‘Where women go, men will follow’?

When it comes to choosing music for your venue, the long-held belief - that if you play just the music women like it will attract them in and they’ll then be followed by the men - is one that’s part of a different generation to that of today’s consumer.

In a recent survey on the music that’s most popular on a night out with men and women, pop music, at 93 per cent, had a high approval rating with women but only 34 per cent of men said they’d like to hear this on a night out.

Instead, house music at 83 per cent had a high approval rating with men and a moderate 41 per cent approval rating with women.

Curiously, the genre that seemed to cross the divide equally between men and women was disco which had an equal approval rating 51 per cent between men and women, easily becoming the most favorable style across both sexes.

The research by LKM music & media was carried out exclusively for Drinks Industry Ireland magazine and was undertaken with over 500 consumers.  

The results indicate that it’s fundamental for any venue to give their customers what they want – and a well-researched, music strategy should be to the forefront for any good venue, believes LKM’s Managing Director Eoin Long.

“The days of ‘just stick on any DJ’ or any old CD are long gone,” he says, “We’re in an era where technology is so advanced that the people who’re going out to spend money want their nights to reflect this modern world. They want tailored music to go with their tailored lives.”

When consumers were asked ‘What is the main thing that influences your choice of venue?’ the answer that gained the most attention was ‘atmosphere’ at 95 per cent, with music coming a close second at 83 per cent, according to LKM. Both factors were equally important for men and women.

You can have everything in life exactly the way you desire nowadays except the music on a night out, it seems.