Saloons were by nature diverse. Communities of any reasonable size would have more than one to cater to the diverse population of the community - to market to a niche. In Virginia City, Nevada, where I helped a team of archaeologist excavate four saloons, we found a great deal of variation - both in the historical record conducting research in anticipation of the excavations and in the artifact assemblage yielded by the excavation themselves.

The answer to your question must, then, be framed by the very real fact that there was no typical saloon. The community boasted 100 saloons - the exact number varied over time - the community probably never exceeded 25k, including its southern neighbor. In reality, Virginia City proper probably averaged around 10k from 1863 to 1883.

It had all sorts of saloons, although most only survived a few months as these small businesses attempted to exploit a unique niche and then invariable failed to attract enough business. Twenty or so of the saloon became old standards of the community.

Of the spectrum of possibilities, many were divided up by ethnicity. Others offered special forms of entertainment - billiards, games of chance, or target practicing (always to be recommended: drinking heavily and then having target practice in a long narrow, crowded business establishment!). Others focused on different foods. One offered the latest newspapers with your drink, and yet another cut hair, shaved customers, and served drinks.

To answer your question - finally! - some offered music and other did not. I did not see a lot of boasting about music in period advertisements, however, and that tells me that it may have been more spontaneous among customers. One of our saloons - Piper's Old Corner Bar - included parts of a piano in its archaeological debris, so it is clear that it had one of these instruments. Another of our saloons had the mouthpiece of a mid-range brass instrument - the sort of thing would be played with a baritone or trombone. This was at the Boston, our African American establishment. It's unclear if the instrument was played there or if it was simply owned by a patron who played (there was an African American brass band in the community).

But that second example gets us to another piece of evidence. I'm transcribing the diaries of Alf Doten, a journalist who worked in the mining district for decades. He describes impromptu musical jam sessions in all sorts of places. He played banjo and flute and he sang. He and his friends would create their own music just about anywhere - in homes, but also in saloons where they drank. So it seems clear to me from this and other primary records, that patrons often brought their own music. A place like Piper's may have had a piano, but it may not have had a piano player on staff (old John Piper was probably notoriously cheap and probably would not pay someone to play). My guess is that Piper had the piano as one of his attractions, knowing that many patrons would play and would enjoy the chance to make some music - all the while his other patrons enjoyed the tunes. That is probably how this sort of thing usually happened.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have additional questions.

For sources, I recommend a book written by the lead archaeologist at two of our digs - who went on also to analyze the material from the other two establishments we excavated: Kelly Dixon, Boomtown Saloons: Archaeology and History in Virginia City (2006). I then digested all of this into an overview of a variety of aspects of material culture from the community with my Virginia City: Secrets of a Western Past (2012).