{"id":883,"date":"2020-10-31T18:04:05","date_gmt":"2020-10-31T18:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sound-machine.com\/blog\/?p=883"},"modified":"2026-05-21T08:41:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T08:41:25","slug":"the-rise-and-fall-of-muzak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sound-machine.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/31\/the-rise-and-fall-of-muzak\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Muzak? The History of Background Music for Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

The brand of Muzak Holdings has been so present in North American citizens’ lives in the past century that many times the word “muzak” is treated as a common noun, as a synonym for background music. Also known as elevator music, the similarity between music and muzak reminds us of the Simpsons’ gag of Ketchup and Catsup. This is that bland version of real music, with no personality, used in the background of elevators, shopping malls, and big retail, that gives nightmares to all those who listen to it in a prolonged way.<\/span><\/p>\n

But how did such popularly unpleasant music get to be in all the small corners of our lives? And what eventually brought it down?<\/span><\/p>\n

How Muzak Built Its Reach<\/b><\/h2>\n

Muzak started its empire in 1934. To understand how it got everywhere, it helps to remember what the world looked like before streaming, before FM radio was widespread, and before businesses had any real options for background sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

Muzak distributed pre-recorded music through wired systems connected directly to subscribing businesses. There was no playlist to curate and no station to select. The service arrived pre-packaged, piped in through dedicated infrastructure that Muzak owned and maintained. For a long time, it was the only game in town for any business that wanted consistent, legally covered music in its space.<\/span><\/p>\n

The company leaned heavily on the productivity angle to sell subscriptions. It commissioned <\/span>“independent” studies<\/span><\/a> that concluded their music helped workers’ productivity by 9.1% and reduced typing errors by 38.9%. Before the internet arrived, it was relatively easy to spread findings like these without almost any opportunity to question them. These claims spread through office culture quickly, and from offices, Muzak’s use spread to all commercial environments, including elevators.<\/span><\/p>\n

By mid-century, Muzak had reportedly reached over 100 million listeners daily across offices, factories, hotels, department stores, and elevators throughout North America. The model worked precisely because there were no alternatives. If a business wanted background music with a clear legal footing, Muzak was it. That position on the market was ultimately what gave the company its reach, and what also made it slow to adapt when things began to change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why It Fell Out of Favor<\/b><\/h2>\n

With the years and the boom of youth culture of the 60s and 70s, who sought personality in art, Muzak became a synonym for bad music, corporatism in pure state. The idea of sanitized background music started to feel not just uncool but actively offensive to many listeners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Muzak became a punchline. Its name entered everyday language as shorthand for anything bland, corporate, and lifeless. The proto-meme was so big at the time that <\/span>rockstar Ted Nugent<\/span><\/a> tried to buy Muzak Holdings for 10 million dollars with the only intention of closing it down. Satirists, journalists, and eventually academics all took aim at what Muzak represented: the idea that music could be stripped of meaning and turned into an industrial product.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, research was catching up with the company’s own marketing claims. Studies began showing that music worked best in commercial environments when it matched the brand’s identity and the preferences of the specific audience being served. Generic arrangements designed to offend no one were, it turned out, also doing very little for anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, <\/span>research on music and customer spending<\/span><\/a> has shown that customers spend significantly more when the music playing matches the atmosphere of the space. Even in retail, or coffee shops and restaurants, music with a personality that matches where it is played intensifies the experience. Customers find the business more authentic and, therefore, with more value. That kind of finding made the Muzak approach look not just outdated but working against the goal, and it pointed toward a very different model for how businesses should be thinking about sound. For more on the research behind this, our <\/span>music for business guide<\/span><\/a> covers it in depth.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Happened to the Company?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Muzak Holdings filed for bankruptcy in 2009, weighed down by debt accumulated during a debt-funded buyout earlier in the decade. The brand continued to operate during restructuring, but the underlying business had been struggling for years. Changing consumer expectations, new competitors, and the rise of digital music had all chipped away at a model that had not changed significantly since the mid-twentieth century.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2011, Muzak was acquired by Mood Media, a Canadian company that had been building a portfolio of in-store audio and experience businesses. Mood Media rebranded its combined services, and the Muzak name was largely retired. The infrastructure was absorbed into a broader suite of business media products.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Mood Media continues to operate in the business music space, competing in a market that looks nothing like the one Muzak dominated. The custom wired delivery systems are long gone, replaced by internet-based streaming platforms built for commercial use. What was once a single dominant provider is now a competitive market with multiple options at different price points and feature sets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Businesses Can’t Just Use Spotify<\/b><\/h2>\n

When Muzak faded, businesses did not stop needing background music. The question became where to turn. Many assumed consumer <\/span>platforms like Spotify<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Apple Music<\/span><\/a> would fill the gap naturally. The apps are familiar, the catalogs are large, and the monthly cost is low.<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem is a legal one. Consumer streaming services are licensed for personal, private listening only. Playing them in a public-facing business, whether a cafe, a retail store, a hotel lobby, or a salon, violates their terms of use and, more importantly, copyright law. Businesses that do so risk fines from performing rights organizations like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR which actively monitor commercial spaces for unlicensed music use.<\/span><\/p>\n

This catches a lot of business owners off guard. The app works fine, the music sounds good, and nothing seems to happen immediately. But the legal exposure is real and can result in significant penalties. You can read more about what <\/span>music licensing for business<\/span><\/a> actually requires and why consumer platforms do not cover it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond the legal issue, consumer platforms also lack the practical features that businesses depend on. There is no scheduling by time of day, no way to insert promotional announcements between tracks, and no centralized control if you manage multiple locations. A Spotify account built for one person does not map onto what a business actually needs. This is a common experience for businesses that have tried <\/span>using Spotify for business<\/span><\/a> and run into the limitations firsthand.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Business Music Looks Like Today<\/b><\/h2>\n

The business music market that emerged after Muzak is built around a fundamentally different philosophy. Instead of delivering the same bland, inoffensive arrangements to every subscriber, modern services are designed for differentiation. The goal is not to fill silence. It is to give each business a sound that actually reflects who they are.<\/span><\/p>\n

In SoundMachine, we offer 61 million licensed tracks across 500+ curated stations and playlists, so each business can choose what type of music best suits their brand image. Whether that is ambient and understated for a spa, energetic and upbeat for a busy retail floor, or something more specific to a restaurant concept or hotel aesthetic, the catalog is built to give businesses real choices rather than a single pre-packaged solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also import your playlists from other platforms like Spotify or Apple Music, and mix stations together to create something more tailored to your specific space. Scheduling tools let you automate dayparting, so the music shifts naturally as your business moves through different parts of the day, from a quieter morning atmosphere to a busier lunchtime energy. Built-in messaging features let you schedule promotional announcements to play at set intervals or exact times, without interrupting the flow of the music.<\/span><\/p>\n

For businesses with multiple locations, everything can be managed from a single account, with different settings per location if needed. And licensing from all major PROs is included in the subscription, so there are no separate agreements to negotiate and no gaps in coverage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Try It for Yourself<\/b><\/h2>\n

Muzak’s story is ultimately about what happens when a product stops serving the people it is meant for. The problem was never background music itself. It was the assumption that one generic sound could work for every business, every customer, and every context.<\/span><\/p>\n

The businesses that use music well today treat it as part of the brand, not just ambient noise to fill the room. That requires a platform built for that purpose, not a consumer app pressed into commercial use.<\/span><\/p>\n

SoundMachine offers a <\/span>free 14-day trial<\/span><\/a> with no contracts required. If you want to see what thoughtful business music actually looks like in practice, you can get started there.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How did such popularly unpleasant music get to be in all the small corners of our lives? […]<\/p>\n

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