Categories
Random

A brief history of Muzak…

So here’s an interesting fact for you… ‘Muzak’ – that most despised of all musical genres – isn’t in fact a genre at all. Nor is it a derogatory term or insult – it’s actually the name of the company that thought of the idea of playing canned music (to soothe the dangeourously rebellious instincts of factory workers) in the first place. The Muzak company is still going to this very day – its name derives from the combination of the word ‘music’ with the name of the company’s founder’s favourite company, “Kodak”. [Thanks to Fenner for the link.]

“When Gen. George Squier patented the transmission of background music in the 1920s, that is music from phonograph records delivered over electrical lines, he soon found out that it not only soothed the minds of his workers, it enhanced their production. What the general never knew is what his idea would become circa 1998: Muzak. All 2,000 employees, all 250,000 subscribers and all 80 million listeners worth.”