Join the Campaign to Ban Piped Music
Piped music (or ‘Muzak’) drives most people crazy, yet shops and public areas never seem to listen. Even supermarkets mostly only offer the optional ‘quiet hour’, with Co-op in particular, blasting out loud music, which is not just annoying, but can affect the hearing of local elderly people, especially if they wear hearing aids.
I have left shops – unable to purchase the object of my desire. Because of hellish piped music. Joanna Lumley
Pipedown is the charity campaigning to ban piped music from stores (with some success). It’s also campaigning against leaf-blowers (often two hours of operation can hit 90 decibels and cause permanent hearing loss, even to neighbours).
Leaf blowers also are very polluting to humans, pets and wildlife.
Piped music basically removes freedom of choice. If you want to listen to loud music on your headphones, that’s fine. But don’t force everyone else too. Especially if you run a shop.
Piped Music Disrupts Concentration
Piped music can make it difficult to focus. If you are trying to relax or even choose a gift, constant background music competes with thought and conversation.
It can be especially difficult to deal with, for people with sensory overload, attention difficulties or forms of neurodivergence (including autism and ADHD). It’s impossible to think clearly.
Constant Noise is Linked to Health Issues
Constant exposure to loud noise (and that means daily, even if it’s only for half an hour) can increase stress hormones, and even raise blood pressure.
Noise pollution also can cause migraines, insomnia and a higher risk of heart problems. It can also make life more uncomfortable for people with tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
Piped Music Harms Patients and Carers
England is an ageing population. So why do so many shops (again like local Co-op supermarkets) blast out rock tunes, at full volume? They must know that most of their customers (many who rely on hearing aids) must find it very uncomfortable.
But often they have no other shops to buy a loaf of bread. So they are forced to listen to it. Local food shops should be places where you have a natter with each other, or the shop assistant. But piped music stops that happening, as it’s too loud to hear yourself think, let alone others talk.
Why Piped Music Harms Public Spaces
The constant stream of piped music is everywhere. Shops, supermarkets, co-op stores, clothing retailers, hotels, even hospitals, all use background tunes. While some might find it barely noticeable, for many people, the effects of this noise run much deeper.
Piped music can threaten our comfort, our well-being, and even our ability to think and heal. Let’s look closer at how it hurts daily life and why so many are speaking out.
Impact On Hearing and Mental Health
Most of us are exposed to more noise than ever before. Piped music adds yet another layer, turning what should be restful environments into places filled with constant sound. This creates problems that are often ignored by businesses and venues.
- People with hearing loss find it much harder to communicate. The background music blurs speech, forcing them to strain again and again just to follow a simple conversation.
- Stress levels go up for all customers, but especially for people already dealing with anxiety or overstimulation.
- Elderly visitors are hit hardest. Many rely on lip reading, which background music can ruin. Instead of a quick interaction, they face confusion and tiredness.
- Mental health sufferers may feel trapped or uneasy in busy, noisy stores. Those who already live with sensory overload can find shopping or waiting in hospital almost unbearable.
- It’s even been found that people with anorexia find it hard to eat food, surrounded by loud noise. Any kind of addiction recovery is more difficult, away from a calm, supportive environment.
This isn’t a small inconvenience. It turns basic tasks into challenges. Social visits, shared meals, appointments, and shopping all become harder when a constant beat is forced on everyone’s ears.
Disruption in Quiet Environments
Some places should be quiet. Hospitals, hotel lobbies, waiting rooms, and libraries are spaces meant for rest, focus, or healing. But piped music drifts in, often without a thought for who it might bother.
- Hospitals are louder than a city street because of background music. Patients struggle to rest or sleep well, both essential for recovery.
- Hotels should offer calm. But in-room speakers or blaring lounge music leave guests feeling restless instead of relaxed.
- Quieter zones in shops and public places used to mean sanctuary. Today, these areas are shrinking or vanishing. Even in supermarkets, you can rarely enjoy a peaceful shop without music getting in your way.
- Focus and clarity drop in waiting rooms and office spaces where soft music distracts from important thoughts or conversations.
Dr David Oliver writes in British Medical Journal that noise pollution in hospitals is now at an alarming rate. Nonstop noise (especially in shared wards) is not just annoying, but also means it takes longer for patients to get better, which creates more ‘bed-blocking’.
It’s also not good for tired and stressed medical staff. Years ago, hospitals were quiet places of rest, with perhaps (optional) hospital radio. When this doctor turned off the radio to talk to patients, nearly all asked him to leave it switched off.
Other sources of hospital noise are beeping alarms and call buttons, even the noise of rattling trolleys and metal bins can drive people half-insane, when they are trying to recover.
It would be far better to create quiet wards with ‘healing spaces’ for patients to recover, looking out over hospital gardens.
The same goes for public televisions being played (often loudly) in public health areas. Many patients simply don’t want to watch it. It’s also a colossal waste of energy and money, which the NHS could use to spend on better things.
Why Do Supermarkets Play Loud Music?
So why do they do it? One suspects it’s to make people stressed so they buy more (similar to why fast food chains paint their shops in red and yellow).
Pubs often play loud music for ‘vertical drinking’ (too loud to have a conversation, so punters just drink more while standing up).
A few years back, Marks and Spencer trialled piped music in its stores. It got such negative reaction, that it at least listened to customers, and removed it. And have never brought it back.
Something interesting here: A study at University of South Florida found that loud fast music led to customers buying unhealthy foods (like fast food, red meat etc). While quiet (or no) music led to healthier food choices. Now we see perhaps why the supermarkets have loud music?
There are no special offers on broccoli. Real food campaigner Michael Pollan writes that supermarkets are there for profit (not your health).
Which is why there are only around two aisles of fresh fruit, and the rest is full of higher-profit processed food. So they need you to buy more of that, and less broccoli!
Loud-volume music agitates our physiological system, and this makes us choose more indulgent food. Low volume music makes us more relaxed, so that makes us go for more mindful choices. Dr Dipayan Biswas
The Equality Act 2010 means that supermarkets that blast music into the ears of people with hearing loss, are actually breaking the law. This affects 15% of the UK population.
Supermarkets need to be more than just offer ‘quiet hours’ (often when people don’t have the time to shop), which are free from music and annoying tannoy announcements. Other things done are turning down lighting, reducing movement of trolleys and turning checkout beeps off.
If supermarkets can do this the rest of the time, why can’t they do it all the time? Other shops (like Aldi, Waitrose and John Lewis) manage to, so why can’t the others?
Budget supermarket Aldi never plays piped music, mostly to save on licensing fees, so it can pass the savings of cheaper food onto its customers.
- People rush. In supermarkets, people often leave sooner than planned because constant music becomes too much.
Marks & Spencer Removed Piped Music
When Marks & Spencer decided to switch off piped music across their stores, customers and staff noticed right away. This wasn’t a quiet policy change; it sparked plenty of public reaction. People who usually avoided busy shops began sharing how the new calm atmosphere made them want to stay longer and shop in peace.
Feedback rolled in, with many saying shopping finally felt relaxing again. Parents with young children, people with hearing loss, and older shoppers sent thank-yous.
Local press and national outlets covered the decision, with articles in The Guardian and the BBC highlighting how simple silence was drawing people back. Social media posts about the move saw thousands of likes, comments, and shares. The message? People value calm more than companies might think.
Retailers following suit
Marks & Spencer isn’t the only one moving towards quieter spaces. Other big names have listened and made changes to meet customer needs. Here are some places where silence speaks volumes:
- Waitrose: Selected branches now have “quiet hours” during the week. Staff turn off the music, announcing time for peaceful shopping. Reports show that more families and older people fin these hours help them shop with less stress.
- Premier Inn: Many Premier Inn hotels have dropped background music from public areas. Guests report better rest and a more homely feeling in communal areas.
- Independent cafés and pubs: Local businesses that swapped playlists for natural sounds see customers sticking around longer, chatting, reading, and enjoying the space.
Contact Businesses and Councils
Sometimes, those in charge just need a nudge to see that silence matters. Writing to businesses, hospitals, or your local council can spark action. Don’t worry about the right words—just be clear and polite.
Below are letter and email templates you can use or adapt.
Retailer or Shop Letter Template:
Dear Manager,
I am a regular customer and value your shop. However, I find the piped music makes shopping stressful. Could you consider a music-free hour, or turn it off entirely? Many would welcome a quieter environment.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Hospital or Healthcare Centre Template:
Dear [Hospital Name] Team,
I’d like to ask if your hospital could reduce or remove background music in waiting areas. Many patients and visitors struggle with extra noise when they are already unwell or anxious.
Thank you for helping to create a peaceful space for everyone.
[Your Name]
Local Authority Template:
Dear [Council Name],
I am writing to request support for more music-free zones in public spaces. Cutting down on background music will help residents feel calmer and more included, especially those sensitive to noise. Please consider backing this initiative in community centres, libraries, and other venues.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
An App to Help You Find Quiet Places
SoundPrint is an app that lets you find quiet places. Created by a New Yorker with hearing loss (who could not hear what his dates were saying, when they met up), he began to share his list of Quiet Corners with others, and now it’s used worldwide to find ‘thumbs-up’ places where you can hear yourself think.
Places recommended can still have (low) music but don’t have espresso machines that stop you talking, nor noise levels that give you a headache.
You can use the app to measure the decibel level of where you’re visiting, then post your reviews online for a public database to compare.
Decibel levels at London restaurants can be so high, that you might as well be eating your dinner next to a bin lorry. Pipedown
