Morag's Music

Muzac - Is it In or a Sin?
Morag McQueen

Muzac? Is that a typo? What is Muzac? These may be questions you are asking yourself right now.

Well, the answer to the first question is easy: no, it is not a typo! I am talking about a special type of music, which is often called Muzac. Other words, that you might be more familiar with are elevator music, shop music or also: "Gawd, put that noise off." Muzac, in my opinion, should be forbidden, but apparently not everyone thinks so. I am appalled to say that some people even consider Muzac to be a form of easy listening, a musical genre I quite like.

Now, for an explanation of the term "muzac". Muzac is the noise that is often playing "in the background" in shops, elevators, airports, etc. It's usually an orchestral form or awfully sung version of well known tunes, which are supposed to keep the customer tuned and ready to buy. In reality, it often makes people run a mile in the other direction. I've found that very often, if I've opted for buying a cheap multi-disc case of music, I'm bitterly disappointed when I put the music in my laptop for the first time and discover it to be muzac. Those are the CDs that then lie on my shelves and gather dust, never to be looked at again. Now, I'm not saying that all things cheap are bad, but you want to be careful!

Anyways, back to my point of debate, Muzac - is it in or a sin? As you can gather from what I've said so far, I think it's a sin and definitely a shame for any musicians out there, trying to live off their artistic talents.

There's a company called Muzak, which specializes in producing said Muzac, which in my opinion proves that too many people have bad taste in music. At any rate, this company has greatly improved the quality of Muzac over the years of its existence, making the listening to "their" tunes at least bearable.

Not all cheaply produced CDs are Muzac, but most of them could easily be stuck in that corner, just as not all Muzac CDs are cheaply produced. And again, even those that are, are not necessarily bad! All I'm trying to say is that human beings playing instruments or singing, are often much nicer to listen to, even if they're not perfect, than synthesizers or computer voices are, which most Muzac happens to be.

So basically, just in time for the upcoming holiday, you can now walk into a shop and say, "Put that Muzac off", knowing that you didn't say anything wrong. And enjoy your holidays, Muzac-free if possible... Unless you thoroughly enjoy the sensation of nuisance, of course!

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Notes The Alte Sententiam is Ravenclaw's running newspaper. Alte Sententiam means 'Higher Thoughts' and its current co-editors-in-chief are Chloe Fairchilde and Cassandra Lobiesk. Articles Ravenclaw Sekrits Christmas Holiday Scientifics Snowflakes Floating Boats? Reviews First Test: A Review Twilight: A Review I Am Legend Review Song of the Lioness House, M.D. Columns Cranky Corner Addie-Vice Morag's Music Showcase Brain Challenge Winner: Maya Winters! Please let Professor Ulol know if you have managed to spot Maya's brain wandering your path. Join the Book Club! Poem Showcase Time Flies Christmas Winter Winter is Coming Winter Wonderland Puzzles Info Updates Past Layouts Archives FAQ Staff The Roost HOL Points The points breakdown is as follows (per issue): Article Submission: 10 points for each published (not to exceed 20) Graphics Submission: 10 points for each published (not to exceed 20) Editors: Up to 30 points	Morag's Music Muzac - Is it In or a Sin? Morag McQueen Muzac? Is that a typo? What is Muzac? These may be questions you are asking yourself right now. Well, the answer to the first question is easy: no, it is not a typo! I am talking about a special type of music, which is often called Muzac. Other words, that you might be more familiar with are elevator music, shop music or also: "Gawd, put that noise off." Muzac, in my opinion, should be forbidden, but apparently not everyone thinks so. I am appalled to say that some people even consider Muzac to be a form of easy listening, a musical genre I quite like. Now, for an explanation of the term "muzac". Muzac is the noise that is often playing "in the background" in shops, elevators, airports, etc. It's usually an orchestral form or awfully sung version of well known tunes, which are supposed to keep the customer tuned and ready to buy. In reality, it often makes people run a mile in the other direction. I've found that very often, if I've opted for buying a cheap multi-disc case of music, I'm bitterly disappointed when I put the music in my laptop for the first time and discover it to be muzac. Those are the CDs that then lie on my shelves and gather dust, never to be looked at again. Now, I'm not saying that all things cheap are bad, but you want to be careful! Anyways, back to my point of debate, Muzac - is it in or a sin? As you can gather from what I've said so far, I think it's a sin and definitely a shame for any musicians out there, trying to live off their artistic talents. There's a company called Muzak, which specializes in producing said Muzac, which in my opinion proves that too many people have bad taste in music. At any rate, this company has greatly improved the quality of Muzac over the years of its existence, making the listening to "their" tunes at least bearable. Not all cheaply produced CDs are Muzac, but most of them could easily be stuck in that corner, just as not all Muzac CDs are cheaply produced. And again, even those that are, are not necessarily bad! All I'm trying to say is that human beings playing instruments or singing, are often much nicer to listen to, even if they're not perfect, than synthesizers or computer voices are, which most Muzac happens to be. So basically, just in time for the upcoming holiday, you can now walk into a shop and say, "Put that Muzac off", knowing that you didn't say anything wrong. And enjoy your holidays, Muzac-free if possible... Unless you thoroughly enjoy the sensation of nuisance, of course!