Audoo partners with GEMA on Music Impact Study, demonstrating real-time songplay data across gastronomy and retail

12 March 2025 - Press release

 

• This utilisation of Audoo Audio Meters™ adds to the tech company's portfolio of international business partners on a mission to revolutionise public performance royalties for music creators, licensees and businesses.

Music technology company Audoo partnered with GEMA, the German performing rights society, on its Music Impact Study as part of the PROs multi-faceted research quantifying the commercial value of background music in gastronomy and retail spaces, with Audoo technology recognising real-time songplay contributing to sales uplift.

Audoo Audio Meters – music recognition hardware – installed in hundreds of venues recognised over 130k tracks contributing to the insights demonstrating that the use of background music increased sales in retail by an average of 8% and in gastronomy by an average of 5.4% – the economic benefits suggesting that a music license is a worthwhile investment. 

Overall, the most-played song in the Retail sample was 'Lifeline' by German artist Glockenbach featuring Ella Henderson and in the Gastronomy sample, 'Austin' by US artist Dasha. The other leading track of domestic repertoire was 'Wave' by Fast Boy and Raf (most-played song of the Gastronomy sample) and the top domestic artists overall were Trettmann (Retail sample) and Michael Schulte (Gastronomy sample). Further topline stats are below.

GEMA's Music Impact Study was a large-scale study that took place under the direction of international scientists with the connection between music and sales examined using several methodologies – the empirical field study at the point-of-sale was preceded by extensive literature research, quantitative surveys and expert interviews. 

In addition to the trends and insights revealed through Audoo's intelligent client dashboard, the device's simple plug-and-play self-installation process at venues, plus its GDPR-compliance, demonstrates the value of this technology to retail and hospitality businesses.

The success of the Music Impact Study underscores the value of precise music usage tracking and its potential impact on businesses.

Sonja Schoenfeld, Project Manager of the Music Impact Study at GEMA, said: "The real-time dataset we were able to gather and analyse via Audoo technology on this study is great for seeing the overall impact of music in commercial spaces in such detail."

Johannes Everding, Director of Business Development at GEMA commented: "Audoo's innovative technology ensured a seamless and highly-effective data collection process and the results mark a significant milestone in understanding the commercial value of music with these kinds of insights for the benefit of businesses and rightsholders alike."

Ryan Edwards, CEO and Founder of Audoo added: "Partnering with GEMA on this study is a testament to the power of real-world data in demonstrating the impact of music in public spaces. As we continue to work with like-minded partners who share Audoo values of making public performance recognition and reporting more accurate and transparent, the landscape for all parties evolves and improves." 

 

More information on GEMA's research here. Request an Audoo Audio Meter™ for your business here. 

Images for the below data breakdown are here.

 

GEMA Music Impact Study

Overall Top Songs recognised by Audoo

Retail Sample

1. 'Lifeline' by Glockenbach ft. Ella Henderson

2. 'Cynical' by Chris de Sarandy, Safari Duo, twocolours

3. 'The Feeling' by Lost Frequencies

4. 'Angel Eyes' by Ásdís 

5. 'Strangers' by Kenya Grace

 

Gastronomy Sample

1. 'Austin' by Dasha

2. 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' by Shaboozey

3. 'Belong Together' by Mark Ambor

4. 'Wave' by FAST BOY, Raf

5. 'Dancing In The Flames' by The Weeknd

 

Top Domestic Tracks recognised by Audoo

Retail Sample

1. 'Lifeline' by Glockenbach ft. Ella Henderson

2. 'Cynical' by Chris de Sarandy, Safari Duo, twocolours

3. 'I'll Be There' by Rita Ora, Robin Schulz, Tiago PZK

4. 'Waterfall' by Michael Shulte, R3HAB

5. 'Holding On' by Leony

 

Gastronomy Sample

1. 'Wave' by FAST BOY, Raf

2. 'Human Being' by Nico Santos

3. 'Friends' by KAMRAD
   

4. 'Beautiful Reason' by Michael Shulte

5. 'Someday Soon' by ClockClock

 

 

Top Domestic Artists recognised by Audoo

Retail Sample

1. Michael Shulte

2. Leony

3. Glockenbach 

4. ClockClock

5. Zoe Wees

 

Gastronomy Sample

1. Trettmann

2. Bläck Fööss

3. Nico Santos

4. Purple Disco Machine

5. FAST BOY

 

In 2024, Audoo announced a partnership with PMY Group to integrate the Audoo Audio Meter™ into tech stacks at major events, enhancing public performance reporting in these settings. The growing tech company also announced its partnership with the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) to amplify public performance royalty distributions in Ireland, and further added board advisors in Steve Clark, Isabel Garvey and Sean O'Malley.

Various music industry figures have estimated that unclaimed music royalties run into billions of dollars annually due to a lack of transparent and accurate reporting. The Audoo Audio Meter™ is a GDPR-compliant, state-of-the-art music recognition technology solution, backed by music icons including Sir Elton John and ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus. It supplies improved public performance data that makes it easier to recognise, in quasi-real-time, where and when music is being played and how the royalties should be paid.