Music to Drink By
by Drew Kolar
When you think of music being played at a bar, what do you think of? What's the standard for "good bar music?" This is a question that has been plaguing me for a few years now, and now that I'm a bartender in control of the sound, it's even more of a nagging thought. What do people want to hear?
Two summers ago, I tried some informal interviews with bartenders on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts between drink orders. The general response was that the music depends on the bar's location. Joe, a bartender at The Tavern-a restaurant with an outdoor gazebo bar as well as one indoors-has bartended across the country at many vacation spots (ski resorts, beaches and the like) and has not only noticed a difference in taste from city to city, but from bar to bar and night to night. Outside on the gazebo, Joe plays current pop music and artists like Dave Matthews Band; in the restaurant, Joe plays classic rock. The gazebo tends to attract a younger crowd, generally vacationers and summer workers, while the indoor bar consists more of locals.
Another bar on the island, the Rose and Crown, is also predominantly a young crowd. They are one of the few party bars in the city as well, throwing weekly dance parties-techno for the Europeans who come to work through the summer and hip-hop for the young locals and vacationers, catering to both seasonal workers and locals with season passes to parties and ongoing karaoke contests. They also feature a weekly 80s dance party for the older patrons, although it is usually dominated still by the same young partiers save the stray vacationers, i.e. my wild, partying family, who feel the need to dance. As for the music played during the day, the bartender Heather has also said that the music all depends on the crowd and what she deems they would like, as long as the sound is not overbearing.
But what about New York? It seems there are stricter regulations in the city for bar music-the bar where I currently work, Stain, landed in hot water for playing CDs and MP3s. The bar was forced to invest in satellite radio, or else pay hundreds of dollars a year for a license. Thank you, RIAA, for making DJing easier! All sarcasm aside, it is indeed simple to just switch on a radio station, but the announcers get annoying and the songs are very repetitive.
In all my days of barhopping, I've always taken note of the music playing in each bar. Wombat, an Australian-themed bar and restaurant a few blocks down Grand St. from Stain, plays everything from dance remixes and Björk to classic pop ("For the Longest Time" seems to be a staple for Naomi, one of the bartenders I've come across there). It honestly seems impossible, not to mentioned ridiculous, to limit a bar to satellite radio or to force them to pay money to pick their own tracks-money that could ultimately go towards more important things like rent or keeping good booze in stock.
For a bar like Stain, a 'chill' Williamsburg beer and wine lounge, there isn’t really a station that plays very fitting music, not to mention our parties call for a more defined mix, though late-nights make it easier to get around the so-called "music police," whoever they may be.
Of course it is easy, then, to get around regulations and such. If the bar has satellite radio on hand, it helps the image. Josie Wood's Pub near Washington Square Park follows this sort of system; they play satellite radio, tuned to the 90s rock station, until around 7 or 8pm, then switch on the iPods for an uninterrupted mix of 90s rock, probably picked by Vinny or one of the other bartenders. Whether or not they have a license for this seems unimportant, as they have found a system that fits the crowd-generally people in their 20s who have grown up with that style of music and businessmen unwinding after work who can appreciate the tunes.
Pubs like Josie's or The Hairy Monk on 3rd Ave. and 25th St. also have juke boxes that interrupt the house music so the patrons can pick the tunes-another alternative to satellite radio. (These jukeboxes do not exist on Nantucket, however, as it seems the vacation atmosphere calls for someone else to pick the music to relieve the stress of being decisive). But though a pub-like atmosphere calls for these things, a lounge like Stain should have, well, lounge music... right?
Of course, Stain's live music is not consistent, ranging from singer/songwriters to avant-garde jazz. We're also not a pub, so classic rock and 90s hits don't fit. The chill techno station on satellite radio gets so boring that it puts customers to sleep, and the indie station gets too pretentious and attracts the ever unwanted hipster crowd (yes, there are bars in Williamsburg that don't draw hipsters). Admittedly, I've been compiling lists of songs that seem to fit Stain's atmosphere but it usually winds up being a list of my own taste that I switch on during slow nights or after the live music ends—with mostly positive comments nonetheless.
It is a sad truth that the issues within music industry these days extend to affect bars, restaurants and other music-playing businesses. Though the RIAA is trying to look out for the declining income that the labels and artists are receiving, it seems they go too far in their protection, especially if the bar buys the CD or song off of iTunes to play. It's almost as if listening to a song is stealing it. But I digress from my rant against the RIAA, as that could go on for days. Of course, another way around the issue of copyrighted music is to play music without copyrights-local bands, independent bands, etc. Though this could lead to a "hipster" mentality if taken too far, it could work as a tool to promote up-and-coming musicians while not causing trouble. It would also fit Stain's theme of local beer and wine and supporting local art.
Finding the right music for a bar is a much trickier situation than anyone might imagine, taking all the factors into account-crowd, location, style, and regulations combined. Perhaps it takes time to find the right mix and learn to get around the rules, but maybe it's not so complicated. Each bar has its own character, and being able to tune into it is really all a good bar DJ needs to satisfy customers' ears-and it doesn't hurt to hear compliments from the patrons.
