# Is it worth your soul to be a MUZAK musician? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773 "2003-04-15T00:49:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/1 "2003-04-15T00:49:58Z")
In Cecil’s **[Muzak Answer](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_317.html)**, he neglected to mention how much a Muzak Musician makes doing his or her raping of a song. While my wife and I were walking through the grocery store the other day, we were amazed to hear _Come as you are_ by **NIRVANA** on the piped Muzak. My wife commented on how it should be legal to hunt down anyone who so ignored their musical integrity by destorying a song like that. I shrugged and said “Hell, if the money’s good…” And then we both started thinking what, exactly, is the average salary of the working class MUZAKIAN? So? Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/2 "2003-04-15T00:53:57Z")
This is probably no help at all, but Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin did some Muzak work when he was a studio musician, I hear. ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/3 "2003-04-15T00:56:43Z")
You couldn’t be any more right about that post being no help at all… **unless** someone is a good close friend of Jimmy Page, and a reader of the straight dope. Then that person can ask the Pagster about his pay back then and we can do the wonderful number crunching of finding out what was then is now… nope… Screw that unless, your post was utterly useless. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/4 "2003-04-15T01:43:59Z")
Yeah, I figured it was. Still, it’s the best response you got so far… ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/5 "2003-04-15T03:01:45Z")
True, but my post is just ababy. give it a few more minutes to grow. The Teeming Millions have yet to let me down. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/6 "2003-04-15T14:26:10Z")
Umm. I’m having a hard time finding hard numbers, but I can say that musicians’ wages are set according to an agreement to which Muzak, DMX, similar companies, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) are all parties. You might try checking with AFM or their local chapters for pricing. ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/7 "2003-04-15T15:12:20Z")
It’s not like this thing is invading my thought processes such that I would HAVE to call the AFM to find out what kinda scratch a MUZAKIAN makes. I was just hoping one of the Teeming Millions either was one, or knew one and could ask. It’s what the TM’s are all about 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/8 "2003-04-18T04:11:50Z")
Oh COME ON!.. No one in the TM’s has a friend who is a stuido musician for Muzak? NO ONE?? Please folks, don’t lemme down. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/9 "2003-04-18T16:34:26Z")
If I were you, I’d start a new thread in Cafe Society asking your question. It’s not directly related to Cecil’s column, so don’t even mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/10 "2003-04-18T17:56:06Z")
Hmm… Probably a good point. I only posted it here after searching the boards and archives (like a good TM should). MODERATOR!!! Can you please move this over to Cafe Soceity? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/11 "2003-04-18T20:08:43Z")
See? I’m not _completely_ useless to your information quest. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/12 "2003-04-28T14:07:15Z")
Current wage scales for union musicians in Los Angeles (Local 47) are posted [here.](http://www.rmaweb.org/WageScales/Scales.asp) Another source is [AFM local 47 (Los Angeles).](http://afm47.org/wages/Contract.asp) Wages across the U.S. vary, with smaller towns and ones away from major recording centers often offering lower rates. Don’t forget that employees under these scales usually get many benefits (vacation pay, health & welfare, pension, etc.) as well. You will notice that not only are the scales enormously complicated, but they are divided into such categories as “Phono” (that means general recording for CDs nowadays), “MPTV” (Motion Picture/TV), “Jingles” (commercials), etc. This is because the employers (the record companies, TV networks, motion pic studios, etc.) negotiate with the union at different times and under different contracts. There is no specific “Muzak” category. Although I have played in L.A. under various union contracts, I never played for anything destined for Muzak, as far as I know. So my insider knowledge ends here. My professional guess is that a Muzak recording session is similar to a phono (record) session in conditions and wages; perhaps if Muzak wants to do a big batch of 'em at once, a special contract would be prepared, maybe at a discount for volume. I also suspect (but have no first-hand knowledge) that many “generic” recordings are made overseas (of the U.S.) where there are many eager and excellent musicians just begging to perform for discount wages. This angers the Union no end, but they have limited recourse other than yelling about it. ---
**Author:** ![thejunkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@thejunkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thejunkie)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/13 "2003-04-29T04:11:09Z")
Nothing sooths the soul more than the listening enjoyment of some relaxing MUZAK. I like’d your follow up post Razor ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-your-soul-to-be-a-muzak-musician/168773/14 "2003-04-29T05:02:58Z")
Moving this to Cafe Society with the observation that anyone who would even _consider_ turning music into Muzak doesn’t have a soul to begin with.😃