It was bound to happen someday. There just isn’t the same songbook of hits to turn into instrumentals...
How do you make an instrumental out of a hiphop song that itself is a recycled riff from an older song?
In tough times companines cut down on their overhead including the well-edited Muzak.
I would think much of their large sales force will be hitting the unemployment lines.
As much as $500M in debt, and only $50K in assets?
So when does the criminal investigation begin?
I heard a Muzak cover of “Marrakesh Express” once at an Ohio Turnpike restaurant. True story.
Dang it. I was holding out for the Boston Pops version of Voodoo Chile. I blame the kids with their danged IPods and their hepcat music and their mary jane...
Oh just ducky...now all we’ll get to hear in elevators are those “old lady walk farts”...
According to Come as You Are Kurtd Cobain worked at Muzak in Seattle. It was a favored job amongst the scene as back then Muzak was tapes mailed to your location and musicians could use the giant tape duplication machines and stolen office supplies to release singles of their songs.
In a way the entire Alternative Rock movement broken free by popularity of Nirvana owes a lot to Muzak. And more than just boring them into creativity via homogonized distribution of background music.
— lates
— jrawk
This is good news.
“We believe chapter 11 will provide us with the opportunity to right size our capital structure and gain financial flexibility...,” Chief Executive Stephen Villa said in a statement...”
MBA speak for WE ARE SO BONED.
Finally some good economic news.
“Damn....”
I saw their van just the other day, and was surprised that they were still in business. Weren’t they pioneers in sending audio over the phone lines?
Another reason for the demise maybe the growing rejection of instrumental pop in favor of songs and declamations with dumb and vulgar lyrics. I see that (or hear) at my gym where they pipe annoying neo-disco (as I call it) at full volume into the speakers. Instrumental music requires a bit of imagination.
Why do I picture their attorneys in an elevator heading up to file the bankruptcy papers listening to...?
Not sure if this is worthy...
I remember hearing Muzak at a restaurant where I worked centuries ago, and while much of it was total crap, there was one orchestra, (was it the Hollyridge Strings?) that played real hip arrangements of pop hits, the Beatles among them.
And the programming was carefully done by the hour, with the loveliest music played around lunch time, and then at 3PM to wake you up at your desk, if I remember correctly.
Where does an unemployed “audio architect” find a new job. That was the title for the “artists” at Muzak who would design a play list according to the type of business and time of day.
Part of their business model was to shop in a store, look for a radio playing, and then return later threatening those stores by saying they were violating copyright of the music, which of course could be mitigated by subscribing to their service. The problem is, this didn’t apply to a business under a certain size.
A lot of places like gyms play SiriusXM commercial free music channels. That may have hurt, although SiriusXM may be joining them in bankruptcy court soon.
How on earth can a company get into $500 Million in debt by providing background music for stores and hotels.
Is the overhead that great?
“The Filing was accompanied by the Muzak Sisters Trio, doing their rendition of Another One Bites The Dust”