Music Industry Question

Bigslug

This has fair potential to turn into a "silly" thread, and if so, so be it, but I do have some legitimate curiosity here.

I've been dealing with some doctor/HMO issues lately, and been spending a lot of time waiting on hold getting to hear a lot of easy listening music.

My question is: Who records this stuff, and how much money do they make doing it? What channels do they go through to sell it to the corporations that buy it. It's basically background noise. . .made for the sake of BEING background noise. There's zero passion to any of it, and rare would be the person who goes out of their way to listen to it on purpose.

I just can't see a group of long-haired teenagers in tight pants - or even nerdy band students in sweater vests - getting together in groups with the ambition to have their milquetoast recordings played in the lobby of every Nordstroms across the land.

So tell me Daddy, where does elevator muzak come from?

CaliFFL

Guys like Richard Cheese have made their entire careers by covering hit songs into muzak.

His intention is humor.

Jermanator

Studio session musicians-- They will play whatever you want, how you want it, when you want it... as long as you are paying them. Jimmy Page used to be one before Led Zepplin. He actually played guitar in the studio for The Kinks, "You Really Got Me".

Jermanator

The Rolling Stones, "Give Me Shelter"... the very pregnant background singer got called up out of bed in the middle of the night to come in and do backup tracks for some British dudes. "The Great Gig in the Sky" by Pink Floyd-- the singer got called in, they asked her to basically go nuts, she did (actually she thought she got a bit carried away) and music history was made.

As far as Musak goes, that is a service that businesses have to subscribe to. The subscription fees pay studio musicians and producers to spit out that crap, plus royalties are paid to the composers-- for example, The Doors will get paid a royalty every time the elevator instrumental version of "Light My Fire" gets piped into the mall.

early

Wanna hear someone stutter?

When you call, and are asked, "can you hold?" Say, "no I can't."

Tugar

If I remember correctly. Nugent almost bought Muzak corp to shut them down, but once the corp found out, the deal was off. Kind of dumb as someone would just start another company.

Bigslug

I expect most of it IS in fact cover recordings, and I have heard some doozies over the years - such as classic American pop/rock songs done in traditional Chinese instruments piped into our local restaurant.

I guess that's my next question - how much of it is NOT covers? If it was a cover of something country or Appalachian folk music, I'd probably never guess. Does anyone actually compose elevator music?

Now HERE'S a question of social/political discussion for you: Is it possible that the basic tenet of Political Correctness - don't offend anybody - has its oldest roots in this corporate committee, big-box store, mass-appeal concept of presenting something that offends no one but irritates EVERYONE?