How Muzak Brainwashed America (The Weird History of Elevator Music)

Is elevator music... evil? In this week’s Tape Spaghetti, Scott and Blake go on a tour through the highly unlikely, slightly dystopian history of Muzak – the music nobody loves, but everyone hears. Born from military experimentation, electrical engineering breakthroughs, and a dream to make Americans more productive through calibrated background sound, Muzak might sound aimless, but it was designed to manipulate and control. Workers alternately found it calming or patronizing. Counterculture movements mocked it. Ted Nugent tried to destroy it. Yet, Muzak survived long enough to infiltrate elevators, the White House, NASA missions, and grocery stores everywhere. The guys trace its legacy all the way to modern lo-fi playlists and “music for airports,” proving blandness has a surprisingly colorful past.