- Muzak Holdings
-
For the music that plays in elevators, see elevator music.
Muzak Holdings LLC 
Type Private Industry Music, Digital Signage, Voice Messaging, Commercial Sound Systems, Drive-Thru Systems, Commercial TV Systems Founded 1934 Headquarters Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States Key people Steve K Richards, CEO Products Distribution of music Employees 1,250 Website www.muzak.com Muzak Holdings LLC is a company based in metro Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1934, Muzak Holdings is best known for distribution of background music to retail stores and other companies.
Muzak is a registered trademark of Muzak LLC.[1]
Contents
History
The original technical basis for Muzak was developed by inventor Major General George O. Squier who, in the early 1920s, was granted several US patents related to transmission of information signals, among them a system for the transmission and distribution of signals over electrical lines.[2]
Squier recognized the potential for this technology to be used to deliver music to listeners without the use of radio, which at the time was in a nascent state and required fussy and expensive equipment.
The rights to Squier’s patents were acquired by the North American Company utility conglomerate, which created a company named Wired Radio Inc. with the intent to use the technique to deliver music subscriptions to private customers of the utility company's power service.
Squier remained involved in the project and was reportedly intrigued by the made-up word Kodak being used as a trademark and so took the "mus" syllable from "music" and added the "ak" from "Kodak" to create his word Muzak.
By the time a workable Muzak system was fully developed, commercial radio had become well established, and so the company re-focused its efforts on using the technology to deliver music to hotels and restaurants. The first actual delivery of Muzak to commercial customers took place in New York City in 1936[citation needed]. At this time, the technology involved remained crude as the music originated from record players manually operated at a central office location; economy of scale dictated that the more businesses subscribed to the service, the lower the overall cost became. The company aggressively pursued expanding the use of the music service to workplaces, citing research that indicated that background music improved productivity among workers.[citation needed]
In 1937, the Muzak division was purchased from the North American Company by Warner Brothers, which expanded it into other cities. Shortly thereafter it was bought by entrepreneur William Benton. World War II saw a further increase in the popularity of Muzak, as factories pushed for ever-greater production supporting the war effort.[citation needed]
The company began customizing the pace and style of the music provided throughout the workday in an effort to maintain productivity (a technique it called "stimulus progression"[citation needed]). It began recommending music at different tempos, and discovered alternating blocks of music with periods of silence increased the effectiveness of the product.[citation needed]
While Muzak had initially produced tens of thousands of original artist recordings by the top performers of the 1930s and 1940s, their new strategy required a different sound. The style of music used was deliberately bland so as not to intrude on foreground tasks, and adhered to precise limitations in tempo and dynamics.[citation needed] This style of music blended into the background as intended in most situations, but was sometimes noticeable (particularly in quiet spaces such as elevators). Thus the word “Muzak” began to be used as a synonym for this type of “elevator music” .
A growing awareness among the public that Muzak was targeted to manipulate behavior resulted in a backlash, including accusations of being a brainwashing technique and court challenges in the 1950s.[citation needed] However, the popularity of Muzak remained high. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first to pump Muzak into the West Wing. NASA used Muzak in many of its space missions to soothe astronauts and occupy periods of inactivity.[citation needed]
Over the next two decades the basic programming approach remained unchanged while the technology used moved forward: tape recordings replaced records; the transmission system changed from power lines to telephone lines and eventually subcarriers on commercial FM stations, and finally satellite. During this time Muzak became a franchise operation, with local offices purchasing rights to the music, delivery technology, and brand name for their geographic areas. The company changed hands several times, becoming a division of the Field Corporation in the mid-1980s.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Muzak moved away from the “elevator music” approach, and instead began to offer multiple specialized channels of popular music. Muzak pioneered "audio architecture", a process of designing custom music playlists for specific clients.
Even with the changes in format, rocker Ted Nugent used Muzak as an icon of everything "uncool" about music. In 1989, he publicly made a $10 million bid to purchase the company with the stated intent of shutting it down. His bid was refused, but served as a name-branding publicity stunt for both parties.[3]
By the late 1990s the Muzak corporation rebranded itself; as of 2010, Muzak distributes nearly 3 million commercially available original artist songs.[4] Today, Muzak offers almost 100 channels of music via satellite or IP delivery, in addition to completely custom music programs tailored to their clients' needs.
According to EchoStar, Muzak's distribution provider, Muzak's business music service is broadcast on rented bandwidth from Echostar VII, in geostationary orbit at 119 degrees west longitude.
On 12 April 2007, Muzak Holdings, LLC announced to its employees that it might merge with DMX Music.[5] This merger was approved by the Department of Justice one year later.[6] As of April 2009, it appeared the deal was off, but it's possible the two parties would try again.[7]
On 23 January 2009, a spokesperson said Muzak was attempting to restructure its debt and filing for bankruptcy was one of several options. The company had plenty of cash but large amounts of debt coming due in the midst of a difficult economic climate.[8]
Bankruptcy
On 10 February 2009, Muzak Holdings LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[9]
Kirkland & Ellis was hired as the company’s bankruptcy law firm. Moelis & Company served as the financial adviser.[citation needed]
On September 10, 2009, Muzak said it had filed a reorganization plan which would cut the company's debt by more than fifty percent. The plan would pay all banks everything they were owed in some form, and would give high-ranking unsecured creditors ownership in the reorganized company. Other creditors would receive warrants to buy stock.[10] The company said an "overwhelming majority" of unsecured creditors supported the plan.[11]
Emergence
On January 12, 2010, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the plan to reduce Muzak's debt by more than half, allowing Muzak to officially emerge from bankruptcy.[12]
After emerging from bankruptcy, Muzak moved to restructure more than just their balance sheets. The company announced a new initiative to realign their corporate structure into three specialized business units: Muzak Media, Touch, a Muzak Co., and Muzak Systems. Respectively, these units will focus on content acquisition, Sensory Branding and new delivery platform technology.[citation needed]
Mood Media has agreed to purchase Muzak Holdings for $345 million, including $305 million in cash.[13]
List of channels
Dish Network Format Name Electronic program guide identifier Notes/Format Descriptions 819 Viva Mariachi 820 Mojito 821 La Música Monophonic Programmes 920 Environmental ENVOE Easy Listening Instrumental (the "traditional" Muzak format) 921 Reflections REFL Jazz/Pop/Soul 922 FM1 [Foreground Music One] FMONE Classic Pop 923 Hitline AUD01 Current Pop 924 Hot FM AUD02 Pop Hits 925 Expressions AUD03 Light Pop Standards 926 Love Songs AUD04 Romantic Melodies 927 City Lights AUD05 Smooth Jazz 928 Moodscapes AUD06 New Age Instrumental 929 The Party Playlist AUD07 Party Anthems 930 Piano & Guitar AUD08 Acoustic Instrumental 931 7890 AUD09 Classic and Modern Pop Hits 932 Metro METRO Indie Electronica 933 '50s & '60s Hits AUD10 934 '70s Hits AUD11 935 '80s Hits AUD12 936 The Beach AUD13 Laid-back Beach Party 937 Country Music One AUD14 Country Mix 938 The Blvd AUD15 Adult R&B 939 Mo' Soul AUD16 Classic Soul 940 La Musica LMUSC Latin Pop 941 Viva Mariachi VMARI Mariachi 942 Toned LFTRA High Energy Fitness 943 Mojito MJITO Salsa/Merengue 944 Little Italy AUD17 Italian/American Standards 945 Tropical Breezes AUD18 Caribbean Music 946 Roadhouse AUD19 Americana/Classic Rock 947 Muzak AUD20 Special purpose audio channel; generally used for holiday programming 948 Destinations DEST Global Pop Stereo Programmes (DiSH CD) 949 Muzak 2 MUZK2 Special purpose channel used for Christmas programming and possibly others; mirrored on #982 in December 950 Shine CD 1 Adult Contemporary Pop 951 Country Gold CD 2 Country Classics 952 Nashville USA CD 3 Current Country Hits 953 Jukebox Gold CD 4 Rock 'n Roll Classics 954 '70s Songbook CD 5 Singer/Songwriter 955 Unforgettable CD 6 Adult Favorites 956 Cashmere CD 7 Adult Contemporary 957 Backpages CD 8 Adult Alternative 958 Strobe CD 9 Electro Pop 959 Rock Show CD 10 Early Classic Rock 960 Feedback CD 11 Alternative Rock 961 The Cafe CD 12 Casual Rock 962 NuJazz CD 13 Acid Jazz 963 Concrete Beats CD 14 Hip-Hop/Rap 964 Martini Time CD 15 Retro Cocktail Music 965 Ambrosia CD 16 Soft Pop/Rock 966 Frequency CD 17 Club/Dance 967 Jazz Traditions CD 18 Classic Jazz 968 Impressions CD 19 Contemporary Jazz 969 Acoustic Crossroads CD 20 Contemporary Folk 970 Plaza CD 21 Contemporary Instrumental 971 Ensemble CD 22 Classical Ambiance 972 Intermezzo CD 23 Light Classical 973 Easy Instrumentals CD 24 Classic Instrumental 974 Swing Kings CD 25 Big Band Swing 975 The Light CD 26 Contemporary Christian 976 KidTunes CD 27 Children's Music 977 Aura CD 28 New Age 978 Lucille CD 29 Blues 979 Kingston CD 30 Reggae 981 Hawaiian CD 32 Hawaiian Music 982 Holiday Music HLIDY Mirror of #949 "Muzak 2" in December Dish Network Format Name Electronic program guide identifier Notes/Format Descriptions As a general rule, only the streams identified with "AUDxx" or "CD xx" are available to home DiSH Network users (with the exception of HLIDY.) The others may show up in the EPG lists of some older receivers, but the programming heard is that of the next channel up.
On DiSH Network, BYU Radio shows up within the Muzak channel group at #980 and carries an EPG call of "CD 30". However, this stream is originated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and carried as part of Echostar's "DiSH CD" service; it is not actuallly a Muzak-originated stream.
Notes
Channels available on Muzak via Satellite, On-Premise or through Echostar/DishNetwork platform as of January 2011:
Body And Soul
- Aura (New Age)
- Breathe (World Eclectic)
- The Light (Contemporary Christian)
Classics
- Ambrosia (Soft Pop/Rock)
- Cashmere (Adult Contemporary)
- Expressions (Light Pop Standards)
- Funkytown (Funk/Soul/Disco) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
- Jukebox Gold (Rock 'n Roll Classics)
- Love Songs (Romantic Melodies)
- Mo' Soul (Classic Soul)
- Reflections (Jazz/Pop/Soul)
- Songbook (Singer/Songwriter)
- Swing Kings (Big Band/Swing)
- Unforgettable (Adult Favorites)
Country
- Country Gold (Country Classics)
- Country Music One (Country Mix)
- Nashville USA (Current Country Hits)
- Screen Door (Alternative Country)
Decades
- '50s & '60s Hits
- '70s Hits
- '80s Hits
- '90s Hits
- 7890 (Classic and Modern Pop Hits)
Electronica
- Frequency (Club/Dance)
- Groove Zone (Current Dance) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
- Metro (Indie Electronica)
- NuJazz (Acid Jazz)
- NuLounge (Lounge)
- Strobe (Electro Pop)
Holiday [Only available during specific holiday]
- Christmas (3)
- Cinco De Mayo
- Halloween
- Independence Day
- Mardi Gras
- Oktoberfest
- St. Patrick's Day
- Summer Fun
- Valentine's Day
Instrumentals
- Easy Instrumentals (Classic Instrumental)
- Ensemble (Classical Ambiance)
- Environmental (Easy Listening Instrumental) **The "classic" Muzak service, available only to commercial customers**
- Intermezzo (Light Classical)
- Moodscapes (New Age Instrumental)
- Piano & Guitar (Acoustic Instrumental)
- Plaza (Contemporary Instrumental)
- Uptown (Instrumental Jazz)
Jazz
- City Lights (Smooth Jazz)
- Impressions (Contemporary Jazz)
- Jazz Traditions (Classic Jazz)
Latin
- Caliente Pop (Upbeat Latino/Anglo Pop) **Available only in Satellite line-up**
- Estilos (Smooth Latin Music)
- Fiesta Mexicana (Mexican Music)
- FM Dos (Latino/Anglo Pop)
- La Frontera (Tejano/Border) **Available only in Echostar line-up**
- La Musica (Latin Pop)
- Mexicana (Traditional Mexican Music)
- Mojito (Salsa/Merengue)
- Salsa Ritmo (Salsa)
- Viva Mariachi (Mariachi)
Pop
- FM1 (Classic Pop)
- Hitline (Current Pop)
- Hot FM (Pop Hits)
- Peppermint (Youth-Friendly Pop)
- Poppers (Teen Pop) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
- Shine (Adult Contemporary Pop)
- The Party Playlist (Party Anthems)
- Venus (Female Pop) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
Rock
- Backpages (Adult Alternative)
- Feedback (Modern/Alternative Rock)
- Half Pipe (Skate Punk/Hip-Hop) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
- Ink'd (Power Rock/Metal) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
- Perimeter (New Indie Rock)
- Rock Show (Early Classic Rock)
- Stylus (Underground Rock/Pop)
- Varsity (Later Classic Rock)
Roots
- Acoustic Crossroads (Contemporary Folk)
- Lucille (Blues)
- Roadhouse (Americana/Classic Rock)
- Route 66 (American Roots) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
Specialty
- Gumbo (New Orleans Music) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
- KidTunes (Children's Music)
- Martini Time (Retro Cocktail Music)
- Oasis (Tropical Pop/Rock)
- Pariotic Instrumentals (Patriotic Musc) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
- The Beach (Laid-back Beach Party)
- The Circuit (High Energy Fitness)
- Toned (High Energy Fitness)
- Tropical Breezes (Caribbean Music)
Urban
- Concrete Beats (Hip-Hop/Rap)
- The Blvd. (Adult R&B)
World
- Bellissimo (Contemporary Italian)
- Destinations (Global Pop)
- Hawaiian (Hawaiian Music) **Available only in On-Premise & Echostar line-ups**
- Irish (Irish Traditional/Pop) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
- Kingston (Reggae)
- Little Italy (Italian/American Standards)
- Québécois (French Canadian) **Available only in Satellite line-up**
- World Travels (World Music) **Available only in On-Premise line-up**
Licensed for International Use
- Barista (Pop/Rock/Electronica)
- Runway (World/Jazz/Lounge)
- Worldscapes (Jazz/New Age)
NOTE: Not all channels are available on all platforms
See also
Notes
- ^ "Our Company". Muzak Limited Liability Company (wfrecruiter.com). http://muzak.wfrecruiter.com/layout1.asp?Page_id=5849. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "US Patent 1,641,608" (in English). Google Patents. http://www.google.com/patents?id=5pV5AAAAEBAJ&dq=1641608. Retrieved 2007.
- ^ Ted Nugent (I) - Biography
- ^ The Soundtrack of Your Life: Muzak in the Realm of Retail Theatre," The New Yorker, April 10, 2006.
- ^ John Downey, "Muzak Seeks Merger with Rival DMX," Charlotte Business Journal, April 13, 2007.
- ^ http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/04-07-2008/0004788054&EDATE=, Retrieved on 2008/04/30.
- ^ Pete Iacobelli, "Muzak Is Still Upbeat," The News & Observer, April 6, 2009.
- ^ Adam Bell, "Muzak Facing Hard Choices," The Charlotte Observer, January 24, 2009.
- ^ Muzak files for bankruptcy under heavy debt, Associated Press, 2009-02-10
- ^ "Muzak reorganization plan cuts debt in half". MSN Money (Associated Press). 2009-09-10. http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20090910&id=10380218. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Rochelle, Bill (2009-09-11). "A chorus of support from Muzak creditors". The Charlotte Observer. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/939668.html?q=muzak. Retrieved 2009-09-12.[dead link]
- ^ Aronoff, Jen (2010-01-13). "Muzak poised to exit bankruptcy". The Charlotte Observer. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/1176914.html. Retrieved 2010-01-16.[dead link]
- ^ Das, Anupreeta (2011-03-24). "Mood Media to Acquire Muzak for $305 Million". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703784004576220473535657098.html. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
External links
Categories:- Fort Mill, South Carolina
- Companies based in South Carolina
- York County, South Carolina
- Companies established in 1934
- Industrial music services
- Private equity portfolio companies
- Easy listening music
- Companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- Radio stations broadcasting on subcarriers
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
