meandthestereo

First of all, let’s settle this issue:

I am NOT addicted to coffee.

Nay, I can stop whenever I want. I just don’t want to! Now, we aren’t here to discuss the harmful or beneficial effects of coffee on the body and mind, but to discuss the associations attributed to the ideas of Coffee and Music. It is something that has constantly tickled my brain into thinking, and I have a few bones to pick with the idea of the perfect musical/coffee atmosphere.

Let’s discuss the ‘image’ of a coffee shop, café, lounge or whatever you’d like to call it. Specifically, we are concerned with a place that primarily sells coffee drinks, pastries and some other small snacks or perhaps some lunch. It is commonly associated with this type of establishment that you are going to have a pleasant time, isn’t it?

But why has the idea been ingrained into the brains of thousands of coffee shop owners everywhere that its hopped up and caffeinated patrons would enjoy listening to ‘acoustic hits’ or ‘lounge classics’ or, dare I say, ’soft rock’!? Our coffee shops have been turned into places where we should relax? Shall I spend my afternoon in a coffee shop reading poetry and listening to classical music? Shall I spend it working on my pretentious Mac-top and sipping on my frappuccino? I’m drinking coffee, here! It has caffeine!

Observe: http://www.coffeehousemusic.com/

Now, check out the top of that web page. What does it say…?

Ah…yes, “Relax… Enjoy… Escape… ”

Now, that’s a pleasant thought, but I have one question regarding it:

How the HELL am I suppossed to relax, enjoy AND escape when I have two shots of espresso coursing through my veins?

IN MY VEINS!!!

Please, please, please play me some music that I will:

1. Recognize – I enjoy hearing new things, I really do, it’s part of what pushed me to design a blog such as this; however, I do want to spend a lot of time in your coffee shop and playing odd, soft music that I have never heard of before does not make my atmosphere more ‘unique’. I think you make very good coffee, and I enjoy your large crystals of sugar, but please play some music that my wife and I or my friends will enjoy and recognize. I’ve been in a coffee shop that played lounge-style covers of popular songs by the Beatles and Pearl Jam. Don’t do that. It’s not necessary.
2. Enjoy – It is very depressing to me, and must be to others, that the owners of coffee shops, whom have always been very unique people, could create the same environment for their establishments as is felt while unwillingly walking through a JC Penney’s. How could these owners do this to their workers, much less their patrons?
   

   How COULD you?

   As an owner, you should attempt to envision yourself as a customer, or even as a worker on an 8-hour shift. Then, ask yourself if YOU could stand to listen to ’soft rock’ for eight hours at a time. Doesn’t it seem plausible that the very way we switch through radio stations, or exchange CDs in the stereo, or create playlists on our MP3 players is the very way we enjoy listening to music in other environments? Keep your music dynamic and interesting and I’ll stick around a bit longer in your shop.

3. Visit your shop to hear – Some coffee shops have decided to introduce live music to their establishments, and that is great, if the artist is worth seeing. I understand that a venue such as a coffee shop, which may be in close proximity to homes or other fine goods stores, must restrict itself to controllable volumes and crowds. However, this does not mean the quality of live music has to suffer. Try to include more than just a singer-songwriter in your bill. Look up some eclectic bands and have them do their stuff on acoustic guitars. Ask some death metal bands to do acoustic renditions of their hits, or, Hell, has anyone thought of creating an acoustic cover band and going on a coffee shop tour?! Why does the singer-songwriter fluff played in these places insist on never breaking the mold!?
   

   Break the mold, Bob!

   Open mics are great ways to showcase unheard acts, but they create monotony in the ears of a coffee shop patron, and the music ends up becoming background noise as the stale lineup of singer-songwriter with acoustic guitar clumsily plays his/her two songs, heads off in a blush, and we wait for the next nervous fellow to sound check and be done with it.

4. Be shocked by – Don’t be afraid to shock me. I’m right here and waiting. Play something offbeat, chances are, if I know it, I’ll be surprised and excited! I’ll be looking forward to the next time I visit your place. And, please, I know what coffee shop owners face. You face the horrible issues of what you can play in your store. On one side, you have the possibility of offending patrons or thinking you are not providing the right kind of ‘atmosphere’ for your café, and on the other, you have the FCC breathing down your neck, making sure you are playing the correct controlled radio stations or dealing with licensing issues, or else you are forced to purchase satellite radio and play a straight laced ‘Coffee Station’. But the idea of coffee is not to satiate or to pacify. YOUR coffee, YOUR creation and gift to me (at a small price, of course) gives me a heightened ability to think and create in turn. I will not be satisfied with placid, stale music. I WILL walk out of your store and may never return. If you want music to be a reason for me to come back, then ACTUALLY CONSIDER your music choices. I’m not saying to break licensing laws…but, you know what? I’m saying it. Screw the licenses and play what you want.
   

   Don't trust these guys!

   It is your coffee shop and if I can listen to my Ipod on the metro at volumes to where the bum down at the other end can sing along, you should damn well be able to play whatever you think I would enjoy listening to. I’m not picky, I just want to know you care.

Right, now who doesn’t agree? Leave it in the comments and maybe we can share a cup over it. Christ, I’m pissed.

*All images used in this post are either in the Public Domain or have been released by the creator for free use. Furthermore, we do believe in licensing, and there should be NO reason that someone’s work is not attributed to them, but think about it… Is there anything wrong with playing someone’s music in a shop without permission? If anyone asks, you tell them who made the music, and that should be all that is required. The rules regarding this are ridiculous. No architect asks for permission before anyone can view their building, and no artist should blind a person unless they have permission to see their work. Musicians should be paid for the music they create, and anyone who enjoys an artist’s music will gladly do so. However, a musician should understand that their art is not beyond other art. We can take it or leave it. If someone wants to share the music of an artist with others, and NOT make copies of the music, just allow them to listen in, this should be allowed. Remember, musicians, this is how people really find out about you. This is what supports your craft.