# When/how did smooth jazz become the default mall music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858 "2013-09-14T19:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/1 "2013-09-14T19:37:50Z")
Much of the time, the Muzak/background music played in shopping malls is smooth jazz. When did this happen, and is there a particular reason for it? ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/2 "2013-09-14T19:45:57Z")
Smooth jazz is quietly inoffensive while simultaneously being totally unobjectionable. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/3 "2013-09-14T19:49:58Z")
It lacks “controversy” therefore is fairly inoffensive to a broad spectrum of listeners. Play Lady Gaga, Metallica, or even someone as milquetoast as Journey and you will have someone bitching about the music because it isn’t their favorite. Individual stores in malls often do tailor their music to the desired crowd and don’t really care if someone doesent like it because their target market does. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/4 "2013-09-14T19:56:38Z")
Moved to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/5 "2013-09-14T20:24:48Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Moved to Cafe Society. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator Thanks. I wasn’t entirely sure if it belonged in Cafe Society or GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/6 "2013-09-14T22:41:35Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > Much of the time, the Muzak/background music played in shopping malls is smooth jazz. When did this happen, and is there a particular reason for it? It happened in 1993. They tried using GWAR for a while back in 1992 but focus groups and market research indicated it caused a decrease in retail spending and minutes spent in the mall. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/7 "2013-09-14T22:46:32Z")
It’s also usually at a slower tempo than pop, and so “relaxes” the shoppers, with the idea they’ll spend more time in the stores. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/8 "2013-09-14T23:10:27Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Smooth jazz is quietly inoffensive while simultaneously being totally unobjectionable. > [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > It’s also usually at a slower tempo than pop, and so “relaxes” the shoppers, with the idea they’ll spend more time in the stores. We have a joint winnah… ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/9 "2013-09-15T00:05:07Z")
There seems to be some consensus on the “why” of smooth jazz’s use. Now I’m kind of wondering about the “when.” When did it become common to play smooth jazz in malls? Maybe some of the Dopers who are older than I am can say when this started happening. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/10 "2013-09-15T00:34:33Z")
I dunno, I don’t recall hearing that much smooth jazz in stores lately. They seem to use a set of carefully-chosen light, bland uptempo pop/rock songs like [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7k0a5hYnSI) or [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AEoUa0Hlso). (I don’t know about you, but those make me feel like rushing out and buying some laundry detergent) ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/11 "2013-09-15T06:52:09Z")
Smooth jazz was a viable style for commercial radio stations as far back as the mid-1970s. Artists such as George Benson and Chuck Mangione had big hits with the sound in the latter half of that decade. Riding that trend, companies that licensed such original recordings to provide as piped-in music were offering smooth jazz (or whatever it was then called) prior to 1980, I’m sure. Muzak (the company) itself started licensing original recordings in the mid-1980s, just in time for the phenomenal rise of Kenny G. It’s difficult to pinpoint when the classic style Muzak - the in house-created easy listening they were known for - was supplanted in popularity by smooth jazz or adult contemporary or whatever, but I’d say the transition was well in effect during the late 1970s/early 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Shooby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Shooby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shooby)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/12 "2013-09-15T08:36:32Z")
Yeah I definitely think pop rock seems to be the music of choice at the malls/stores I frequent, be it classic pop rock or current stuff. Smooth jazz is really big in Taiwan shopping areas, though. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/13 "2013-09-16T15:24:32Z")
Doesn’t Westfield own every mall everywhere now? Maybe Mr. Westfield likes smooth jazz. Or, more probably, he’s Satan and smooth jazz is his spawn. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-smooth-jazz-become-the-default-mall-music/668858/14 "2013-09-18T09:57:19Z")
I’ve been to a few malls in various places around the world which play classical and orchestral music on loudspeakers outside in an (apparently relatively successful) attempt to stop bored teenagers from hanging around lowering the tone of the palce and making people uncomfortable. As for smooth jazz, I always figured (as several people have already said) because it’s inoffensive and fairly relaxed stuff.