Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The Day the Muzak Died?

I'm not sure how it happened, but I found out about real news via the Onion, which noted that the Muzak company (elevator and hold music) filed for bankruptcy.  Turns out it's true, but that's not the point.

What got me is that I had almost forgotten about the term "elevator music", which maybe is their problem.  I work in a lot of different places these days, and I can't think of the last time I rode an elevator that was playing music.  Now, maybe I'm just not hanging around the classiest places, but I remember back when most public elevators in businesses had heart-stoppingly boring music playing, and you'd think that I'd stumble on it now and then if it was still popular.  It's almost the same thing with hold music.  These days, if there is anything playing at all, it's either some radio station that's local to the business's call center or propaganda from the business itself.  Usually, though, it's just stone cold silence, often making me think I've been disconnected.  (Since I'm usually on a cell phone these days, I don't even expect a dial tone to clue me in.)  Anyway, has this stuff largely disappeared, or am I just frequenting the wrong kind of establishments?

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