Teasing the Korean Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 MUZAK: A Tool of Management Unlike ordinary music or so-called background music, MUZAK is a non-entertainment medium, employing rhythm, tempo, instrumentation, etc. , to scientifically determined specifications. Different types of arrangements and selections are planned for different times of the day to achieve predetermined effects. In work situations, independent studies have documented the effectiveness of MUZAK programs in improving employee attitude, efficiency and productivity. In commercial applications, special MUZAK programs are employed to create environmental conditions conducive to improved customer relations and profits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 And? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockefeller center Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 (edited) MUZAK: A Tool of Management Unlike ordinary music or so-called background music, MUZAK is a non-entertainment medium, employing rhythm, tempo, instrumentation, etc. , to scientifically determined specifications. Different types of arrangements and selections are planned for different times of the day to achieve predetermined effects. In work situations, independent studies have documented the effectiveness of MUZAK programs in improving employee attitude, efficiency and productivity. In commercial applications, special MUZAK programs are employed to create environmental conditions conducive to improved customer relations and profits. Despite the scary corporate psychobabble, I like this music. The arrangements are quite lively and interesting. Really, it's not much different from a lot of the instrumental music I collect¹. ¹ Mike Ewanus, [Exotica] Thrift finds, May 2004 Edited December 23, 2007 by rockefeller center Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted December 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 THE MUZAK BOARD OF SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS MUZAK has undergone a striking metamorphosis since its pioneering days in developing concepts of environmental music. Today, as specialists in the physiological and psychological applications of music, MUZAK is concerned with developments in vigilance and human factors research, automobile driver safety, medical and dental studies, noise control, the influence of color and music on emotions and of course, the effects of scientifically planned music on work productivity and efficiency, among others. Professional guidance is provided by the MUZAK Board of Scientific Advisors which consists of distinguished professionals in the field of education, industrial engineering, medicine, psychology and human factors. Under the guidance of the Board, MUZAK aims to make dramatic contributions to the business community through new discoveries in the scientific applications of music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 CONTROL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted December 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 (edited) With this album you can actually experience the concept of stimulus progression. We have programmed six selections on each side for purposes of demonstration. Move the needle of your record player from one selection to the other. Listen a few seconds to each. Feel the change in mood as the stimulation increases from the first selection to the last. The effect is both psychological and physiological: proof that MUZAK is more than music. Edited December 23, 2007 by Teasing the Korean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 ... yes...he used to be a nice boy...he used to cut the grass...but now his mind is totally destroyed by music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Back in 1958, only 5 months after I came here as an immigrant, I landed a job at WCAU in Philadelphia. When I was being shown around the station (which is quite large), one of the stops was the MUZAK room and it really scared me. Banks of tape recorders with relays clicking as one stopped, another started, etc. It was explained to me that this music was programmed (along with strategically timed pauses) pauses to boost productivity. There was different music with different beats and pauses, scientifically aimed at different working environments. It was Big Brother come to life and very far removed from anything we had in Denmark. Incidentally, there was a daily show, "The John Trent Show", that was a part of our regular AM-FM broadcast schedule, aimed directly at housewives and sponsored by a cleaning product (as I recall). The guy named John Trent who did it had a suitably mellifluous voice and a delivery that came as close to being sexual as the day's mores allowed. One day, John was ill, but the show went on, seamlessly, with another "John Trent" whose voice and delivery was identical. I was told that this show came from an outside company and was heard--as a local show with the same sponsor--all over the country. There was a school where John Trents were carefully trained and groomed to allow such seamless substitution. Stepford radio hosts--and that was 50 years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted December 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADJUST YOUR HI-FI. WE CONTROL THE TREBLE. WE CONTROL THE BASS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 (edited) Edited December 23, 2007 by 7/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Bleedin' 'ell! MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoGrubb Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 What does that mean? (I've been dying to ask someone.) MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoGrubb Posted December 24, 2007 Report Share Posted December 24, 2007 What does that mean? (I've been dying to ask someone.) MG Being controlled, manipulated my muzak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted December 25, 2007 Report Share Posted December 25, 2007 Chewy here applied for a number of MUZAK related programming jobs and had a tour of the regional headquarters-- its not like the MUZAK was in the "day"...its just a bunch of cubicles of computers now. No longer are they concerned with workplace productivity, et al--- now its all like custom mix tapes [actually they are dvd-audio discs]-- they just make mixes for your store, eg. if the client is the gap, its like, who shops at the gap, chicks ages 15-45, so what are the top 20 songs that that bracket listens to, etc? no longer do the re-record music, but they just licence pre-exsisting songs and make mix cds. financially the company is on the way out too, it has been loosing money every year since 1991. i thought i could get in there for the final death-rattle and make some stupid mix cds but i was wrong. i think they were scared i was going to go against protocol and put on a white lab coast and record the heartbeats of secretaries whilst listening to the lastest Norman Luboff Choir release Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted December 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2007 ...No longer are they concerned with workplace productivity, et al--- now its all like custom mix tapes... Sad, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 25, 2007 Report Share Posted December 25, 2007 I wonder if there's an extra charge for the mind control with the mixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 25, 2007 Report Share Posted December 25, 2007 i think they were scared i was going to go against protocol and put on a white lab coast and record the heartbeats of secretaries whilst listening to the lastest Norman Luboff Choir release Surely there's still a market for that somewhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted December 25, 2007 Report Share Posted December 25, 2007 i think they were scared i was going to go against protocol and put on a white lab coast and record the heartbeats of secretaries whilst listening to the lastest Norman Luboff Choir release Surely there's still a market for that somewhere! If there's still a market for Lawrence Welk, Luboff must be selling like hot cakes! MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Since my favorite corporation was brought up in the Metheny thread, I thought I'd bump this up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Back in 2000 (when I still worked at the 'Zak) one of the programmers came up to me and confessed that he had to put together 8 hours worth of "classic jazz" for one of our corporate clients...and he was clueless about the music. So I went into the CD library with him and picked out about 75 discs. I then spent a good portion of another afternoon marking all the tracks he should use. I recently heard through a friend that they are still re-using the playlist I put together for other clients. Kind of cool actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Muzak, the concept that gave new meaning to "Miss Otis Regrets", has, I am told, filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11. There is a related rumor—albeit a flimsy one—that we can expect a Muzak Mosaic release that, while not complete, will include all working environments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Muzak ain't going away, they had a debt-load they couldn't service and filed Chapter 11 re-organization, but in fact have posted increasing profits for several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 ...and as I've stated about 1000 times before. The "background music" portion is less than 5% of what the company does. When they re-branded in the late 90's they seriously considered changing the name of the company (because of the misconception of what they do), but in the end realized that they were practically a household name...and of course we all know that bad publicity is better than none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 They actually bought organissimo CDs from me a few months ago. I was excited about the royalty possibilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.