A Muzak PR rep would like you to know that their filing for Chapter 11 status is just so they can reorganize their debts and that they and their creditors expect Muzak to be in business for years to come (yay?). Also that they mainly sell music by original artists to retail stores (read: cleaned up for mass market appeal but tailored specifically to the stores’ demo), as opposed to the elevator music their company name became synonymous with. For a more in-depth look, The New Yorker did an interesting feature on them back in 2006, in which we learn the company HQ has a fantastic sound system that goes to even their parking lot, but, “for deeply felt symbolic reasons,” not their elevator.
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Darn you. Everytime I hear the word Muzak, I have a Pavlovian response whereas the song “Up, Up, and Away” instantly circulates inside my brain. And it wont’ go away!!!!
@johnfrombrooklyn: Heh. I think of the Pretenders’ “My City was Gone”
@johnfrombrooklyn: Thanks to “Married…With Children”, I think of the Al complaining that he was listening to “the Muzak version of Muskrat Love” for 3 hours trying to get a streetlight moved.
@johnfrombrooklyn: For me it’s the theme from “A Man and a Woman.” Nah nah nah nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, nah nah nah nah-nah-nah-nah-nah…
@johnfrombrooklyn: I think of the time I was in a grocery store and heard “Just Like Heaven.” At that point, I realized my mortality.
@johnfrombrooklyn: For me, China Girl. Because the idea of a Muzak version of an Iggy Pop song, covered by David Bowie, about both their deep appreciation of mainlining heroin perfectly encapsulates what can go wrong when suits try to appropriate pop culture.
@Trai_Dep: A cruise line once used “Lust For Life” in an ad. That’s akin to Regan using “Born In The USA” on his campaign.
@badhatharry: Please tell me the ad featured a thirteen-year-old girl wearing a leather bustier mouthing, “Have you ever had it in the e-a-r-r-r before?”
Because then? I think Iggy would have approved.
“…music by original artist to retail…” – you may want to pluralize artist to be artists.
I’m not sure if the blame lies with Muzak or the management who selects the service and the channel, but regardless, they made my life miserable for 25 hours a week through most of college.
The least they could do is come up with a 10 hour rotation so you don’t have to hear the same soft-pop songs 2 or 3 times on a Saturday shift.
@lowercase: That was the fault of the management – MUZAK is basically like Satellite radio – tons of channels filled with songs specific to genres/decades/etc. I used to operate the system at work and I’d change it once a week (or more).
The worst were the Muzak Christmas discs…there would be the same 8 or 9 Christmas songs covered by 10 different bands/artists each, so it was ten different versions of “White Christmas” or whatever over and over all day. Pure torture!
To this day I still get the heebie-jeebies when I hear any of the songs that were on those Muzak discks…
@morganlh85: What do you get a wookie for Christmas, when he already owns a comb? He doesn’t need galoshes…and he doesn’t use shaving foam…
Muzak, please just DIE! I beg you…
*shakes in the corner, cold sweats trickle down*
As part of their “reorganization”, they should consider a full rebranding. Because no matter what they do at this point, the name “Musak” is synonymous with “elevator music.” If they truly have moved beyond 101 Strings Play the Hits of the Beatles, they should adopt a name that reflects that reality.
wow… I never new “Muzak” was an actual company.
@Yeraze: LOL, why do you think it’s called “Muzak?” Though, the brand has come to mean all sorts of ambient music in stores/malls/etc it was originally only them.
@Oranges w/ Cheese: Kodak for the ears.
After spending 15 years working in retail, I am sorry that Muzak will make it. I have never met anyone who actually enjoys more than one song on the loop. Hearing the same 1.5 hour loop every day for 12+ hours a day almost drive me to have an “Office Space Moment” with the Muzak player.
PC load letter? What does that mean?!?
Same here…My mind is blown.
@undefined: “The Girl from Ipanema” here.
Oh, hell. Why do you get my hopes up, Consumerist, then dash them!? LOL!
DMX (a similar background music company) declared bankruptcy some years ago so that it could be taken over by an investment group, shed debt (read: not pay suppliers) and look really good on the books. As DMX is now trying to merge with Muzak, my suspicion is that Muzak is pulling this same crap.
The old elevator music from when I was a kid in the 70′s is still what I associate with Muzak. Bad versions of the aforementioned songs were all you heard.
My dad was a regional VP for a company back then, thus in charge of the building. Muzak would send him an album of their Christmas music every year as a gift. Just think you too could have that awful elevator music in your home!
@bohemian: There is actually a collector’s market for those. If you still have it, it could be worth something to the right person.
Cleaned up ?
Like “Back that ass up” but with no words….
@jmndos: LMAO, I pictured myself hearing that w/ no words in a store, and practically spit soda all over my monitor….
Thanks for that
Given a choice, would you rather have Muzak, or allow every employee in an office to bring their boom-boxes to work and listen to different music at the same time?
How about having to listen to the echos of footsteps in an empty store?
See, there really is a purpose for Musak.
Personally I have solved the problem by piping my choice of music over the company PA system. Being boss does have slight advantages. Greatest hits of Barry Manilow is playing right now.
@Corporate-Shill: In many environments, music at work is a hindrance like in offices.
Thank the gods. Because the soundtrack to the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse will definitely be Muzak.
I briefly interned at at Muzak and I have to say – it’s a great little company – smack dab in South Carolina. Every morning they would send out a email with that day’s featured theme in the office and it was always amazing to hear what they would pick. It’s surprising how much work you get done with the music playing in the background. Oh and their meeting rooms don’t have chairs, just these standing pods to place your computer on – which I personally think is the BEST idea anyone ever had.
That New Yorker article is a good read.
I didn’t really think that Muzak was just elevator music these days, but they clearly have some public perception work to do. Maybe a hip new rebranding is in order — “audio architecture by ‘Zak!”
So is Musak the reason I can’t stand Smashmouth?
Muzak isn’t so bad when you are constantly working. But when all you hear is muzak, it gets to you. Christmas Music is horrible anyway, that isn’t their fault. I do like the st patty’s day cds.
I worked retail about 2 years ago and some of the muzak equipment would break occationally leaving us with only 3 songs to listen to for weeks. One of which was the most obnoxious songs I’ve ever heard. Goodday sunshine… gooood daaay suuun shiiine… GooOOOOoood DaaaaAAAAaaay SUUuuUUuuUUn SHiiiiiIIIIINNE!!!
That was 80% of the song. every 7 mins.