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The 9 best background music playlists for waiting rooms

Are you looking for background music for your waiting room? Whether you’re on the hunt for the perfect playlist for a doctor’s office, corporate lobby, or veterinary clinic, we’ve got you covered. Our music team has curated the best playlists for streaming background music no matter what type of business.

Depending on your client base and demographics, smooth jazz may be ideal. If your objective is to create a calm space there are excellent selections for acoustic and instrumental versions of popular songs or you may want to lighten the mood with some family-friendly pop or light rock?

Soundtrack Your Brand provides music options for every style, from acoustic covers to piano solos to jazz, popular music and beyond.

Posted on December 8, 2022

1 minute read

1. Acoustic Covers

Featuring: Acoustic renditions of popular songs from different genres

This acoustic playlist features unplugged covers of famous songs. These tracks provide a variety of styles in one place: indie, folk, country, pop, and R&B. The end result is a playlist that is cool and unexpected.

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2. Ballad Radio

Featuring: Pop and R&B ballads

If you wish to include lyrics in your waiting room music experience, then check out this playlist. The pop ballads and R&B slow jams feature emotional vocal performances from the likes of Meghan Trainor, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Khalid, and Omar Apollo.

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3. Easy Jazz

Featuring: Smooth vocal performances

You can always count on the music standards. Playing jazz in waiting room offices is commonplace for a reason. Jazz makes for easy listening that can place your customers at ease. This playlist features soothing vocal performances from Catherine Russell, Kevin Mahogany, and Natalie Cole.

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4. Family-friendly & Acoustic

Featuring: Clean and contemporary acoustic tracks

Our family-friendly playlists are screened not only for explicit lyrics but appropriate topics. This playlist is full of alt-indie acoustic hits from pop heavy hitters like Ed Sheeran and Birdy, as well as lesser-known artists such as Dori Freeman and Deer Tick, This playlist offers 18 hours of curated music, so it can cover two business days of overhead audio on its own.

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5. Family-friendly Pop

Featuring: Mom-approved pop songs

Bring on the pop! This playlist features a variety of upbeat and mellow performances from all your favorite pop artists, including Taylor Swift, Madison Beer, Camila Cabello, Miley Cyrus, and Imagine Dragons. You get over 19 hours of pop hits and songs.

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6. Family-friendly AC

Featuring: Clean classic rocks

This adult contemporary (AC) playlist is full of popular tunes from the advent of the rock music genre through the 90s. You’ll hear Suzanne Vega, Elton John, David Bowie, and Joni Mitchell. With over 30 hours of music, this playlist can cover several days of background music requirements. It’s also great for combining with other genres (see our note on scheduling at the bottom of this article).

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7. Family-friendly Soul

Featuring: Clean soul from the 60s and 70s

Let’s bring some funk and soul to your waiting room. Your visitors will enjoy songs such as “Smooth Operator” by Sade, “Tell Mama” by Etta James, and “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” by Stevie Wonder. And with over 18 hours of songs, there’s something for everyone.

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8. Make That Piano Pop

Featuring: Lyric-free piano covers of pop classics

Our Make That Piano Pop playlist is the perfect fit for offices and clinics that want to play understated instrumental music. It includes great pop songs and unembellished piano covers including; “7 Years,” “Before You Go,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Chandelier,” and “Your Song."

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9. Feelgood Oldies

Featuring: Rock, soul, and pop from the 60s and 70s

With this playlist, you’ll keep older patrons happy while impressing younger guests with vintage tastes. There are oldies from a variety of genres and something for everyone. ABBA, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, and Bill Withers all make an appearance.

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Tips for streaming background music in your waiting room

Of course, choosing the right music is only the beginning. Use these expert tips to help create the perfect environment.

Legal considerations

Personal or consumer streaming platforms are not intended—or licensed for—business use.

To legally play music in your business’s waiting room, you’ll need to use a platform with commercial streaming licenses.

Soundtrack Your Brand offers millions of tracks and a thousand playlists created and cleared for businesses.

With Soundtrack Your Brand, you can select, customize, and stream the ideal Soundtrack for your waiting room.

For U.S. and Canadian customers licenses for Performing Rights Organizations, including ASCAP and BMI licenses, are included so that you can save as you play with Soundtrack Your Brand.

Scheduling different playlists

For your staff and your customers, it’s important to switch up the music. With Soundtrack Your Brand, you can pre-schedule playlists at different time slots throughout the week.

You can even mix playlists so they cycle through a variety of songs. For example, you might put three different playlists in the same time slot to combine piano solos, acoustic covers, and oldies.

Keep the waiting room music simple and mellow, and you can’t go wrong.