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Music technology company Audoo partnered with GEMA, the German performing rights society, on its Music Impact Study as part of the PROs multi-faceted research quantifying the commercial value of background music in gastronomy and retail spaces, with Audoo technology recognising real-time songplay contributing to sales uplift.

13th March 2025

This utilisation of Audoo Audio Meters™ adds to the tech company's portfolio of international business partners on a mission to revolutionise public performance royalties for music creators, licensees and businesses.


Music technology company Audoo partnered with GEMA, the German performing rights society, on its Music Impact Study as part of the PROs multi-faceted research quantifying the commercial value of background music in gastronomy and retail spaces, with Audoo technology recognising real-time songplay contributing to sales uplift.


Audoo Audio Meters – music recognition hardware – installed in hundreds of venues recognised over 130k tracks contributing to the insights demonstrating that the use of background music increased sales in retail by an average of 8% and in gastronomy by an average of 5.4% – the economic benefits suggesting that a music license is a worthwhile investment.


Overall, the most-played song in the Retail sample was 'Lifeline' by German artist Glockenbach featuring Ella Henderson and in the Gastronomy sample, 'Austin' by US artist Dasha. The other leading track of domestic repertoire was 'Wave' by Fast Boy and Raf (most-played song of the Gastronomy sample) and the top domestic artists overall were Trettmann (Retail sample) and Michael Schulte (Gastronomy sample). Further topline stats are below.


GEMA's Music Impact Study was a large-scale study that took place under the direction of international scientists with the connection between music and sales examined using several methodologies – the empirical field study at the point-of-sale was preceded by extensive literature research, quantitative surveys and expert interviews.



In addition to the trends and insights revealed through Audoo's intelligent client dashboard, the device's simple plug-and-play self-installation process at venues, plus its GDPR-compliance, demonstrates the value of this technology to retail and hospitality businesses.


The success of the Music Impact Study underscores the value of precise music usage tracking and its potential impact on businesses.


Sonja Schoenfeld, Project Manager of the Music Impact Study at GEMA, said: "The real-time dataset we were able to gather and analyse via Audoo technology on this study is great for seeing the overall impact of music in commercial spaces in such detail."


Johannes Everding, Director of Business Development at GEMA commented: "Audoo's innovative technology ensured a seamless and highly-effective data collection process and the results mark a significant milestone in understanding the commercial value of music with these kinds of insights for the benefit of businesses and rightsholders alike."


Ryan Edwards, CEO and Founder of Audoo added: "Partnering with GEMA on this study is a testament to the power of real-world data in demonstrating the impact of music in public spaces. As we continue to work with like-minded partners who share Audoo values of making public performance recognition and reporting more accurate and transparent, the landscape for all parties evolves and improves."


GEMA Music Impact Study


Overall Top Songs recognised by Audoo


Retail Sample

1. 'Lifeline' by Glockenbach ft. Ella Henderson

2. 'Cynical' by Chris de Sarandy, Safari Duo, twocolours

3. 'The Feeling' by Lost Frequencies

4. 'Angel Eyes' by Ásdís 

5. 'Strangers' by Kenya Grace



Gastronomy Sample

1. 'Austin' by Dasha'

2. A Bar Song (Tipsy)' by Shaboozey

3. 'Belong Together' by Mark Ambor

4. 'Wave' by FAST BOY, Raf

5. 'Dancing In The Flames' by The Weeknd 



Top Domestic Tracks recognised by Audoo


Retail Sample

1. 'Lifeline' by Glockenbach ft. Ella Henderson

2. 'Cynical' by Chris de Sarandy, Safari Duo, twocolours

3. 'I'll Be There' by Rita Ora, Robin Schulz, Tiago PZK

4. 'Waterfall' by Michael Shulte, R3HAB

5. 'Holding On' by Leony 



Gastronomy Sample

1. 'Wave' by FAST BOY, Raf

2. 'Human Being' by Nico Santos

3. 'Friends' by KAMRAD
4. 'Beautiful Reason' by Michael Shulte

5. 'Someday Soon' by ClockClock   



Top Domestic Artists recognised by Audoo


Retail Sample

1. Michael Shulte

2. Leony

3. Glockenbach 

4. ClockClock

5. Zoe Wees 



Gastronomy Sample

1. Trettmann

2. Bläck Fööss

3. Nico Santos

4. Purple Disco Machine

5. FAST BOY



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