Muzak Question

[Cincinnati Kid]

I'm not sure that Muzak qualifies under "Classic Radio" although I felt it might come as close as possible with this question. I know the service has been around for a long time. I believe it was back in the 1990's when there was an agreement for many radio stations to play the recorded song, "We Are The World" at the same time in connection with a charitable cause. When it was announced this would take place, it was indicated that even Muzak was going to join in by playing the song on it's service. It was noted this would be only the third time in its history that a spoken voice ("We Are The World" was a vocal for those not familar with it) would be heard over Muzak. My question is: besides that time, what are the other occasions that a spoken voice was heard on Muzak?

 

[MotoMuzak]

If by "heard on Muzak" you are referring generically (as I have noticed a lot of people do) to its Environmental (a.k.a. "Elevator Music") channel and none of its other channels or CD programmes, I doubt Muzak would have played the vocal version of "We Are The World" on there......they probably would have played it on one of their vocal channels; Foreground Music One (AC/oldies/light pop) being the most likely, I think.

I could be wrong tho; it's been a while since I have really researched stuff Muzak-related. (Kind of surprising.....)

The only time I can remember hearing anything vocal on Environmental was an announcement they made on the morning of September 11, 2002 followed by a couple minutes of silence--in honour of the one-year anniversary of the Trade Centre bombing in NYC. I had just barely finished my shift at The Keg Steakhouse up in Victoria, BC when I heard them do that.

 

[radiorob2.0]

I seem to remember Muzak breaking from normal programming to play "We Are The World" along with everyone else.

 

[LKellerIII]

"Muzak" is a brand name. It was never on radio, but piped into stores, shopping centers, and office building elevators, hence the derisive term "elevator music. Kind of like Band-Aid, and Kleenex, it got to be a generic term for Beautiful Music, Easy Listening - all the same thing.

I guess the company still exists, because one of my neighbors drives home in a van with a Muzak logo on it. I assume he works for the company. But it's been years since I've heard easy listening music in a store, mall, or elevator - these days, it's usually "Lite Rock." So I assume the Muzak company now provides that service.

 

[MotoMuzak]

Well, *technically* it was on the radio, being transmitted via SCA channels and in recent times, via satellite. Just not motulated in such a way that is/was readily accessible to the general public. ;o)

Indeed the company does exist to this day, but reportedly is in the process of merging with the rival company DMX Music.

(You know about the audio channels in the 900's on DiSH Network? Muzak programs all of those.......with the exception of nearby LDS Radio Network, of course......)

Muzak has been providing a Light Rogk programme (and several others like it) for about 20 years now. The most commonly played one is known as "Foreground music One" or as they recently re-titled it, simply "FM1".

 

[gr8oldies]

The "We are the World" performance was apparently before Muzak split into dozens of channels. They also played the National Anthem upon the Iranian hostage release.

My workplace has the foreground channel piped in at all times. I don't understand the never-hits and minor hits that are in heavy rotation (most noteable being "Say You'll Stay" which I found out was by a never-charting artist named Kia). I hear an offbrand version of "Suspicous Minds" often, plus "My Ever Changing Moods" by Style Council, a minor hit in the 80s. They seem to play Rod Stewart's "Leave Virginia Alone" a lot (but never "Downtown Train").
We have a workplace with people from their 20s through their 60s (the twentysomethings HATE it).

Don't get the idea of playing all those non and marginal hits though.

 

[LKellerIII]

The "We are the World" performance was apparently before Muzak split into dozens of channels. They also played the National Anthem upon the Iranian hostage release.

My workplace has the foreground channel piped in at all times. I don't understand the never-hits and minor hits that are in heavy rotation (most noteable being "Say You'll Stay" which I found out was by a never-charting artist named Kia). I hear an offbrand version of "Suspicous Minds" often, plus "My Ever Changing Moods" by Style Council, a minor hit in the 80s. They seem to play Rod Stewart's "Leave Virginia Alone" a lot (but never "Downtown Train").
We have a workplace with people from their 20s through their 60s (the twentysomethings HATE it).

Don't get the idea of playing all those non and marginal hits though.

I can understand how it might get frustrating after 8 hours at work. When I go into Walgreen's Pharmacy, their closed-circuit lite-rock feed includes a lot of minor 60s and 70s hits you never hear on Oldies or Classic Hits radio. I kind of like it. The other day, I heard Soul Deep by the Box Tops. A good song that probably never charted higher than the mid 20s on Top 40 surveys. Compare that to the Box Tops' huge hit The Letter, which we've all heard thousands of times over the last few decades.

Outside of Dick Bartley's old show, I probably hadn't heard Soul Deep in 30 years. That's why Bartley's show was good - you could hear some gems in the mix that weren't the same old tired 300 Oldies.

 

[gr8oldies]

Kinda do like the Style Council song. Kia gets on my nerves and still I don't understand why she's been in heavy rotation since probably 1998 (used to hear it in restaurants and stores..and I can always tell it by the obscure songs they beat to death. It's not hits..it's non-hits that get overplayed and who knows whatthe purpose is).

I'm with you on the Box Tops song.."Soul Deep" is great.

 

[Oldbones]

As recently as the late 90s Muzak (or at least their AC/pop channel) was playing music from CDs. I recall several instances where a song would hit a locked groove. Dunno if someone monitors it, or there's some sort of detection software, but after maybe 10 seconds or so a new song began. I've also noticed a couple times where apparently a "wrong" song will play. You'll hear maybe 30 seconds of it, then it will dump and a different song starts.
I'd have thought they'd be using some music on hard-drive system.

 

[MotoMuzak]

I figured they would be using some sort of music-on-hard-drive thing by now, too, but I guess they must not do it on all their programmes. I occasionally hear the "locked-groove" thing on Expressions (DiSH 925).......a couple nights ago it started skipping during Euge Groove's "Vinyl" (kinda' ironic given the title/concept!) before finally kicking over to Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", so apparently that programme must still come from the CD players.

This was on their Echostar/DBS service on my neighbour's box, by the way.

I haven't heard it skip in a *long* time on FM1 or Environmental--I assume those must be both in the computer by now.

gr8--are you sure the version of "Soul Deep" you are hearing is by the Box Tops and not Gary U.S. Bonds? Because they do play Gary's song all the time on FM1........

By the way I am twenty-something myself, and I listen to FM1 religiously, being piped in to my apartment............. ;o)

 

[firepoint525]

It was in 1985 when everyone played "We Are the World" simultaneously. If they had tried that in the '90s, we would have all been pulling our hair out! Everyone was sick to death of "We Are the World" by then. Never was I happier to see a song finally fall out of heavy rotation! :

 

[gr8oldies]

I liked the Rick Dees spoof..We are The Weird.

 

[MHB]

I'm not sure that Muzak qualifies under "Classic Radio" although I felt it might come as close as possible with this question. I know the service has been around for a long time. I believe it was back in the 1990's when there was an agreement for many radio stations to play the recorded song, "We Are The World" at the same time in connection with a charitable cause. When it was announced this would take place, it was indicated that even Muzak was going to join in by playing the song on it's service. It was noted this would be only the third time in its history that a spoken voice ("We Are The World" was a vocal for those not familar with it) would be heard over Muzak. My question is: besides that time, what are the other occasions that a spoken voice was heard on Muzak?

The only other time was in 1981 when the American hostages in Iran were released.

 

[RMarino]

I don't understand the never-hits and minor hits that are in heavy rotation (most noteable being "Say You'll Stay" which I found out was by a never-charting artist named Kia).

I know the song you mention because we used "FM1" where I worked too. I think the song in question is actually "Sway" by Bic Runga.

I hear an offbrand version of "Suspicous Minds" often

I think that's the Fine Young Cannibals version.

Personally I think the mix on the "Jukebox Gold" channel is the best for a wide demographic of customers. It plays hits from the '50s to the '80s, some obscure and lots of common songs that even kids know.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I figured they would be using some sort of music-on-hard-drive thing by now, too, but I guess they must not do it on all their programmes. I occasionally hear the "locked-groove" thing on Expressions (DiSH 925).......a couple nights ago it started skipping during Euge Groove's "Vinyl" (kinda' ironic given the title/concept!) before finally kicking over to Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", so apparently that programme must still come from the CD players.

This was on their Echostar/DBS service on my neighbour's box, by the way.

I haven't heard it skip in a *long* time on FM1 or Environmental--I assume those must be both in the computer by now.

gr8--are you sure the version of "Soul Deep" you are hearing is by the Box Tops and not Gary U.S. Bonds? Because they do play Gary's song all the time on FM1........

By the way I am twenty-something myself, and I listen to FM1 religiously, being piped in to my apartment............. ;o)

Muzak Headquarters is in Fort Mill, SC near Charlotte, NC, I interviewed there awhile back. You would think that everything is on hard disk now but you'd be wrong. They use CD jukeboxes that are mechanical and failure prone. The reason has something to do with the RIAA from what I was told. There are many different formats of Muzak. Their are also lots of competitors including XM/Sirius, Music Choice and others.

Muzak has just merged with a competitor known as DMX. Muzak has been running in the red for years now. I think they have been losing money for something like 11 years. Look them up on wikipedia sometime.

I wasn't offered a job, I think I was asking for too much money. I don't think this would be someone I'd want to work for. The company losing money for years didn't make me feel too good either. I wish them well.

 

[RMarino]

Muzak Headquarters is in Fort Mill, SC near Charlotte, NC, I interviewed there awhile back. You would think that everything is on hard disk now but you'd be wrong. They use CD jukeboxes that are mechanical and failure prone.

I can definately believe that. At one place I worked about two years ago, we always kept the "FM One" channel on. Well once on a late Sunday afternoon, the music suddenly stops. About ten minutes later it stars up again, but I notice that these are songs I never hear on "FM One" like Dolly Parton's "9 To 5." After awhile I notice all of these songs are from 1981. Then after about 45 minutes or so the same songs 10 songs start playing over again. This cycled for several hours. The next day I Googled the set of songs I heard and found out that they were spinning "Billboard's Top Pop Hits of 1981" CD. They must have played that thing 3 or 4 times in a row that night.

 

[oldtimeradio]

I mentioned this a few years ago on an earlier "Muzak(TM)" thread, but one Sunday morning (a few hours before we opened) I heard a Ray Charles album TRACKED. They must have played the whole thing. I used to work in radio so I am aware of music programming. I've been working in a grocery store for many years now and we've had many different music systems. Well, after about three songs I strolled around the store making sure nobody was playing DJ on their own and nobody was.

It probably hasn't happened since and I never wrote to the company to check on it as they'd probably deny it.

I also recall the night that the Environmental channel (that was on an FM subcarrier at the time) was running two different music segments at the same time. Thankfully, only one segment. I called the radio station that had the franchise and equipment and the overnight joke treated me like I was hearing things, he had no way and no intention of fixing the problem.

Mike