• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Music in Stores

Such a relief that they play original versions of songs in the stores now. In my college days I worked at a Stop & Shop that played Muzak versions. I knew it was time to quit when I started humming along to a Muzak version of Prince's "1999". Lol!
 
I`ll take your word, all I know was the audio output SQ as internally decoded by my General Instrument combo digital/analog C/Ku band receiver`s internal DAC was as good as any of my Mc. CD player with the exception of its audio output level, which was a little bit lower in strength when compared through any of my house`s multi room`s systems that I fed with a HQ L/R audio distribution system via my living room`s A/V rack.
And visiting audio repair customers & friends always complimented about the DMX music track selections and SQ quality, and some would ask me what cool radio station was I tuned to !

Later on after enjoying DMX for several yrs. and hearing it all day while I repaired audio equipment, I remember reading in one of the hifi magazines high rating of DMX`s sat. delivered streaming audio very highly, as not being compressed with excellent overall SQ, but I already knew that, and was already in total agreement.

The proprietary Ku feed last on G26 was 192kbps AC3 using 256kbps MP3 source. When DMX (ICT) first launched it was CD jukebox sourced. The first iteration was CATV STB using guard band - that pre-dated me, and was nearly gone when AEI merged. There were 120 channels on the Ku service but some clients had dedicated channels and others were used for data and messaging, so about 100 general music channels IIRC. The DCII feed on G10 was a turn-around of the Ku service, but at 128kbps AC3. There was a bank of the DR-501 receivers at the teleport that fed the DCII encoder using AES3 baluns from the DR-501 SPDIF output.

It was an exceptional service, as back then most feeds for commercial were mono and as little bandwidth as possible, so having "CD Quality" Dolby AC3 in stereo was really something. I had two of the four-zone DR-1000 receivers at my house so each room of my whole-house audio had a dedicated zone source. Today it's a few USB hubs and several headphone DACs out of a 2012 Mac mini running linux and Roon Bridge.
 
I knew it was time to quit when I started humming along to a Muzak version of Prince's "1999". Lol!
Personally, I've always been sort of mystified why Muzak cover versions upset some people so much. I mean, it's not like the original isn't still around and also after hearing the Muzak cover, it seems like it would make you appreciate the original even more. I do understand more about the repetitive nature of so much of this piped in music, but that's an issue with regular pop & rock music too. As far as myself, if I was in a situation where music was being piped in against my will, I would prefer it to be as unobtrusive as possible, or failing that, music that I don't like, so that it doesn't risk diminishing or "wearing out" songs that I do like from repetition, something which can easily happen from listening to some radio stations too much.
 
Personally, I've always been sort of mystified why Muzak cover versions upset some people so much. I mean, it's not like the original isn't still around and also after hearing the Muzak cover, it seems like it would make you appreciate the original even more. I do understand more about the repetitive nature of so much of this piped in music, but that's an issue with regular pop & rock music too. As far as myself, if I was in a situation where music was being piped in against my will, I would prefer it to be as unobtrusive as possible, or failing that, music that I don't like, so that it doesn't risk diminishing or "wearing out" songs that I do like from repetition, something which can easily happen from listening to some radio stations too much.
Muzak takes the emotion out of the song. "Defangs" it, so to speak.
 
Muzak takes the emotion out of the song. "Defangs" it, so to speak.
Just speaking for myself, there are times I don't want the emotional involvement that good music, especially, brings. Because of this, it can be distracting in these instances. Sometimes silence can be golden. I would rather engage this music on my own terms, when and where I want. Now, don't take what I said as an endorsement of Muzak. I've always been indifferent to it and don't particularly care for the overall concept of instrumental covers as background music disseminated in a rather corporate fashion. It's just that I've never quite understood why it upsets some people so much.
 
Just speaking for myself, there are times I don't want the emotional involvement that good music, especially, brings. Because of this, it can be distracting in these instances. Sometimes silence can be golden. I would rather engage this music on my own terms, when and where I want. Now, don't take what I said as an endorsement of Muzak. I've always been indifferent to it and don't particularly care for the overall concept of instrumental covers as background music disseminated in a rather corporate fashion. It's just that I've never quite understood why it upsets some people so much.
To me, generic Montovani is fine for that purpose. Neutered Ramones sounds weird to me.
 
I used to go into Target/KMart/Walmart and switch all the radios on display to the station I happened to be working at. I was a naughty boy.

I did something similar to all the display radios.

Whatever local rock station I was into.

Changing to that from jazz, country, easy listening, oldies, classical, etc.

Back then hard rock was not super popular with the department/discount store crowd.

The trick was to leave them on a volume setting that didn't attract an employee.
 
I had no idea such a thing existed!o_O

Kitty Ramone?

Reader's Digest, Longines Symphonette, Columbia and even some London Phase 4 albums let you build your own Muzak collection, if you were weird enough to want to do that. I've found some real surprises: Joe Harnell orchestrating Beatles covers, Ray Conniff and Arthur Fiedler doing disco, and even Benny Goodman sweating out Spinning Wheel and You've Made Me So Very Happy.

Somewhere in my collection is a Muzak version of Whole Lotta Love.
 
Christmas music should be starting at Menards shortly after Halloween.

Gets me in the mood…to get my stuff and get out of there asap.
 
I`ll take your word, all I know was the audio output SQ as internally decoded by my General Instrument combo digital/analog C/Ku band receiver`s internal DAC was as good as any of my Mc. CD player with the exception of its audio output level, which was a little bit lower in strength when compared through any of my house`s multi room`s systems that I fed with a HQ L/R audio distribution system via my living room`s A/V rack.
And visiting audio repair customers & friends always complimented about the DMX music track selections and SQ quality, and some would ask me what cool radio station was I tuned to !

Later on after enjoying DMX for several yrs. and hearing it all day while I repaired audio equipment, I remember reading in one of the hifi magazines high rating of DMX`s sat. delivered streaming audio very highly, as not being compressed with excellent overall SQ, but I already knew that, and was already in total agreement.

Thought you may appreciate this - this was the origination you were listening to.
P1010013.JPG
 
Music in Stores refers to the practice of playing background music in retail environments to influence customer behavior and improve the in-store experience.
 
Back
Top Bottom