[78-L] Muzak is 75

[Kristjan Saag]

Ron l'Heuralt wrote:
> ...she definitely prefers, as do I, those places where the background 
> music is truly
> background music.  Once of our favorites, is a Chinese restaurant, Yen 
> Ching, in
> Plainville, MA.  The food is good and the music tasteful in content and
> volume.
--
Precisely. Background music is, no less, an art form, than foreground music. 
It demands a good hand to handle it. It's raison d'être is to be perceived 
subliminally, like lightning in a staged play or, for that matter, film 
scores.
Muzak's Richard L Cardinell knew this and perfected the company's 
programmes, in accordance with studies made by the Darmouth University: "The 
worker should be no more aware of the music than of good lightning. The 
rhythms, reaching him subconsciously, create a feeling of well-being and 
eliminate strain."
Like it or not: this helped the US to win the war...
So it's a bit odd to see assorted complaints about "too loud piped music" 
under the "Muzak is 75" heading...
On the other hand: this is also where the generation gap comes in: the "far 
too loud" music in supermarkets and restaurants is not perceived as such by 
young adults - who ARE the target audience in most places, not you and I. 
For them it works as it should. The market is always right, isn't it?
Kristjan