It’s Just Muzak
~ This was posted on - August 25, 2009
In this post we take a break from our considerations of the strategic application of music and message to look at the issue of your choice in an on-hold music and messaging provider.
Muzak has earned a dubious reputation over the years with both the public in general and, apparently, with some of their customers as well. The typical impression most people seem to have of “muzak” is “that insipid, vapid, annoying background sound in the air (regardless of whether or not Muzak actually produced it) on elevators, in restaurants, in hotel lobbies and doctors’ offices, and, while waiting interminably on-hold calling one’s favorite mega-corporation.” Rock music legend, Ted Nugent, was at one time reputed to have attempted to buy Muzak for $10 million “…just for the pleasure of erasing the tapes”.
Nowadays there are options in the world of on-hold music and messaging, however this may not yet be common knowledge. Could it be that Muzak took for granted the popular perception of their being the only game in town? In addition to being infamous for a product most people seem to think of as a joke, albeit the “only” joke, in February of this year Muzak made the news when it filed bankruptcy. Perhaps the apparent scarcity of competition led to a lack of motivation and consequently lax business management in various areas, such as customer service.
Holdtime Music has heard complaints of poor customer service and “vindictive five year contracts” more than once in discussions with local Muzak customers exploring their options. If on-hold music and messaging were “just muzak”, these issues might not warrant a second thought.
Given the potential, however, of on-hold technologies for reaching a warm market with fresh, targeted messages such neglect does not make good business sense. Muzak’s seemingly cavalier attitude has created a wide-open opportunity for competitors such as Holdtime, small though they may be, to pick up valuable market share through no-brainer strategies including realistic contracts, aggressive pricing, and customer-focused customer service. Add to that mix, thoughtful, well-written, custom on-hold productions, and the general public, not to mention Muzak, may soon be in for a paradigm shift.
Insipid and vapid, cavalier, neglect… poor service? This is quite an indictment! Rather than support this thesis with facts, the writer relies on vague stereotype and hearsay. The implication that we are lazy, lax or resting on our laurels further illustrates the writer’s lack of grasp on the sensory branding industry, which, by the way, Muzak invented in 1934.
Muzak is a proud, 75 year old American company with an amazing history and even more exciting future ahead. Did you know, for instance, that Muzak recorded top-secret encrypted messages for FDR and Churchill during WWII?
We offer 400,000 satisfied clients several superior sensory branding products, including on-hold music and messaging, in which arena you must view us as a competitor. We record thousands of on-hold and overhead messages each month, from over 100 of the nation’s top voice talents and A-list celebrities, with the strictest attention to quality and client satisfaction.
We respect your entrepreneurship and the quaintness of your family business, and would never set out to malign you or anyone other competitor so publicly. It is unfortunate that the writer took such a negative, gossipy tone when just a few minutes of research on the part of the casual observer will yield a starkly different picture than the one painted here. Rather than cut others down, focus on promoting your unique strengths and let consumers decide for themselves.
Comment by Brittany — August 26, 2009 @ 5:31 am