# I need to know who's behind these banal grocery store muzak songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2023, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216 "2023-08-28T07:30:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/21 "2023-08-29T08:15:24Z")
It’s threads like this that remind me how fortunate I am that the grocery store I work at has a “no frills” aesthetic and doesn’t play any music. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/22 "2023-08-29T09:42:09Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I’ve never heard music on an elevator,… Have you seen The Blues Brothers? When they’re on the elevator, just minutes away from getting to the Cook County Assessor’s office (clerk played by Steven Spielberg) on time to pay taxes on the orphanage, with the police, state troopers and US Army on their heels. It was a hilariously funny detail back in the day. I wonder if young people find it funny today. Truth be told, I don’t laugh at it as much nowadays, maybe because I’m familiar with the film. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/23 "2023-08-29T10:15:55Z")
Hi Leaffan, good to see you. Hope you hang around. I’m going to start wearing my earbuds at my grocery store. I hate shopping for food in the first place because it was never my job when I was still married and it just reminds me that I’m alone, but it is even worse when they play music that has me on the verge of tears while I shop. It’s completely ridiculous. I’d like your store Smapti. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/24 "2023-08-29T12:08:30Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > Have you seen The Blues Brothers? Yes, and after that pedal-to-the-metal police chase, it was a humorous little interlude. I meant that I’ve never personally experienced it. I guess it’s passe. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/25 "2023-08-29T18:54:26Z")
Is it literally the No Frills chain? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/26 "2023-08-30T00:00:49Z")
Never heard of that chain. The company I work for is primarily located along the I-5 corridor with a smattering of locations in other western states. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/27 "2023-08-30T00:56:09Z")
Muzak would’ve been preferable to what was inflicted on me at Barnes & Noble today. It was a succession of what sounded like the whiny emotings of Gen Z’ers wearing footie pajamas. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/28 "2023-08-31T17:07:43Z")
how does that compare to Michael Bolton and KennyG? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216/29 "2023-08-31T17:43:31Z")
If this is a genuine Muzak-branded stream from Mood Media and not a competitor, you can probably figure out what’s playing. They have a [What’s playing now](http://muzakwpn.muzak.com/#) feature. Trouble is, they have dozens of different channels or streams (or whatever they call them) with names like “Cashmere”, “Varsity,” and “City Lights”. Everybody in the world that subscribes to a given channel gets the exact same songs at the exact same time. With some patience and persistence you can figure out which channel is playing in your store, and click on the link which gives the title and artist of the current song and the last ten songs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-know-whos-behind-these-banal-grocery-store-muzak-songs/989216.md?page=1)