Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/139019
KNOCK BOX Letters to the Editor Dear Fresh Cup, I subscribe to your wonderful magazine and felt compelled to write to you. You are probably aware that in the U.K. we are moving fast in the same direction of the specialty coffee industry in the U.S. (indeed, some would say we are already there!). Your magazine is always incisive and relevant to all people in the industry, no matter where their business is located. I am sure there are many people all over the world who feel the same way. Please keep the news coming—we really enjoy it in our office! Sincerely, Alice Rendle Edgcumbe Tea and Coffee Co. Arundel, West Sussex (England) We received several emails about the "Tuned In" article in our April 2013 issue. Here are a couple of them: Dear Fresh Cup, Just finished reading the article "Tuned In." Listening to music has always been a big part of our lives. When we opened our coffeehouse/roastery in a renovated 1920s Craftsman-style bungalow, we wanted to have music throughout the building. We did not want to make holes in the old plaster and lath walls, so we started looking for a creative way to get music all around without blasting customers at head level. This is what we did: The old heating system was removed, leaving large registers in the original hardwood floors. They could not be removed, so we decided to paint them and just leave them, open to the basement. As we set up our computers to stream music, we came up with the idea to cover the backs of the old registers with coffee bags and mount a special kind of speaker in the basement under each register. There is now music in every room, creating a wonderful background. Our clients comment on the music often and cannot figure out where it's coming from. Your article talked about music coming from overhead as the best place, but we have found that speakers down at your feet produce good sound—and act as a great conversation starter. We also play different genres throughout the day, and it is important that the choices reflect who we are. Thanks for your article. It made us feel good about our decision to play the music we enjoy. Sincerely, Shari Boultbee Midwest Coffee Roasting Co. Marion, Ind. 16 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com Dear Fresh Cup, I enjoyed the article "Tuned In"—it was interesting to see café owners' perspectives on what music they play and the tools they use to manage it. I did wish that something was mentioned about the importance of cafés paying royalties to publishers, the way such arrangements are structured, and references or links to places where cafés could get more information about this subject. The publishers BMI, SESAC, ASCAP and SoundExchange distribute these royalties directly to artists—not just mainstream artists benefit from these revenues. Many smaller indie artists are signed to publishing companies and do benefit indirectly from this payment stream. Because music is a vital part of creating a café's ambiance, it is the right thing for us to reward the artists who help create it. Sincerely, Anne Goodnow Chocolate Lab Café Greenwich, Conn.