Cafés to give customers a say on music

By PETER RANSCOMBE
Published on 20/01/2013 00:00

OPEN Ear, a Glasgow-based supplier of background music for cafés and hotels, is preparing to launch an app that lets customers “interact” with its songs, thanks to help from Dunfermline software firm Planys Cloud.

The app, which is due to go live next month, will allow people to review songs and exchange messages about music over the internet.

Open Ear was founded in 2007 by DJ Brian Harvey and already lists cafés such as Apostrophe and Beanscene, and hotels such as Blythswood Square and De Vere, among its clients.

Last month the company launched a “winter music” collection – with artists including indie duo She & Him, which features Zooey Deschanel, star of E4 TV series New Girl – as an alternative to the traditional Christmas pop tunes.

Joe Henry, chief commercial officer at Planys Cloud, said his company had already won more than £300,000 of work since it launched in August. He expects the firm’s headcount to grow from 13 at present to about 25 by the end of the year.

“Open Ear creates playlists for customers that are specifically targeted at their group of customers, so that they don’t have to play generic ‘muzak’,” explained Henry.

“We’re helping companies like Open Ear to find new ways of doing business by allowing their customers to access services over the internet and on their smartphones.”

The two companies have been working together on the project using £80,000 of funding from arts agency Creative Scotland.