Canadian company brings the sound of Muzak to site of punk club CBGB

The purchase of Muzak by Toronto-based company Mood Media in March seemed like a curious deal.

How could a company founded in 1934, best known for piping saccharine instrumental versions of pop hits into elevators everywhere, still be worth $345 million (U.S.) in 2011?

Well, some of the value must have been in the kitsch associated with the brand name, even if Muzak Holdings filed for bankruptcy two years before the sale.

Muzak recently sponsored an event held at the Manhattan retail store of fashion designer John Varvatos, strategically located in the Bowery district site made famous by legendary rock and punk nightclub CBGB.

Urge Overkill, the band whose biggest hit was the maudlin "Pulp Fiction" version of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," were the focus of a promotional appearance timed with their new reunion album.

And, somehow, all of this tied back to the reinvention of Muzak.

The promotion was evidently designed to show that the name is no longer strictly about inoffensive sounds tailored to the time of day. Now, the company is dedicated to the delivery of "sensory-marketing solutions."

Just as the CBGB space can go from being a punk petri dish to a place to buy shirts that cost over $300, the meaning of Muzak can apparently be transformed from soothing background tunes to retro glam rock, if the style suits the product being sold.

But the Muzak name has evidently shaken off any association with subliminal messages. Mood Media just signed a deal to pipe government-approved music into China.