MUSI 3041 Class Assignment 1 (Yip Huen Isis)

 

So last Saturday, I went to a shopping mall at Tseung Kwan O named ‘PopCorn’, right above the mtr station. The specific location that I’ve chosen is some of the shops at PopCorn (Phase 2) 1/F. The videos were recorded last Saturday (17/9) from 13:37 to 13:57.

I started at Namco, a Japanese video game company that offers equipment that an indoor amusement park has, like Jumpin Gym. Still, indeed its style is more Japanese-influenced. The music at Namco comes from those claw machines and arcade game machines. For me, the music played by those machines was unitary; they were all carnival vibe music. Every machine played its ‘theme music’. Namco grouped similar types of arcade game machines together. For me, it was somewhat overwhelming since the soundtracks overlapped each other; from what I’ve observed, they tend to cramp most of the claw machines together along the aisle as I walked in. I think the intention behind it is they know people tend to spend most of their pennies on claw machines, so that’s why they gather them right at the centre of the indoor amusement park, spending most of the space placing the claw machines, tuning their music into a relatively large volume, to make sure people won’t miss out any of the claw machines to maximise their profit. 

Next stop, I went to Fortress, a shop that sells electronic products. I heard BTS’s Dynamite blasting from the blue-tooth speakers when I entered the shop. The music, for me, was broadcasted at the most noticeable spot of the shop, near the entrance. Also, I’ve realised they chose music to be played that is well known to everyone so that people will pay attention to their products. The shop sales claimed that the speakers have multi-channel surround sound, and that’s why I think they made two or more speakers play the same music, showing the good side of the product and trying to send a cognitive signal to customers like ‘bring me home'. 

                                                                Uniqlo with Music    

                                        

                       Uniqlo's programmed music gradually fades as I walked toward the side

Then, I arrived at Uniqlo, a Japanese quick fashion company. The music that they played was chilled but uplifting pop music. They didn’t broadcast the music in a large volume because they wanted to provide customers with a relaxing environment to pick out their daily outfits. One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that the music gradually fades away as I walk towards their basic products; in other words, they only play the soundtrack at the area selling discount products and their special editions/ collaborations with other notable brands and artists. The music was played only in the centre of the shop.

Right at the corner, I was attracted to a children’s bookstore called Book Buddy because of its colourful decorations. Since this is a children’s bookstore, the music played is those cheerful children’s songs. I was amazed by how they put most of their effort into designing the architectonic spaces of the store. They use colourful bookshelf featuring themes of nature, trees, and greens. The music was played, and I think most children won’t lose focus on reading the books.

Sugi Bee Garden store was located on the right-hand side of the children’s bookstore. They sold products associated with honey, as you could tell by their brand name. Organic honey, honey-flavoured drinks, ice cream, waffles, you’ll name it. The store had a high ceiling, so it was spacious for me.  And I liked the beehive patterns on the floor, which did correspond to their brand name. But I felt confused about why they would play band music. I doubt did it suit the vibe of the shop, to me the music used was incompatible with the theme of the store. Why band music has to do with bees or organic products?