Elevator Music History

Elevator music came to use in 1922. It was known as ‘Muzak’ due to its developer, George Owen Squier. The original purpose of elevator music was to calm fearful passengers who were riding an elevator for the first time. Since then, the calm and relaxing music used in elevators is now being used in many other areas like, shopping centers, airports, cruise ships, and even telephone systems. Muzak tones are made to hold a simple melody and also be able to be easily looped. Did you know that it’s been proven that some kinds of elevator music can psychologically make buyers shop more and browse items more easily?

 The main supplier of elevator music is Muzak Holdings LLC. The company is located in South California and started distributing simple music tunes starting in the early 1920s. The company’s main goal was to distribute simple music without using radio waves. Other than elevators, restaurants and hotels specialize in providing music to workplaces, due to the fact that background music can improve productivity among workers. 

 When Muzak’s songs were first recorded, they were made by popular musicians. By 1997, Muzak started fulltime production of their own original songs. As of 2010 they have produced over 2 million songs and are offering over 100 internet streaming radio channels.