Pizza Pilgrims + Startle.
A fresh music partner for Pizza Pilgrims.
About Pizza Pilgrims.
Founded in 2012 by brothers Thom and James, Pizza Pilgrims serve slow proved Neopolitan pizza in 25 unique pizzerias (our mouths are watering too).
Houston, we have a…
Music makes the world go ‘round, especially at Pizza Pilgrims. As a playful brand, they needed a spotlight-ready jam partner, but their previous background music supplier was hiding backstage.
Pizza Pilgrims wanted a collaboration with a music partner to provide the right levels of customisation and bring their creative ideas to life with a passion that equalled their own. Complex requirements for their venues meant they needed implementation solutions for pitch-perfect audio equipment and setup in 19 unique locations.
This is how we do it.
Pizza Pilgrims wanted their music to contain "something for everyone". The dream was that their eclectic ensemble of forgotten hits, standout album tracks and soon-to-be classics would become a major talking point for customers. That feeling of hearing an old favourite wash over you, or being so incredibly irked that you cannot think of the artist but it's on the tip of your tongue, only to admit defeat and Shazam it.
Our approach for restaurants, supported by key behavioural science studies and of course, song data, required us to shape the playlist by defining a strict set of parameters in track energy, happiness and popularity. At Startle, we start from the ground-up with what ecosystem the music will exist in and what it needs to achieve, ensuring we’re steered by real objectives.
At Startle, we start from the ground-up with what ecosystem the music will exist in and what it needs to achieve, ensuring we’re steered by real objectives.
The sound.
The music profile for Pizza Pilgrims is split into two key playlists: Cool Down and Fired Up.
Cool Down is designed for off-peak times, consisting of moderate bpm’s and high valence scores (track happiness). Standing at around 2000 tracks, it spans multiple era’s, multiple genres and is an exhaustive list that illustrates the sheer breadth of popular music available. This meets the objective - ”something for everyone”.
Listening to Fired Up, we hear a sharp increase in tempo, a shift upwards in the overall popularity of artists (according to streaming data) and of course, high valence scores. Managing cover time through music tempo and creating an experience customers can easily connect with (popular artists) was important for Pizza Pilgrims, and setting parameters for bpm, energy and track popularity allowed us to achieve this.
Vibe
Cool, well-rounded, feel-good
Average tempo
120 BPM
Genres
Soul, Classic Pop, Classic RnB, Classic Hip Hop, Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Example artists
Brandy, Quincy Jones, The Isley Brothers, The Internet, Tom Misch, Paolo Nutini, Thundercat
Look at me now.
The result? Pizza Pilgrims now have a cohesive, structured set of playlists designed to enhance peak and off-peak times, all containing tracks that will subtly elicit warm, happy and nostalgic feelings. Possibly with a little cheese thrown in too. We’re also being dynamic with the business, adding playlists when needed and making changes. We’re excited to continue working with them in the future.
It’s fair to say they’re pretty happy, just look at the testimonial below.
Startle has proved to be the perfect partner for Pizza Pilgrims, embracing all of our ideas for using music and technology to enhance our pizzerias. Our playlist management has improved massively, but the custom integrations we've been able to build in are the most exciting part. On top of this, the support we receive is super responsive and I know we can rely on the Startle team for quick, 1-to-1 help whenever we need it.
Co-founder
Heard enough?
Get in touch to start playing your customers the kind of background music that creates those hair-tingling moments.
Request a quote
