| A Profitable Note |
13 October 2003
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Classical Music Gets Diners to Spend More
One grows evermore grateful to British academics and their ability to secure research funds for arcane studies. Fresh from a report on why biscuits (cookies) crumble as they do in the packet, the finest minds from the UK inform us that classical music gets restaurant customers to spend more than other styles. One can only wonder what this means for the future of the Hard Rock Cafe.
Adrian North, who is senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Leicester in the UK, did a three-week study of the relationship between the background music and the take at the register at a place called Softleys in Market Bosworth. He concluded that people feel more sophisticated, richer even, when they hear Beethoven. Dinner came to 24 quid a head with classical music on average, under 22 pounds with Britney Spears playing, and about 21 pounds with no music at all. Dr. North observed, "Where people were really spending the money was on the luxury items, such as starters, desserts and coffees."
Frankly, one is hardly surprised by this. In previous studies, Dr. North has shown that dairy cows produce more milk when listening to relaxing music (reported by the BBC, 26 June 2001), that the correct "on-hold" music will keep people waiting patiently for their call to be handled (BBC, 10 February 1999), and that playing music from Germany or France can get people to buy wine from the same country (BBC, 12 November 1997).
Yet, Dr. North's research does illustrate something that a great many have forgotten, especially in American education, viz. music matters. The debate between Rachmaninoff and Rock is old, and now sterile, ground. Instead, there is the genuine threat in many schools that the choice has already been made -- in favor of silence. Dr. North has shown that human beings are more than a part of an economic equation, and therefore, excellence in education is more than cranking out technocrats (although a good idea in itself).
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