Muzak

[vchimpanzee]

I'm not sure what their standard business format sounds like these days. A few years ago my grocery store had what I believe ws a format distributed to businesses. The last time I complained about the music at my grocery store, they said it was a custom program from Muzak. I have to admit, there's some good stuff on there that I don't think soft rock radio is doing. The Carpenters and some of the really soft vocal groups of the 60s that sang like The Association. What I have a problem with is their trying to include some of the loud stuff from today.

And at least they don't play Pat Benatar and Prince. How did those two end up becoming standard on "soft" rock radio?

I was told by someone at Muzak that I could always ask them to turn the Muzak down. I used to have to do that and it got on my nerves and their nerves. But in those days, they ran advertising that they expected to be heard. They don't any more, and I think they've found a good compromise, if that loud new stuff could go.

[firepoint525]

I'm not sure what their standard business format sounds like these days. A few years ago my grocery store had what I believe ws a format distributed to businesses. The last time I complained about the music at my grocery store, they said it was a custom program from Muzak. I have to admit, there's some good stuff on there that I don't think soft rock radio is doing. The Carpenters and some of the really soft vocal groups of the 60s that sang like The Association. What I have a problem with is their trying to include some of the loud stuff from today.

And at least they don't play Pat Benatar and Prince. How did those two end up becoming standard on "soft" rock radio?
I was told by someone at Muzak that I could always ask them to turn the Muzak down. I used to have to do that and it got on my nerves and their nerves. But in those days, they ran advertising that they expected to be heard. They don't any more, and I think they've found a good compromise, if that loud new stuff could go.

Add John Mellencamp to that list.  Our local AC claims to be "family friendly," yet plays these folks? 

[Oldbones]

And at least they don't play Pat Benatar and Prince. How did those two end up becoming standard on "soft" rock radio?
I was told by someone at Muzak that I could always ask them to turn the Muzak down. I used to have to do that and it got on my nerves and their nerves. But in those days, they ran advertising that they expected to be heard. They don't any more, and I think they've found a good compromise, if that loud new stuff could go.

Add John Mellencamp to that list.  Our local AC claims to be "family friendly," yet plays these folks? 

OK, Prince might be a bit of a stretch for Muzak (or AC for that matter), but what's "family unfriendly" about John Mellencamp or Pat Benatar?  They're both pretty safe acts.  It's not like AC music is the Carpenters or Neil Diamond anymore. 

[vchimpanzee]

And at least they don't play Pat Benatar and Prince. How did those two end up becoming standard on "soft" rock radio?
I was told by someone at Muzak that I could always ask them to turn the Muzak down. I used to have to do that and it got on my nerves and their nerves. But in those days, they ran advertising that they expected to be heard. They don't any more, and I think they've found a good compromise, if that loud new stuff could go.

Add John Mellencamp to that list.  Our local AC claims to be "family friendly," yet plays these folks? 

OK, Prince might be a bit of a stretch for Muzak (or AC for that matter), but what's "family unfriendly" about John Mellencamp or Pat Benatar?  They're both pretty safe acts.  It's not like AC music is the Carpenters or Neil Diamond anymore. 

On Muzak in some stores I go to, yes it is.

My newspaper described the differences between various adult contemporary radio stations back when "Jack and Diane" was popular. The most conservative AC at the time probably didn't play it, and I don't recall the station being mentioned in the article. but another station wouldn't play it because of the lyrics. I thought the conservative stations wouldn't have played it because it was too loud, and in fact that's part of what defines what is appropriate in offices. Some of this music, regardless of how family-friendly, is too loud. "Contermporary Christian" is a mutant form that has gotten into the system like a virus.

Getting back to John Mellencamp, "Hurts So Good" showed up on the so-called "Lite" station a few years back. That sounds like it's about S & M. Definitely not family-friendly.

And Pat Benatar is just loud.

[firepoint525]

And at least they don't play Pat Benatar and Prince. How did those two end up becoming standard on "soft" rock radio?
I was told by someone at Muzak that I could always ask them to turn the Muzak down. I used to have to do that and it got on my nerves and their nerves. But in those days, they ran advertising that they expected to be heard. They don't any more, and I think they've found a good compromise, if that loud new stuff could go.

Add John Mellencamp to that list.  Our local AC claims to be "family friendly," yet plays these folks? 

OK, Prince might be a bit of a stretch for Muzak (or AC for that matter), but what's "family unfriendly" about John Mellencamp or Pat Benatar?  They're both pretty safe acts.  It's not like AC music is the Carpenters or Neil Diamond anymore. 

On Muzak in some stores I go to, yes it is.

My newspaper described the differences between various adult contemporary radio stations back when "Jack and Diane" was popular. The most conservative AC at the time probably didn't play it, and I don't recall the station being mentioned in the article. but another station wouldn't play it because of the lyrics. I thought the conservative stations wouldn't have played it because it was too loud, and in fact that's part of what defines what is appropriate in offices. Some of this music, regardless of how family-friendly, is too loud. "Contermporary Christian" is a mutant form that has gotten into the system like a virus.

Getting back to John Mellencamp, "Hurts So Good" showed up on the so-called "Lite" station a few years back. That sounds like it's about S & M. Definitely not family-friendly.

And Pat Benatar is just loud.

As for your first comment that I highlighted, I was in an office not too long ago that had Mix 92.9, the local AC, playing.  No big deal, but when "Hurts So Good" came on, it almost seemed like everyone there should have started dancing and partying!  

As for your second comment that I highlighted, check out the video for "Hurts So Good."  It's probably on youtube or some other similar video channel. 

Benatar is okay, but I would probably only play "We Belong" on AC stations.

[Bill Harmonic]

Muzak, like DMX, it's brother from another mother, doesn't have many, if any, generic channels anymore. Everything is developed for each client and their needs. They call these people audio architects and they will customize a set of tunes down to the daypart, the theme, the whatever. So, it's what will fit the client's need and the standard descriptions of formats no longer apply.

[vchimpanzee]

Muzak, like DMX, it's brother from another mother, doesn't have many, if any, generic channels anymore. Everything is developed for each client and their needs. They call these people audio architects and they will customize a set of tunes down to the daypart, the theme, the whatever. So, it's what will fit the client's need and the standard descriptions of formats no longer apply.

Nevertheless, what I'm hearing in the grocery is what should be in offices.

Even if it's radio. The Carpenters and The Association may be a little much, but they sure make me happy. I haven't listened closely enough to the new junk to know what songs are being played, but one had the words "Big Girls Don't Cry".

[gr8oldies]

My workplace pipes in Muzak all day long, it's apparently "Foreground 1" as there are many subchannels. We have a workforce ranging in age from their 20s through their 60s, and it tends to play music from the 60s through the present. Onething this channel does is beat several non-hits/unrecognizables to death, such as a song apparently called "Say You'll Stay" by an artist named Kia which never got any radio play but is a staple of this format.

[vchimpanzee]

I don't know what the circumstances are, but in the 90s when I asked, I was told the music at a mall I go to was from Muzak. That implies their sound system is from Muzak, which further implies that they should use a Muzak format.

I haven't gone to this mall much since they got rid of the Muzak format most people think of (the instrumental one), although the reason was that I enjoyed walking outside more and there were so many nice places to walk. But there was no way I was listening to Hot AC, which is what they did. Soft AC is bad enough.

A couple of weeks ago, I didn't realize it was supposed to rain as much as it did, and just in case the rain lasted all day, I went to the mall. The rain let up about 1:00. This was at least the second time I had gone in this mall and heard one of the local soft rock radio stations.

At the time, they were counting down the top songs of 1995. Obviously not the top CHR songs, because they were relatively soft. This was how it should be! This same station does some pretty outrageous stuff, like "Rock Me Amadeus". Not while people are at work, I hope, but I have heard that song. The other soft rock station, at the time of day I was in the mall, has done "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi as part of a gold show. I don't know whether they still do that same type of show.

[gr8oldies]

Most likely piping in XM or Sirius.