Elevator music (also known as
Muzak, piped music, or lift music) is a type of
background music
Background music (British English: piped music) is a mode of musical performance in which the music is not intended to be a primary focus of potential listeners, but its content, character, and volume level are deliberately chosen to affect behav ...
played in
elevators
An elevator (American English) or lift (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive tracti ...
, in rooms where many people come together for reasons other than listening to music, and
during telephone calls when placed on hold. Before the emergence of the Internet, such music was often "piped" to businesses and homes through telephone lines, private networks or targeted radio broadcasting (as in the BBC's ''
Music While You Work'', where powerful speakers were set up in factories to make the broadcast audible).
There is no specific sound associated with elevator music, but it usually involves simple instrumental themes from "soft" popular music, or "
light
Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...
" classical music being performed by slow strings. This type of music was produced, for instance, by the
Mantovani Orchestra, and conductors such as
Franck Pourcel and
James Last, peaking in popularity around the 1970s.
More recent types of elevator music may be computer-generated, with the actual score being
composed entirely algorithmically.
Other uses
The term can also be used for kinds of
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
,
,
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
solo,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
bossa nova or
middle of the road music, or what are known as "
beautiful music" radio stations.
This style of music is sometimes used to comedic effect in
mass media
Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication.
Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...
such as
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
, where intense or dramatic scenes may be interrupted or interspersed with such anodyne music while characters use an elevator. Some
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s have used music similarly: ''
Metal Gear Solid 4'' where a few elevator music-themed tracks are accessible on the in-game
iPod
The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...
, as well as ''
System Shock'', ''
Rise of the Triad: Dark War'',
''GoldenEye 007'', ''
Mass Effect
''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the galaxy using technology left behind by Elder race, a ...
'', and ''
Earthworm Jim
''Earthworm Jim'' is a series of platform games featuring an earthworm named Jim who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The series is noted for its platforming and shooting gameplay, surreal humor, and edgy art style. Four game ...
''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elevator Music
Elevators
Easy listening music
Industrial music services