Motivational Music (MP3s)

1. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (1:58)
2. In a Little Spanish Town (2:16)
3. Mambo at the Zenda (1:50)
4. Thanks for the Memory (2:05)
5. I Know That You Know (2:08)
6. Count Up To Six (2:29)
7. Talk to Me Baby, Tell Me Lies (2:08)

It's Monday. It's possibly warm where you are. You're at work, unless you're in Maine or Massachusetts, where today is Patriots' Day, a curious local holiday that commemorates the Battle of Lexington and offers people the day off to appreciate Revolutionary-themed cosplay.

Chances are you need some stimulation to get you through to Friday. Automatic Canteen and Rowe are here to help, with the Customusic sampler, one of many attempts to improve productivity in the workplace by harnessing the power of music.

Pity the poor employer...

All the boss wants is work done cheaply. This conflicts with the desires of employees, who want such outlandish things as food and breaks during the workday, to say nothing of health insurance and retirement plans. In the early days of American industry, the bosses could threaten the employees with termination or, in extreme cases, smack them around a bit to keep them focused. Fortunately for employees, the Lowell Textile Strike of 1836 put an end to the more unsavory practices of American industry.

Employers came to realize that perks could be as effective as threats in motivating the workplace. Vending machines became a common site in lunchrooms, many of them built by Automatic Canteen, one of the first large-scale producers of cigarette and snack machines.

Automatic Canteen began looking to add music to its list of vending machines, and in 1959 it bought William Rowe's jukebox company, naming the new enterprise AC Rowe. With an established list of corporate clients (Automatic Canteen exists today simply as Canteen), they sought to tap the motivational music business with a product called Customusic. This could be run from a dedicated jukebox in the supervisor's office and pumped out to the rest of the building.

Customusic was a direct competitor of MUZAK and offered the same variety of sonic atmospheres. Today's selections come from the "Productivity" portion of the sampler. Year unknown for this one, but the line art and lettering on the cover suggest the early1960s.

These are bright, fully orchestrated covers having more in common with the "Beautiful Music" format than the horn-heavy (yet scrupulously recorded and engineered) offerings of MUZAK. Also absent is MUZAK's trademark Stimulus Progression concept, where tracks are arranged to enhance and heighten the positive effect of the music. There's no order apparent, apart from someone's wry positioning of "Count Up to Six" as the sixth track on the side.

This is just one side of a four-sided album. If you like it and want more, drop a comment below and I'll post the rest in the coming weeks.

Comments

[Dave]

Fantastic! Productivity just increased 8%! I'd like to be the first to request the other three sides...that's 24% more productivity!

Thanks a bunch for this from one newly motivated worker.

[Plaid_Knight]

Please post more. These were great. Thanks!

[Kelly]

These are sweet, I'd love to hear more.

[Scott]

YES! Post more!

Whereas MUZAK kills the spirit of the tune, these are lively, well-executed covers. Me likey.

[Andy Rathbone]

That's as peppy as a good Ethiopian blend! Please post the other three sides so I can finish my next book.

[nidrian]

I have the same double-album with the same art on the cover but the track listings are completely different. It also doesn't group the album sides into different categories like 'productivity'. Weird. Sounds good, though.

[Ben]

Please post more of these gems. These are great.

Thanks,
Ben

[Wicked Good Grrrl]

I loved the Ultra-Lounge anthology series and the other lounge/cocktail/bachelor pad music CDs that were marketed last decade. As I came in late, I didn't hear these when they were broadcast--found this on a link through BoingBoing--but I'd cast my vote for more, "sound unheard". Super!

[DarrellH]

I'd love to hear the rest too. What good music!

[Andrew]

They are excellent; I would love to have the rest. Thank you for the current ones and any future you put forward.

[Taro 3Yen.com]

A meh footnote to the "Chicago Automatic Canteen Corporation" is that ...
http://www.canteen.com/history.html
...Canteen's evolution took another dramatic turn in 1994. Compass Group PLC, one of Europe's leading food service management companies, acquired Canteen in June 1994 and moved its headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina. The partnership has made Compass Group one of the world's largest food service companies, and it has enabled Canteen to fortify its market leadership with professional management, stability, and segmentation.

[Hear It Wow]

Ask and ye shall receive. I'll post the rest of the sampler in the coming weeks.

[sds]

Gimme gimme gimme! Gimme some more!

[Ratigan]

Do you know if this music is in the public domain?

[umgrego2]

AWESOME!

Please, sir, I want some more.

[adrian]

Fascinating and very listenable! I'd love to hear more.

[Hear It Wow]

Isn't everything we post in the public domain? I'm not a legal expert on copyright, but anything published between 1923 and 1963 that was published with notice but unrenewed is public domain. After 1964, copyright protection lasts for 95 years after the date of publication. As the exact date of the album is unknown, along with its copyright renewal status, I'd advise against repurposing any of the tracks for commercial gain. Although the Customusic brand itself no longer exists, it's creators (Canteen and Rowe International) are still very much in business. If I had to guess, I'd put this at somewhere between 1963 and 1964. I examine albums and covers very carefully for the year of publication and cross-reference any clues I come up with. The date on this one is elusive, so I can't say for sure if it's public domain.

[jb]

want more. kthx.

[Arvo]

Looking forward to more. Especially if "Start the Day Right" is included.

[Phil]

There are some of these for sale on eBay right now!