Remember watching films and TV shows and people would get into an elevator and that music would play?
Elevator music is a term coined for a specific type of music that’s upbeat, jazzy or piano-led and can easily be drowned out as background noise or 'easy listening'.
It’s pretty common to hear it when you’re watching media, but what about in real life?
So many things come and go with changing times, but surely elevator music is still alive and well?
Advert
When one Redditor asked, ‘What went away quietly without anyone noticing?’, people had a lot to say about the topic, and that’s when the niche sound came up in the comments.
From 3D TVs to flash mobs and toys in cereal boxes, it’s apparent that times have really changed. But what else has totally disappeared without anyone realising?
Elevator music.
While many probably never even realised this happened, there was once a time where elevators really did just play little jingles constantly in the real world - and it was pioneered by a company called Muzak.
The company - founded in 1934 - is credited with popularising the concept of background music for commercial settings such as elevators or shopping malls.
The idea was that it would help alleviate anxiety in people, but as technology advanced, it became less and less needed.
But like one user, it dawned on people that they’d never even heard music play in their lifts before - and they had no clue when it stopped, either.
The user wrote: “It just occurred to me that I’ve never actually heard elevator music in real life, only TV.”
This sparked a debate in the comments about when and how the music stopped.
One person theorised: “I swear it used to be a thing, but I don’t know when it disappeared either. Wild.”
Another speculated: “It was definitely a thing, what I think you'll find is with improved and cheaper technology, stores just play their own music instead of relying on mall Musac [sic]. I love elevator, library and exotica music and still listen to it on YouTube regularly.”
However, one user said elevator music was problematic, stating: “If we need entertainment for a one minute trip, we have bigger problems. It probably stopped when they got faster. Also, that might vary pending on the building size. But I dont even remember the elevator at the Empire State building taking a long time.”
So, what’s the deal?
Elevator music has been around for a long time, and according to Atlas Obscura, elevator music was in full swing in 1931 when the US’s 102-story Empire State Building opened its doors. But it’s just not something that’s needed now.
In the UK, people actually tried to ban background music in a campaign known as Pipedown.
The group attempted to pass legislation banning background music altogether.
Another Redditor created a thread, writing: “It occurred to me today that I can't remember the last time I've heard music in an elevator.
“I asked my friends, my partner, and my mother as well. Neither can they.
“When did they start to phase out music being played in elevators? Why did it stop?”
Of course, nobody could come up with a date, but nobody could say they’d ever heard music playing in an elevator either.
Britt Jones