Assignment 1 - Commercial Soundscapes

 MUSI3042 assignment 1

On a bright Wednesday morning, I visited the area of Causeway Bay that I often refer to as my second home - yes, the road leading to Windsor House and H&M. No part of Hong Kong is ever not crowded, so a crush of people milled about even though it was nearing noon on a weekday. Above the rhythmic noises of construction, traffic signals and people’s voices, I focused on what was important. With the voice memos app open on my iPhone, I was ready to observe the different kinds of music being played in various stores around me.

The first place I entered was, of course, H&M, one of the most popular clothing brands targeted especially towards youth. I walked in expecting to hear one of today’s most overplayed hits, but surprisingly couldn’t recognise the song. The lyrics were half-English, half-French, and it sounded relaxing, almost lazy. I like to think I keep up with current music, and since I hadn’t heard this song or the one that played after it (also a relatively more relaxing vibe), I attributed the song choice to the fact that it was a Wednesday morning. Most of the youth would be at their respective academic institutions, either school or university, or even at work. Indeed, the store was emptier than I had usually seen it in the evenings. Each of the three storeys had its own set of speakers. 

Next, I headed to Pull&Bear in Windsor House, also a clothing brand almost exclusively visited by the youth of Hong Kong. Feigning interest in the unnecessarily small handbags hanging from one of the walls, I snuck a quick recording of the music emanating from the speakers. Once again, I did not recognise the song, and it was of a peppy, upbeat vibe, but sounded more like background music than something we would actively listen to and recognise. I assume the reasons were the same, since the store was not as full as it usually is. 

Following this, I headed into the Marks and Spencer grocery store, and at first was struck by the impression that no music was playing at all. Straining my ears to catch some runaway notes, I finally realised there was something very faint coming from the other end of the store. Finding myself in the snack section, I listened hard and came to the conclusion that this music was not really meant to be listened to or enjoyed. Most of the shoppers I observed were either elderly or middle-aged. They probably just wanted to get their groceries and leave as soon as possible. This got me thinking about programmed music and Muzak, designed to get shoppers into a rhythm, but the people here probably didn’t think about any kind of music at all while doing their job. It was, however, a catchy tune. The layout of the store was a little crammed, and probably not designed for music to carry around.

After this, I walked into a brand called Rojita, which I had never heard of. It was absolutely empty. In my opinion, the music they were playing, which was sounded quite trendy and lively, was in stark contrast to their style of clothing. I was so baffled by the clothes that I decided to take a picture to show all of you. I think they wanted to lure more customers into their store by playing “cooler” music, but it clearly wasn’t working. It was an open store, so the music spilled over to the stall right next to it as well.

The collection at Rojita

Of course, I had to walk into Sephora next. Not being familiar with makeup, this store was probably the most interesting to analyse. Dazzlingly popular brands like Fenty Beauty by Rihanna and Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez (both extremely famous singers, coincidentally) were among the first sections to catch my eye. The speakers blared a Shawn Mendes song, and I immediately realised that this establishment was syncing their music style with their target audience and their product range, thereby attempting to capture the attention of youth who are probably familiar with pop culture and the different beauty brands available. Besides, Sephora is the one of the most popular affordable makeup brands in Hong Kong, guaranteed to attract hordes of youth. It was, however, rather empty at this time. 

Walking back along the same road, I decided to enter a small local electronic shop from which I’ve purchased multiple phone cases in the past. Since this one was a smaller, less fancy, less conspicuous store, I assume it is frequented mostly by locals who know just where to go for a new phone cable or AirPods case. To match the target audience, the store was playing a relaxed-sounding Cantonese pop song with a few English words sprinkled into it. The music was louder, but that could also be due to the smaller size of the store. The speaker is quite strategically placed closer to the exit, so that passers by may notice the store and decide to pay it a visit. 

Lastly, I quickly popped into Lush cosmetics, curious as to how different the music would be compared to that of Sephora. Pretending to examine some bath bombs, I noted that the music was, once again, relaxed and soft. It may be worth noting two things: one, that Lush is its own brand while Sephora houses several brands alongside its own collection; and two, Lush was bustling even at noon on a Wednesday. Shoppers would probably be more focused on the products they wanted than on the music. 

These observations were really quite interesting to analyse. I have overshot the word limit, but only because I am eager to share my findings and receive opinions on them from the rest of the class. The main outcome of this exercise is that I am now an active, not passive, listener, and will henceforth be analysing the music of every commercial establishment I visit!