Bites & Beats Sound Lounge, a temporary kiosk in Terminal E of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), is inspiring passengers to flex their music chops on the fly. The kiosk, added earlier this year to boost passenger engagement opportunities during the World Cup travel season, allows travelers to choose a beat, record a song and, if desired, purchase the resulting video.
“It’s literally like you’re going into a full-blown studio,” said Mori Russell, business development manager at Concessions International. “In [the studio], there’s a screen and an official studio mic, along with a camera that captures everything.” Russell said passengers can choose from a range of music genres. Once selected, recording starts and the participants have about five minutes to record. “At the end, we create a 30-second video of the beat, and whatever you say or sing will be mixed to create an experience video that you can take home,” she said.
The recording experience itself is free, but Concessions International charges participants who want to own the video recording. The kiosk also generates revenue from popcorn and other snack sales – the “bites” part of the offering.
“Bites and Beats in Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is an exciting pilot rooted in innovation and drives a great passenger experience,” said Nikki Tinsley Harland, CEO of Concessions International. “We truly believe that music connects the world. Concessions International is proud to bring local culture to the gates with energy and creativity.”
Russell said the idea came to fruition after ATL leadership requested additional concessions to be deployed ahead of the 2026 World Cup games. The airport was flexible in the concept but had initially requested some type of music experience incorporated with snacks or retail. Concessions International had six weeks to execute. “Given the fact that these were temp units, we didn’t have to go through all the red tape,” Russell said.
“Nikki wanted to invest in the creativity on our team,” Russell added. “They had the idea of creating the first sound booth at any airport in the world.”
Both passengers and airport employees have been excited to experience Bites & Beats. “Once the Atlanta airport posted on their page, we have had a lot of passengers come and find us,” Russell said. “People are coming to us saying ‘hey, we saw this on social media, we saw this on Instagram.’ They want to experience it, and they are loving the experience.”
For the “bites” portion of the offer, Concessions International partnered with local brand Popcorn Remix for popcorn and with First Batch Artisan Foods for brownies and other baked goods. “It was very important with this pop-up to find local groups that we could partner with,” Russell noted.
The Bites & Beats studio is deployed at ATL through the end of August. After that, Concessions International hopes to find a new airport home for the concept. Russell said the concept is available in multiple formats, from kiosk to a more robust offering that includes a bar.
