Background music in a shop, café or hotel lobby is not a speaker connected to a phone. It is a small distributed audio system: one amplifier, a 100 V line and speakers spread across the ceiling so that the music sits evenly in the room instead of blasting from two corners. This guide covers what the system is made of, how loud it should be, and how announcements cut through the music when someone picks up the microphone.
What the system is made of
- Source. A media player, streaming box, PC or a scheduling controller — whatever supplies the audio.
- Amplifier. A 100 V (constant-voltage) mixer amplifier. If you have more than one area, choose a zone amplifier with independent volume per zone.
- Line and speakers. Thin two-core cable and speakers with built-in transformers, wired in parallel — dozens of them on a single run.
- Microphone. A desk or console microphone for paging: speech takes priority and the music ducks or mutes automatically.
The 100 V line is what separates commercial audio from home hi-fi. It lets a single amplifier feed a hundred speakers over hundreds of metres of thin cable, and each speaker's loudness is set by a tap on the speaker itself. How that works in practice — see 70 V and 100 V lines explained.
How loud should background music be
The goal is a level people stop noticing: loud enough to fill the silence, quiet enough that a conversation across a table needs no effort. Sound level meters (or a phone app, for a rough check) make this objective rather than a matter of taste.
| Space | Comfortable background | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Retail floor, supermarket | 55–60 dBA | Rises with crowd noise; keep music 3–5 dB below the crowd |
| Café, restaurant | 50–55 dBA | Speech across a table must stay effortless |
| Hotel lobby, reception | 45–50 dBA | Guests check in and talk here |
| Office common areas | 45–50 dBA | Never in open-plan working areas |
| Corridors, fitting rooms | 50–55 dBA | Same track, a few dB quieter than the main floor |
| Warehouse, back of house | music off | Paging and emergency messages only |
Zoning: one volume is never enough
A single building needs different settings at the same moment: music on the sales floor all day, quieter in fitting rooms, off in the stockroom, and something else entirely in the in-store café. That is what zones are for — each with its own volume control and its own source if needed.
- Sales floor, café, lobby — music all day, level changed by time of day.
- Fitting rooms, toilets, corridors — same programme, a few decibels lower.
- Stockroom, loading bay, car park — no music, but paging and emergency messages must reach here.
- Offices and meeting rooms — a separate zone that can be switched off entirely.
The number of zones decides the amplifier: six-zone mixer amplifiers cover most retail and hospitality sites, and a matrix amplifier is needed only when different zones must play *different* programmes at the same time — a matrix amplifier is the exception, not the default.
Announcements always win
The reason to build music on a proper PA system rather than on consumer speakers is what happens when someone needs to speak. A paging microphone takes priority: the music ducks or mutes, the announcement plays, the music returns. The same applies to automated messages — a closing-time announcement, a call to a checkout, or an evacuation message where the system is also used for life safety.
If the site has a voice alarm system, plan the two together from the start: the same speakers play music during the day and carry emergency speech when needed. Note that in that case the emergency function sets the rules — speaker placement, cabling and monitoring follow the life-safety standard that applies locally, and music is simply the low-priority input.
Equipment for background music
- Ceiling speakers — the default for shops, cafés, lobbies and offices with a suspended ceiling.
- Wall speakers — where there is no ceiling void, or where a two-way cabinet gives better music reproduction.
- Mixer amplifiers — 100 V output with zones; pick power with 20–25 % headroom over the connected load.
- Horn speakers — car parks and outdoor areas, for paging rather than music.
Size the system in the online calculator
Music licensing: settle it before you switch on
Playing recorded music in a public space is not the same as playing it at home — public performance rights apply almost everywhere. In practice there are three routes: a licence from the collecting societies in your country (for example ASCAP, BMI or SESAC in the United States, PPL PRS in the United Kingdom), a subscription to a commercial background music service that includes licensing, or music released specifically under a licence that permits commercial use. We supply equipment and do not provide legal advice — but this is the question to answer before opening day, not after the first letter.
Frequently asked questions
How many speakers does a shop need?
As a rule of thumb, one ceiling speaker per 15–20 m² at a 3 m ceiling gives even background coverage; higher ceilings mean fewer speakers but more power each. The exact number follows from ceiling height and coverage angle — see our spacing guide and calculator.
Can I just use hi-fi speakers?
On a small area, yes. On a large floor you would need many amplifiers and thick cable runs, and matching levels between rooms becomes guesswork. A 100 V line solves both with one amplifier and thin cable.
Will the music interfere with announcements?
No. Paging and emergency inputs have priority: the music ducks or mutes automatically while the announcement plays.
One amplifier or one per room?
One zone amplifier for the whole site is normal. Separate amplifiers only make sense when zones are far apart electrically or need very different power.
Do I need a licence to play music in my shop?
In most countries, yes — through a collecting society, a licensed background music service, or music cleared for commercial use. Check the rules in your jurisdiction before launch.