The History of Muzak (Episode 57)

What is the cost of silence? What part of the human condition is lost or found in the stillness of sound? At some point, our culture seems to have turned its back on reflective quiet, opting instead for an environment that is constantly using stimuli to condition the population to various ends. Even in an era of personal choice, piped-in music is ubiquitous these days as advertisements are embedded in our daily routines. No doubt the struggle of the avid music listener is to cut out the commercial carpet bombing of inoffensive instrumental pop standards so that we can enjoy, well, anything else really. Today’s episode is a look inside the history of the sinisterly omnipresent background easy listening….today, the history of Muzak.   Much of the research for this episode was found in this book: Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong; Revised and Expanded Edition  by Joseph Lanza    Subscribe to Highway Hi-Fi: iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn | PocketCasts | Overcast | Google Play  Twitter | Facebook | Spotify

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