OLDER generations may remember the radio programme Music While You Work. Now it seems there is money to be made from it.
Eighty per cent of Scots small business owners believe music in the workplace raises staff morale, and more than a third (37 per cent) say it can boost trading results.
Of 1,000 businesses questioned, nearly one in five said they would rather lose a day’s trade than operate in a silent environment.
The findings are contained in a new study commissioned by music licensing company PPL, which collects royalties across the UK on behalf of record companies and performers.
The survey aims to highlight the value of music amid a renewed push to collect fees in an industry that has suffered from the illegal downloading of songs on the internet.
Almost any organisation that plays recorded music – which includes switching on the radio – is required to have a licence from both PPL and PRS for Music. The latter collects money on behalf of songwriters, composers and publishers.
Jonathan Morrish, communications director at PPL, said it was “only fair” that performers be paid for what is effectively a service to companies.
“What is important for us to get across is that music is of value to businesses,” he said. “It is not just a tax that business owners have to pay if they want to play music – it is a benefit to their business.”