Startle

28/05/2026

With 2 weeks until the World Cup starts, we're here to tell you how to turn football screenings into unforgettable fan experiences this tournament season.

How to turn football screenings into unforgettable fan experiences this tournament season.

19/05/2026

Letting store teams control music may seem harmless, but it risks inconsistency, brand dilution, and operational issues. Multi-site brands need a smarter approach.

Magnus, our Head of Music Development, tells us all about it.

https://str.tl/3R5v5Wo

11/05/2026

Discover how background music for business influences customer behaviour, dwell time, and sales in retail and hospitality, backed by real research.

23/04/2026

Your playlist could be costing you sales.

Music doesn’t just fill silence - it shapes behaviour, mood, and how long people stay.

At Startle, we have a 5-step strategy to help retail & hospitality brands turn background music into a real growth driver.

Read it here 👇

Discover Startle's 5-step background music strategy, blending expert music curation and behavioural insight to drive commercial impact.

20/04/2026

We’re introducing Featured Playlists - a new way to bring artist-led curation into retail and hospitality spaces.

Launching with: The Sound of: Arlo Parks 🎧

Inspired by her new album Ambiguous Desire, this playlist blends her latest work, back catalogue, and artists with a similar tone and texture.

Curated music, made for real spaces. Thank you to [PIAS] for inviting our Head of Music Development, Magnus, to Arlo's exclusive album listening party - that insight helped shape this playlist.

Read more:

08/04/2026

The new and improved Studio is here 🚨

Our latest release of Studio platform update introduces a redesigned interface, enhanced usability and speed, and new features that give users greater control across music, signage, and scheduling. These changes are just the start of even more features coming in the pipeline.

Here are some of the changes we wanted to highlight. This overhaul reflects our ongoing commitment to building a platform that evolves alongside the brands that rely on it to create the best customer experiences and manage consistency across their entire retail or hospitality estate.

The new and improved Studio is here, with improved usability and new features.

07/04/2026

If you’ve ever tapped your foot to a song or felt your energy shift when music changes pace, you’ve already experienced BPM in action.

In retail stores, restaurants, bars, and gyms, the tempo of your music can shape everything from dwell time to purchase behaviour.

Let's take a deep dive into BPM and why it matters for retail and hospitality brands.

Learn what BPM (beats per minute) means in music and how tempo influences customer behaviour in retail and hospitality.

30/03/2026

Running a successful hospitality or retail venue means balancing atmosphere, engagement, brand consistency, digital displays, and customer expectations, all while driving commercial outcomes.

This scorecard helps you assess whether your brand's in-venue experiences are supporting specific outcomes such as increase energy or dwell time, and enhancing customer satisfaction at scale.

In 3–5 minutes, you’ll get:

✔ A clear view of your in-store experience today and what to focus on improving.

✔ Insight into where inconsistency, manual effort, or atmosphere risk may be creeping in.

Find out your score below.

This scorecard helps you assess whether your brand's in-venue experiences are supporting specific outcomes such as increase energy or dwell time, and enhancing customer satisfaction at scale.

16/03/2026

In recent years, lo-fi music has become one of the most recognisable sounds on the internet.

But what is lo-fi music is, and why it’s so popular for studying and relaxing?

Discover what lo-fi music is and why it’s so popular for studying and relaxing.

13/03/2026

Today is World Sleep Day 💤

Often wake up feeling groggy, confused and tired? You may be suffering from sleep inertia and your choice of alarm could be to blame.

We have put over 140 smartphone alarms to the test to see which ones are the best (and worst) to wake up to for your mind and body.

If you’re one of the billions of people who own an iPhone or Samsung handset, take note.

Many of us find it very difficult to jump out of bed when our alarms go off in the morning. So, what is the best iPhone alarm to wake up to?