OT: Does anyone here write elevator music?

The law firm where I work at always has these jazzy elevator covers playing... and since I work on the 26th floor, it is a long ride to the lobby. This week they have been playing N'Sync covers, though with all the chord transitions and changes, you probably could never tell unless you were paying full attention. But that isn't necessarily the purpose of this style of music is it? It's supposed to be smooth enough where you could care less.

Anyway, I just realized when I was a kid I loathed elevator music. But now I'm starting to realize it takes talent obviously (especially the jazz kind), and probably ten times more talent than N'Sync ever had.

I'm just wondering... does anyone here write music that tends to be bought by people who would play it in an elevator, cafe, etc..? I know these are actually artists, but trust me when I say that whenever I ask the building clerk about the origin of their elevator music, he says they just stream/obtain music from all the other elevator music provided throughout most of the buildings. I don't know what to gather from that. Is there like some mystery elevator music pool somewhere?

It's not like you can just go to Amoeba records and purchase an N'Sync jazz cover band.

A lot of the stuff I write could be elevator music if I laid off the rawk. and yes, its purpose is to serve as background music. Its there if you choose to listen but not too loud or offensive. That stuff is great for restaurants. I've met some guys who do that. Smooth jazz is real big here in Southern California.

Haha... I like how the Wiki definition says it is used to prevent loitering for those who dislike it.

check out my mosquito thread over in oj

Porcupine Tree

I did a few sessions in the 80s for Muzak.

Muzak was BIG business. It was ruthless and had a monopoly, it was a big deal. Nowadays it's overshadowed by Sirius/XM and I think it merged with someone and is now part of that whole scene, but back then it was huge.

You essentially HAD to buy Muzak in the 70s and 80s. It was a long contract and an expensive one. They made sure you bought it and were relentless, like the Mafia of Easy Listening. The tracks were well done and played by session players. They had a huge catalog, pretty much anything. It was against the law to play the radio in a store in most cases. It was also impractical to play records since it would take a fulltime employee to do that and avoid skips, and that was usually illegal too.

It was a Satellite service, one of the first and assumedly the biggest. It's all moved to Sirius now, and the music is more "smooth jazz" than Muzak. "Smooth Jazz" is mainly synth and one sax player, Muzak was a string section and a fairly large one. I wish it still was popular, I could use the work.

the best smooth jazz is bass, percussion, and guitar

Whenever I'm in an elevator with no muzak I'll whistle "girl from ipanema" incessantly. It's a comfort thing.

which firm do you work for?

I remember that song. Hell, I was there when it was on MTV.

Anyone else hear Ghostbusters in that song ?!?!

Anyway....

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The proper name for elevator music is "smooth jazz" and musicians and producers actually make good money making this crap. Kenny G is a perfect example.

Smooth jazz is one of the most painful things ever.

Except, perhaps, badly performed and recorded on-hold classical music.

If I have an elevator, I'd populate it with Jeff Beck and Medeski Martin and Wood, or something, just to be sneaky.

Jazz fusion elevators FTW.

(Actually, if we wait another 30 years, we could have fusion-powered Jazz fusion elevators. Imagine the possibilities).

I'm working on a set of "Music for the Kitchen and Workshop." If your kitchen goes up and down, I'm in.

The only thing better would be jazz fusion-powered jazz fusion elevators.

In the UK, we love uncomfortable silence with total strangers, so we have no need for elevator music

Only after 1997. Before that, the proper name was Muzak and it wasn't smooth jazz at all. It was more like Montovani, Percy Faith or 101 strings.

In grocery stores, there were lot's of attempts to have embedded subliminal messages like "buy more Cheerios". Scientists and even the Military experimented with Muzak, they literally viewed it as a sort of Mind Control.

The closest thing today to Muzak? Symphony "Pops" concerts.Symphonic Beatles without vocalists? That's Muzak.

Speaking of Muzak:

there is a similiar version of syrupy, schlocky arrangements for Christian music. I call that "Jezak".

sure- ELEVATOR TO HELL!! going down?

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That song kinda reminds me of this song

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gCgA5Encsk&fmt=18