What kind of music would you enjoy listening to at a hookah lounge? I know I will be providing a mix, but I want to get an idea of what people enjoy the most. Thank you in advance!
That's a good question. I was thinking of one day opening a hookah lounge myself, and here's what I came up with.
People that are not very familiar with hookahs and middle eastern culture are already apprehensive about going into places like hookah lounges. "What do i DO? How does it work? How do I order? What's good?" are all common questions. Nobody wants to look foolish, so people tend to avoid things that they don't understand very well. Most new customers to your hookah lounge will likely be familiar with hookahs, or will be coming with a friend who has smoked a hookah before.
Here's how all of this relates to music. Normally, some nice instrumental music from the middle east would be the most appropriate. However, this music is going to add to the foreign and unfamiliar feel of the place for new customers, and is going to add to their apprehension about using your hookah lounge. I'd recommend sticking with western (American/European) music for the most part.
Be sure to target the music to your customers. If the hookah lounge will serve alcohol, most/all of your customers will be 21+. Likely, the average age of your customer will be older, say 25 years or so. Don't play Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, and other teenie-bopper music to grown adults. Likewise, don't play oldies to young people. A good compromise is a mix of popular songs from the 80s. Almost everybody likes these songs, and they contribute to an upbeat, party atmosphere.
One final note: You don't want to have to deal with making stacks of mixed CDs and switching out CDs every hour. I would strongly advise you to get a Sirius satellite radio system for the store. Yes, there is a SMALL monthly charge for Sirius, but it's worth it. You get over a hundred channels to choose from, and they're all CD quality. All music channels are commercial-free, so you don't sound unprofessional. Turn it on, and you never have to touch it again. As a bonus, you can ask customers what kind of music they'd like when things are slow, and tune to a station that will suit them. You can't do that if you're shuffling CDs. If you want to mix things up, a certain night of the week can be Latin music night, or world music night, or whatever.
Do NOT get a jukebox, and do NOT let customers bring in their own music. These are the worst of both worlds, especially the last option. You'll get a country song followed by a heavy metal song, followed by gangsta rap. God knows what kind of language and messages are going to be on customer-supplied music, and a jukebox is going to make the place sound like a dive bar. Not to mention, you'll have to put up with the jackass who plays $5 worth of the same song over and over again.