brought their food to brick-and-mortar locations.

Bettina says a great way to welcome customers is with music. “Music has the extraordinary effect of setting the mood. At Chaia, we like to help ‘set the stage’ for our guests by inviting them into our spaces with warmth and hospitality. Good music can make them smile.”

Thanks to Sonos Pro, the guests are already smiling when they walk in, and they’re even more ready to enjoy delicious food.

Naturally, the most important factor in a restaurant’s success is its food. From the very beginning, Chaia has focused on cooking 

, healthy food with delicious, fresh ingredients.

The vegetable-focused menu lets Chaia make sure its business is sustainable and healthy, and the great recipes keep people coming back for more. On top of that, by buying locally as much as possible and seasonal, fresh vegetables from local farms, Chaia almost guarantees its food will be delicious.

Buying fresh, seasonal, and local food can come with challenges: How do you have a consistent menu through the changing seasons? The answer is, you don’t. Chaia adapts select menu items to what’s in season. They also give customers the flexibility to customize their tacos however they want.

The flexibility doesn’t stop at food. Chaia also changes its ambiance with the time and day of the week. Bettina says, “Mid-afternoons during the week call for music that puts you in a good mood (country has a good chance of doing that) while Sunday mornings might bring some jazz tunes into the shop.”

A closeup photo of a sweet potato taco at Chaia Tacos

A photo of Chaia Tacos' menu boards on the wall

Chaia knows that its customers come for the welcoming environment and great food. They needed a way to keep growing while maintaining what made their restaurants so successful in the first place. With Sonos Pro, Chaia Tacos can maintain their farmer's market atmosphere and welcoming environment in every location, allowing customers to enjoy delicious food and good vibes, no matter where they are.

With our easy and scalable solution , Chaia Tacos can create the perfect atmosphere for their customers, ensuring they keep coming back for more. As Bettina says, "Tacos and music can change the world." If you want to see how Sonos Pro can help your business create the perfect ambiance, 

get in touch with a Sonos Pro representative today

A photo of the front counter at Chaia Tacos with their menus on the wall

How Chaia Tacos uses Sonos Pro to succeed at scale

, delivering unparalleled sound experiences to customers with its best-in-class speakers. But why stop at home? After all, music is the driving force behind so many great experiences — whether it’s a meal out with the family, a shopping trip with friends, or a relaxing afternoon at a favorite café.

Through its new comprehensive streaming solution, Sonos is bringing its expert craftsmanship and audio excellence out of the home and into commercial spaces. Restaurateurs, retailers, and café owners can now create more impactful customer experiences with this business-focused offering: Sonos Pro.

This guide will cover the ins and outs of Sonos Pro, offering insight into how Sonos is transforming the commercial audio landscape. Here’s what we’ll explore:

Amplify your brand: Sonos Pro and commercial streaming services

How restaurants and retailers benefit from Sonos’s commercial offering

Create your ideal environment with on-brand music

Remote access keeps you in control at all times

Level up your existing system with seamless integrations

Take control over your brand sound with Sonos Pro

A photo of two patrons of a yoga studio engaged in conversation, with various yoga paraphernalia and a Sonos speaker in the background, and a 3D rendering of a yoga studio

Amplify your brand: Sonos Pro and commercial music streaming

Commercial music streaming services provide catalogs of licensed music that make it possible for shops and restaurants to create an atmosphere that aligns with their brand. Not only does this music enhance customer mood and stimulate employee productivity, but it also contributes positively to a business’s bottom line.

Sonos Pro includes access to curated stations specifically designed for 

commercial use in restaurants and retail stores

. But that’s just to start. Sonos takes it a step further than other commercial streaming platforms by giving you complete control over your brand sound through a three-pillar approach that includes high-quality speakers, commercially licensed music, and a dashboard for central control.

Sonos Pro brings audio excellence into commercial spaces with speakers designed to fill any space with a crisp, clear sound. Create the perfect sound system for your space using a combination of two speaker options —  

High-quality speakers

Both of these speakers are equipped with WiFi capability, eliminating the need for hardwiring. This also means you can easily add new speakers to your sound system as your business scales, so every space has a consistent atmosphere.

Unlike streaming music at home, playing it in your restaurant or shop requires commercially licensed music. But with Sonos Pro, all you need to do is hit play. The streaming solution includes access to Sonos Backgrounds, a comprehensive catalog of pre-licensed music that caters to any commercial environment.

Commercially licensed music

Sonos Backgrounds comes in two tiers: Essential and Premium.

 Choose from a variety of ad-free stations, with music from independent artists that is organized by genre, business type, and season.

  Get access to hundreds of stations that feature music from the artists your customers know and love.

With either tier, you can rest assured knowing that your music is fully licensed for commercial use and can fit any atmosphere you want to create for your customers. Plus, Sonos Backgrounds filters out all explicit content and themes, so you know your music is suitable for all audiences.

The Sonos Pro dashboard is the secret ingredient to your perfect atmosphere, bringing your speakers and music in harmony to create the perfect audio backdrop. Accessible through both web and mobile, you can check on any location at any time to make sure your customers hear music to match the mood.

A central dashboard for complete control

Sonos Pro provides seamless control over your sound system through a single, centralized dashboard accessible via your mobile device or tablet.  Manage the music, speaker volume, system scheduling, and access controls, all remotely.

A photo of two employees of a boutique retail clothing store holding a discussion behind the counter of the store and pointing to a tablet device, with a screenshot of the Sonos Pro dashboard

Benefits of using Sonos Pro in your restaurant or store

, like Chaia Tacos, or an established retailer with a presence in 25 states across the country, like Faherty, Sonos Pro provides all the tools you need to boost your business with the power of music.

Now let’s dive into the primary benefits your business can gain by choosing Sonos Pro for your commercial sound system:

Background music is your behind-the-scenes sales support. Use it to create a lively environment for restaurant patrons or encourage customers to circulate more slowly through your shop. Whatever your business goals, the background sound in your establishment can have a positive impact on your bottom line.

With access to a variety of stations playing commercially licensed music through Sonos Backgrounds, Sonos Pro helps you find the sounds that perfectly resonate with your brand. The music is also ad-free, meaning uninterrupted playback for your customers and staff.

For those on the Premium tier, you also get exclusive access to recognizable music from top artists, so you can create an atmosphere to match any 

Running a successful business is all about juggling priorities. With so much on your plate, the last thing you want is to constantly drop into your shop or restaurant to make sure the right music is playing at the right volume. Likewise, you don’t want your sales team bogged down by your sound system when they are supposed to be elevating customer experiences.

 features, you can check the status of each of your location’s sound system from anywhere using the dashboard, eliminating the need to be on-site at all times. It lets you schedule your sound system in advance — so it automatically adjusts the music, volume, and tempo throughout the day. Even when you’re away, you’re still in control. Plus, your team is free from distractions, so they can help customers and drive sales.

People don’t always notice it, but a store or restaurant that’s too quiet can be unnerving and hamper your business. That’s why your Sonos Pro account comes with direct access to a success manager through a prioritized phone line or online chat.

Your representative can help you swiftly navigate any issue and provide a solution, including connecting you to a customer support specialist who can help you navigate any troubleshooting so you can eliminate downtime and get your sound back on track.

Even if you already have a commercial streaming service or remote monitoring and management tool, Sonos Pro integrates seamlessly with other platforms to help you level up the entire sound experience in your business.

If you’re already using another commercial streaming service like Soundtrack Your Brand, Rockbot, Cloud Cover Music, or Jukeboxy, you can still connect to the central Sonos Pro dashboard and distribute your music through your Sonos speakers.

A photo of two employees in a contemporary restaurant holding a discussion over a tablet device, with tables and chairs in the background

Every detail matters when you’re trying to stand out from the competition. Still, many business owners neglect to invest in one of the most powerful sensory experiences for their customers: sound. With an end-to-end solution like Sonos Pro, you can gain an edge over the competition with high-quality speakers, commercially licensed music, and an easy-to-use dashboard to control it all.

 for your retail or restaurant business and take control of your brand sound today.

A photo of a member of staff working in a restaurant, inspecting something on a tablet device

The Ultimate Guide to Sonos for Business and Commercial Use

Brick-and-mortar is bouncing back in a big way: analysts project that American consumers will  

 on in-store purchases this year. That makes 2024 the perfect time for retailers to invest in new ways to attract customers, drive sales, and even expand their business.

In this competitive landscape, business owners must do everything they can to set their stores apart and provide the best customer experience possible. This is especially true considering all the major retail events occurring over the course of the year — from the holiday season to the sales specific to your store or industry.

So, whether you’re selling electronics, luxury apparel, or consumer packaged goods, you need to create an environment that’s more engaging for buyers by creating the right shopping experience.

One often overlooked aspect of this experience is the music in your store. By finding the best music for your retail space, you can help drive customer purchases at any point in the year.

A photo of the inside of a retail store with clothing and home items, and an adult and child shopping and having an amusing conversation

Why you need to give your customers the perfect sound year-round

People are familiar with the emotional and mental benefits of listening to music in their personal lives, whether turning around a bad day or helping cement memorable experiences. But in the retail world, music also represents a low-cost, low-effort way of driving consumer behavior. It’s your behind-the-scenes employee that helps create an environment where customers are more likely to buy your products.

 of your music all impact the way customers navigate your store and make purchase decisions. Softer, low-tempo music can help calm shoppers during frenzied sales events, giving them more time to circulate and find the right items. If you’re looking to capitalize on high volume, fast-paced music will encourage shoppers to move quickly through your space, clearing the way for new customers.

In the current thriving retail landscape, matching your music to the occasion — whether it’s the holiday season, a back-to-school sale, or a typical weekend — gives you the competitive edge you need to boost business.

Music Streaming for Businesses: How to Choose the Right Solution

How Chaia Tacos uses Sonos Pro to succeed at scale

The Ultimate Guide to Sonos for Business and Commercial Use

How To Choose the Best Music for Every Retail Event

6 Tips for Creating A Better Retail Experience with Music

Create the Perfect Atmosphere in Your Restaurant with Music

How To Remotely Manage and Monitor Music in Your Retail Store

Background music for cafes: how to amplify your business and customer experience

How To Set Up a Music System in Your Retail Store

How Restaurants Can Use Music to Increase Customer Retention

4 Ways to Haunt Your House with Sound

The Essential Guide to Move 2

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Music Streaming for Businesses: How to Choose the Right Solution

.css-4c3m2r{color:#ffffff;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}The Ultimate Guide to Sonos for Business and Commercial Use

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How To Choose the Best Music for Every Retail Event