Whats with the music in B&Q stores?
Discussion
I couldnt decide to put this in the DIY forum or on here, but chose here in the end.
Anyway, I have been in 3 different B&Q stores in 10 days and all of them appear to be playing soft rock music in tghe background. Fair enough. But its not the actual songs, it sounds like a very close copy of the originals. For example, I have heard some Bon Jovi, Beatles and Bachman Turner Overdrive stuff and whilst it sounds fine to the casual listener, to someone like me who actually likes their stuff it is plainly not the original track.
So whats going on? Are B&Q so tight that they had someone record a load of covers to avoid paying royalties? And wouldnt that probably have cost more than just playing the originals in the first place?
Anyway, I have been in 3 different B&Q stores in 10 days and all of them appear to be playing soft rock music in tghe background. Fair enough. But its not the actual songs, it sounds like a very close copy of the originals. For example, I have heard some Bon Jovi, Beatles and Bachman Turner Overdrive stuff and whilst it sounds fine to the casual listener, to someone like me who actually likes their stuff it is plainly not the original track.
So whats going on? Are B&Q so tight that they had someone record a load of covers to avoid paying royalties? And wouldnt that probably have cost more than just playing the originals in the first place?
airbrakes said:
I couldnt decide to put this in the DIY forum or on here, but chose here in the end.
Anyway, I have been in 3 different B&Q stores in 10 days and all of them appear to be playing soft rock music in tghe background. Fair enough. But its not the actual songs, it sounds like a very close copy of the originals. For example, I have heard some Bon Jovi, Beatles and Bachman Turner Overdrive stuff and whilst it sounds fine to the casual listener, to someone like me who actually likes their stuff it is plainly not the original track.
So whats going on? Are B&Q so tight that they had someone record a load of covers to avoid paying royalties? And wouldnt that probably have cost more than just playing the originals in the first place?
Yes, most probably this. I remember years ago in my local Top Man store it was the same.Anyway, I have been in 3 different B&Q stores in 10 days and all of them appear to be playing soft rock music in tghe background. Fair enough. But its not the actual songs, it sounds like a very close copy of the originals. For example, I have heard some Bon Jovi, Beatles and Bachman Turner Overdrive stuff and whilst it sounds fine to the casual listener, to someone like me who actually likes their stuff it is plainly not the original track.
So whats going on? Are B&Q so tight that they had someone record a load of covers to avoid paying royalties? And wouldnt that probably have cost more than just playing the originals in the first place?
Awful cover versions of already watery, crap tunes from the charts at the time, piped throughout the store. I knew the guy who worked there at the time and when I questioned it, he claimed that the senior management had been offered the original versions for not a lot more money, but they refused.
It put me off shopping there in the end (I was about 18 at the time), I couldn't put my ears through it anymore.
airbrakes said:
Are B&Q so tight that they had someone record a load of covers to avoid paying royalties?
That's probably the case, like with television adverts. Cathedral City used a really s
tty Homeward Bound cover and VW got someone to kill a Beach Boys song because it works out cheaper.Yeah, they're not great...
I remember a time when I was 'doing up houses,' and I was in B&Q in Norwich one day, with a massive shopping list of materials.
I was in there for so long, I realised that I had heard all the songs on the tape, and I was back at the beginning of the 'loop' hearing the songs I had already heard nearly 2 hours before
I remember a time when I was 'doing up houses,' and I was in B&Q in Norwich one day, with a massive shopping list of materials.
I was in there for so long, I realised that I had heard all the songs on the tape, and I was back at the beginning of the 'loop' hearing the songs I had already heard nearly 2 hours before
Pity the sales assistants that have to listen to that awful piped music all day long then.
A few years ago I went for an interview as a Clinton's manager - was told they had specially selected recorded music/adverts on a loop all day. I told them that would drive me potty after just a few hours so the job wasn't for me.
A few years ago I went for an interview as a Clinton's manager - was told they had specially selected recorded music/adverts on a loop all day. I told them that would drive me potty after just a few hours so the job wasn't for me.
I recall working in a bar that was part of chain in the 90s , and the music was delivered via a 4 slot cassette deck that was configured to play the tapes backwards! And specially recorded "backwards" tapes of music were delivered from head office once a month or so. This meant, obviously, that you couldn't play your own cassettes and were forced to use the specially recorded ones . Of course this was mainly to do with PRS clearance issues rather than sheer bloody mindedness on their part.
However my rather clever technically minded manager actually took it apart and "hacked" the box so that one of the 4 decks played the cassette the correct way, thus allowing him to subject us to his terrible collection of 70s prog rock.
However my rather clever technically minded manager actually took it apart and "hacked" the box so that one of the 4 decks played the cassette the correct way, thus allowing him to subject us to his terrible collection of 70s prog rock.
Not just B&Q but many retail outlets do this.
The PRS (or PPS) charge a fee based upon the likely number of people listening to a song. The rates for an original recording are a lot higher than a re-recording by a different artist and specifically an artist that has been paid a one-off fee for their services. For this, the retailer pays an annual fee regardless of the people that may listen to the music.
The PRS (or PPS) charge a fee based upon the likely number of people listening to a song. The rates for an original recording are a lot higher than a re-recording by a different artist and specifically an artist that has been paid a one-off fee for their services. For this, the retailer pays an annual fee regardless of the people that may listen to the music.
I help my mate stock up his pub every Saturday at the local cash and carry, they have a similar thing going on there. A lot of it is very easy to ignore, but a couple of weeks ago I started humming along and realised it was a properly bad version of the Foo Fighters - Wheels. That made me stop and go 'Jesus Christ!' I'm a big fan of the Foo's and even I'm not keen on that song, but to think anyone would like a cover of it either!
condor said:
Pity the sales assistants that have to listen to that awful piped music all day long then.
A few years ago I went for an interview as a Clinton's manager - was told they had specially selected recorded music/adverts on a loop all day. I told them that would drive me potty after just a few hours so the job wasn't for me.
That is exactly what B&Q did at the store where I worked weekends as a student, although it may have changed since.A few years ago I went for an interview as a Clinton's manager - was told they had specially selected recorded music/adverts on a loop all day. I told them that would drive me potty after just a few hours so the job wasn't for me.
You could almost set your watch by what song was playing and it did get a bit monotonous for staff.
I also felt at times that the variety was a bit unusual from one song to the next but I did have more than one customer comment positively about certain songs while passing through the tills so it must have worked for some.
I don't remember there being close copies of originals or covers but it was a few years ago now so things have probably changed.
DervVW said:
yes but then there is the relentless christmas music from october too
October one I think 
I also hate 'look'e'likey' tracks. The last time I was in B&Q I actually asked a checkout girl if the music was annoying to her... to which she replied "Never really noticed it".
There are times when you think.. 'You lucky b
d'...and yes, if my music is not heard, I'm doing my job properly.... so sort that one out!
GetCarter said:
DervVW said:
yes but then there is the relentless christmas music from october too
October one I think I also hate 'look'e'likey' tracks. The last time I was in B&Q I actually asked a checkout girl if the music was annoying to her... to which she replied "Never really noticed it".
There are times when you think.. 'You lucky b
d'...and yes, if my music is not heard, I'm doing my job properly.... so sort that one out!
I, too, have noticed this. I popped in to buy a tin of paint, and was confronted by a particularly watery version of Coldplay | I Used To Rule The World.
Now, the genuine article is bad enough, but being subjected to a poorly timed version where the singer could barely hit the high notes was truly ear abusing!
Now, the genuine article is bad enough, but being subjected to a poorly timed version where the singer could barely hit the high notes was truly ear abusing!
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