Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments.
The name Muzak, a blend of music and the popular camera brand name Kodak, has been in use since 1934 and has been owned by various companies. The word Muzak has been a registered trademark of Muzak LLC since December 21, 1954.[1]
In 1981, Westinghouse bought the company and ran it until selling it to the Fields Company of Chicago, publishers of the Chicago Sun-Times, on September 8, 1986.[2] Muzak was based in various Seattle, Washington, locations from 1986 to 1999, after which it moved its headquarters to outside Charlotte in 2000.[3] Formerly owned by Muzak Holdings, the brand was purchased in 2011 by Mood Media in a deal worth US$345 million.[4][5]
In the United States, due in part to the market dominance of Muzak Holdings, Muzak came to be used to refer to most forms of background music, regardless of source.[2] This makes Muzak an example of a genericized trademark. Muzak may also be referred to as "elevator music" or "lift music" (see also Music on hold). Though Muzak Holdings was for many years the best-known supplier of background music, and is commonly associated with elevator music, the company itself did not supply music to elevators.[6]
- ^ "Wfrecruiter.com". Retrieved July 9, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Luke Baumgarten (September 27, 2012). "Elevator Going Down: The Story Of Muzak". Redbull Music Academy. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ^ Blecha, Peter (June 19, 1956). "Muzak, Inc. -- Originators of "Elevator Music"". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Das, Anupreeta (March 24, 2011). "Marketing analytics startup Adometry lands $8M from Shasta Ventures". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ "Toronto's Mood Media buys Muzak". National Post. March 25, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ^ Dunning, Brian. "Skeptoid #370: The Science of Muzak". Skeptoid. Retrieved April 25, 2014.