Your festive music guide to sleigh the season 2026

How to get your customers into the spirit without over-saturating them with the same old songs.

The secret sauce for the festive season is a fresh music mix.

80% of Australian venues play Christmas music in November and December^1. Spare a thought for your patrons trudging from shop to shop... and then (gratefully) dipping into your venue for a browse through your wares - and All I Want for Christmas has been their soundtrack for five long hours.

Wondering what songs to throw in the Chrissy playlist? Data from Audoo devices installed in Australian venues shows business owners took the hint in 2025, with less Mariah than 2024 and a more mixed bag of Kelly Clarkson, Paul McCartney, Olivia Dean and Ariana Grande who all take a spot in the top 10 most played songs.²

Steps to the Ultimate Christmas Playlist

1. Get Licensed

No matter where you have sourced your music from, or what you have paid for it, if you play copyright-protected music in your business then you will likely need a music licence or other permission from the copyright owners.

OneMusic issues ‘public performance’music licences on behalf of music creators from Australia and all around the world.

Even if you’re using Spotify or Apple Music, you’ll need a music licence (or other permission) to play tracks publicly.

2. Don’t Overdo the Christmas Classics

Yes, Mariah and Bublé are festive royalty - but too much of a good thing can wear thin, especially for your staff. UK psychologist says there is a drop in productivity for holiday retail workers forced to hear the same songs on repeat^.3”

Mix in festive tracks every third song and keep things fresh with remixes or lesser-known holiday tunes. Keep it authentic too – if you usually play jazz, find jazzy versions of your favourite carols.

3. Match the Music to the Mood

Christmas or not, your playlist should reflect your venue’s personality. A French bistro? Cue the accordion. A retro pub? Classic rock. A beachside bar? Reggae or tropical house. Studies show that tailored playlists can boost sales by over 9%, while random ones can actually hurt business.

Need ideas to boost Aussie content? Sounds Australia provide weekly homegrown playlists to help you discover your new favourites and keep it fresh!

4. Take curation seriously, it can make you money

Studies show music influences everything from how long customers stay to how much they spend. In fact, 61% of patrons say they’ll visit a venue just for the music, and 79% will linger longer if the tunes are good. Alternatively, bad music—or none—can drive them away. Complacency around the music played in your business is a mistake according to the science: studies prove that background music unequivocally arouses specific positive emotions in diners and affects their eating behaviour.⁷

Music taps into memory and emotion, subtly shaping the dining experience. Soft tunes encourage lingering, classical music boosts spending, and upbeat tracks increase drink orders and table turnover. It’s not just background noise - it’s a business tool.

Background music suppliers are where the art and science of musical curation come together. These services consider brand identity and help define customer demographics and deliver fresh tracks completely customised to your venue.

5. Have an Audoo device installed - Real Data, Real Impact

Audoo’s Audio Meter—installed free in hundreds of Aussie venues, is a small plug-in device that recognises the music you play. The technology fingerprints songs, and that data is securely sent to APRA AMCOS and PPCA. It plays a role in helping the creators of the music you actually play in your venue get their royalties paid.

Find out more

Licensing info for dining

SOURCES

1. 81.9% of venues with Audio Meters played Christmas music in Nov–Dec 2024
2. Source: Audoo 2025 APRA review.
3. Source: Science Confirms Christmas Music Is Bad for Your Mental Health. Friday, F. Observer. 21 December 2017.
4. 1^st December: source https://news.gallup.com/poll/545537/december-holiday-rush-half-shoppers.aspx
5. Source: https://assets.onemusic.com.au/images/PDFs/Research-and-Infographs/onemusic_reportAU_COVER1_270526.pdf?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sound_decisions_mr_report
6. Source: https://assets.onemusic.com.au/images/PDFs/Research-and-Infographs/onemusic_reportAU_COVER1_270526.pdf?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sound_decisions_mr_report
7. Complacency: Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9687492/