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The text below is taken from the Muzak article on Wikipedia, and is used under the terms of their licence.

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"Muzak" redirects here. For the company, see Muzak Holdings.

Elevator music, also known as lift music (in the Commonwealth), piped music or muzak, refers to the gentle instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, public toilets, telephone systems (while the caller is on hold), cruise ships, airports, on television shows, doctors' and dentists' offices and, of course, elevators. The term is also frequently applied as a generic (and often derogatory) term for any form of Easy Listening, smooth jazz, or Middle of the road music, or to the type of recordings once commonly heard on "beautiful music" radio stations.

The Muzak corporation is perhaps the best-known supplier of such music. In fact, the term muzak has become a generic epithet for excessively bland music. However, Muzak moved away from this type of music, for the most part, in 1997[1] and now uses only "original artists" for its music source, except on the Environmental channel.[2]

Contents

Elevator music as a repellent

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During the last ten years another use of elevator music has emerged, not with the aim of relaxation and pleasure, but to make loitering less attractive for those people who dislike the music (allegedly drug addicts, prostitutes etc.). For this purpose serious classical music (e.g. opera, marches or sonatas) is used and played louder than usual. One of the first places it was tested was reportedly in Amsterdam.

Since November 2002, loud classical music is also played at the Central Station of Copenhagen in some elevators and at the entrance towards the city's red light district where drug trade used to be a problem, sometimes so much that the mob blocked the normal flow of people in and out from the station. The music is played from hidden loudspeakers and it is not visible where one could 'hide' best for the music. As a consequence, the drug dealers have left the entrance, but can still be seen in the street outside. An article from May 2004 in a Danish journal of drug abuse reported that many of the targeted drug addicts felt annoyed and sad because of the music, because it is a constant symbol that they are unwanted. This applied even to those who actually liked classical music. However, some of the drug addicts said they understood very well why the Danish State Railways wanted to keep them off the premises.[3]

Of similar use, but only audible to the very target group itself, is the 'teenage repellent' electronic mosquito sound.

References

  1. ^ Annals of Culture: The Soundtrack of Your Life: The New Yorker
  2. ^ "Encompass LE Program Listing". Muzak Corporation (November 10 2006). Retrieved on April 19, 2007. (PDF)
  3. ^ Stof, journal for the drug abuse field, vol. 3, May 2004 (in Danish) (pdf)

See also

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Elevator music

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