Selects: Muzak: Easy Listening Goodness

# Stuff You Should Know: Muzak

This episode dives into the surprisingly fascinating history of Muzak, the instrumental background music you've probably heard everywhere from elevators to shopping malls. Hosts Josh and Chuck explore how George Squire invented this technology using telephone multiplexing, how Muzak's "stimulus progression" theory claimed to boost worker productivity throughout the day, and why the brand became so ubiquitous in 20th century America that you literally couldn't escape it. The conversation covers Muzak's rise from the 1930s through the 1980s, its gradual decline as musical tastes shifted in the 1960s and 70s, and how a smaller competitor called Yesco eventually revolutionized the entire landscape by playing actual hit songs instead of canned covers.