Morning rush, midday work crowd, and afternoon wind-down get their own custom scenes, which are human-curated, automatically dayparted, and fully licensed.
A cafe's morning rush and its 2pm laptop crowd need different energy. Don't make the mistake of playing the same playlist on repeat.
Set the tone at the counter.
The first sound a regular hears shapes whether the space feels like their spot or just another coffee shop.
Keeps laptops open longer.
A well-paced afternoon scene extends the work-session crowd instead of turning tables too fast or too slow.
Drive five-star reviews.
Earn ambience callouts like "cozy" and "always sounds right" that baristas can't control with espresso alone.
Warm.
Human curators build morning-to-close sound, matched to your shop.
Timed.
Counter, seating, and patio, dayparted independently from one dashboard.
Legal.
ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, every license included in the fee.
Consistent.
Every location, every shift, the same brand sound, 1 or 100 locations.
Receipts
Tempo sets the pace of a rush.
Shifting to a faster tempo during peak hours naturally accelerates order throughput while maintaining a great guest experience. Shifting to slower, more relaxed music in the afternoon encourages customers to settle in and linger.
Order-line pace during tempo-matched morning rushConsumer behavior research, service-pace tempoFaster
Dwell time with warmer, slower afternoon scenesEnvironmental psychology, cafe atmosphericsLonger
Perceived quality with congruent, on-brand soundtrackConsumer psychology, atmospheric cuesHigher
Don't get caught
Stop playing Spotify at the counter.
Consumer streaming is not licensed for commercial venues. Cafes are a frequent enforcement target. "We didn't know" is not a defense.
The exposure
Spotify's consumer terms explicitly prohibit commercial use. Any cafe streaming it through counter speakers is in violation, business account or not.
The fine
Public-performance infringement carries statutory damages up to $150,000 per work under U.S. Copyright Act §504(c).
The fix
Curator Now includes all four PROs, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, in every plan. No negotiations, no separate fees, no exposure.
Smart scheduling
Rush to lull, scored right.
Counter, seating area, and patio, each dayparted to its own rhythm, automatically. See how scheduling works →
7 AM · Counter
Modern Café
Morning rush
11 AM · Seating
Indie Pop (Downtempo)
Laptop crowd
2 PM · Patio
Mellow Style
Afternoon lull
5 PM · Counter
Warm & Fuzzy
Evening wind-down
Counter · weekly scheduleset once · runs itself
7:00 – 10:00
Modern Café
morning rush
10:00 – 2:00
Indie Pop (Downtempo)
laptop crowd
2:00 – 5:00
Warm & Fuzzy
afternoon lull
5:00 – close
+ Add a scene
evening wind-down
Scenes for cafes
Sounds for every pour.
Hand-built by people who've actually worked the espresso machine. How we build them →
Le Café Parisien
Le Café Parisien
Now playing · Counter
La Vie en Rose, Grant Green
96 BPM
Indie Pop (Midtempo)
Indie Pop (Midtempo)
Now playing · Seating
Electric Feel, MGMT
104 BPM
Warm & Fuzzy
Warm & Fuzzy
Now playing · Seating
Golden, Harry Styles
90 BPM
Mellow Style
Mellow Style
Now playing · Patio
Space Song, Beach House
86 BPM
Emerging Indie
Emerging Indie
Now playing · Counter
Chamber of Reflection, Mac DeMarco
100 BPM
Acoustic Folk
Acoustic Folk
Now playing · Patio
Sunflower, Rex Orange County
108 BPM
Works with your AV setup.
No rip-and-replace. Browser-based for shops without dedicated AV, or native integration with Sonos, Q-SYS, Marshall, and Epicentre for full multi-zone control.
Does music affect how long customers stay in a cafe?+
Yes. Tempo and volume shape how long customers linger and how they perceive the space, which matters differently during a fast morning rush versus a slow afternoon work session.
Do cafes need a music license?+
Yes. Any public performance of music in a cafe requires licensing from ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR. Consumer streaming apps are not licensed for commercial use.
Can the counter and seating area play different music?+
Yes. Curator Now runs independent zones so the counter, seating area, and patio can each have their own scene, managed from one dashboard.
How does dayparting work for a cafe's day?+
Set a schedule once: brisk energy for the morning rush, calmer background for the midday work crowd, and a warmer scene for the afternoon wind-down. Curator Now handles every transition automatically.
Can a coffee shop chain manage every location centrally?+
Yes. Enterprise plans include a fleet dashboard for pushing scenes and schedule changes across every location from a single login.
Let your counter speak for itself.
14 days free. No credit card. No installs. Cancel any time.
