Elevator music

Elevator music is a term for background music played in elevators and other public spaces, often also used for hold music.

Elevator music is a term for background music played in elevators and other public spaces, often also used for hold music. It is commonly associated with instrumental, easy-listening arrangements of familiar songs or light classical music, and the term is also used more broadly, sometimes pejoratively, for bland or unobtrusive background music.

Meaning and usage

Elevator music is background music played in places where people are present for other purposes than listening. It is intended to be heard as background rather than as the main focus. Dictionaries define it as instrumental arrangements of popular songs or prerecorded background music used in elevators and similar public settings, including telephone hold lines. In Canadian English, the term is used alongside the British-influenced term 'lift music,' and is familiar in Canadian retail and office contexts.

Style and characteristics

The music is typically quiet, instrumental, and arranged to be unobtrusive. Common associations include easy listening, lounge, piano, jazz, bossa nova, and light classical music. It is often based on familiar popular songs or light classical themes.

History and origin

The term is linked to the commercial use of background music in the 20th century, especially through the Muzak brand. Muzak became a genericized term for this type of music. Historical uses included piping music into workplaces and public venues.

Cultural connotation

Outside its literal meaning, the phrase is sometimes used dismissively for music considered bland, repetitive, or lacking edge. This figurative use is common in everyday English and in criticism of background-music aesthetics, implying bland or monotonous music.