What music should you play in a car dealership?
A dealership is a showroom that needs to elevate premium products, and a waiting area for the service department. The music supports the brand image and softens the wait. Here is how to choose it, zone by zone, and what you need to know about compliance.
A showroom that needs to inspire
A dealership sells an aspirational product: the car is staged like an object of desire, in a carefully designed space. The music plays its part in that upmarket feel. A generic atmosphere or a radio chopped up by ads contradicts the premium image the dealership is trying to build. A modern, elevating soundtrack, on the other hand, extends the care put into the showroom.
The style: modern and elevating
For a showroom, aim for a premium atmosphere:
- soft electronic and contemporary tones, elegant without feeling cold;
- polished pop or modern soul, warm and elevating;
- a selection consistent with the brand on display, sporty, premium or family-oriented depending on the case.
All at a measured volume: present enough to fill the space, never to the point of interfering with a sales conversation, which remains the heart of the business.
Thinking by zone
A dealership does not have just one space. The showroom aims to elevate and inspire; the service department’s waiting area, on the other hand, mainly aims to soothe a customer waiting through a maintenance visit. Imposing the same music everywhere does not make sense. Zone-based management lets you set an elevating atmosphere at reception and a calmer one in the service area, each at its own volume.
Compliance: royalties apply
A dealership that plays music in its spaces open to the public is subject to public performance royalties. Radio is an option but remains subject to the same royalties; a personal streaming account is off-limits for commercial use, on top of the ad breaks that damage the brand image.
In practice
Soundtracking a dealership means supporting a premium image in the showroom and easing the wait in the service department, from a legal source and a consistent selection. Horra offers curated playlists by mood, multi-zone management (showroom, reception, service area) and human support to stay compliant, at clear, public pricing. To manage several sites across a network, see our guide on music across multiple locations.
Frequently asked questions
What music suits a car showroom?
Modern, elevating music, in line with the brand's image: soft electronic, elegant pop, premium tones. The showroom stages an aspirational product; the music should extend that upmarket feel, at a measured volume.
Should the showroom and the service department have different atmospheres?
Yes. The showroom aims to elevate and inspire, while the service department's waiting area mainly aims to soothe a customer who is waiting. Zone-based management lets each space have an atmosphere suited to it, rather than a single feed everywhere.
Does a car dealership have to pay public performance royalties?
Yes. As soon as a dealership plays music in its spaces open to the public (showroom, reception, waiting area), public performance royalties are due. The amount depends on the applicable fee schedule.
Can you play the radio or a streaming account in the showroom?
Radio is an option but still subject to royalties. A personal streaming account, on the other hand, is off-limits for commercial use. For a well-controlled brand image, a licensed source and a consistent selection, without ad breaks, is the better choice.
An atmosphere that works for you
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