Beautiful music
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Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator music, light music, mood music, and Muzak are other terms that overlap with this format and the style of music that it featured. Beautiful music can also be regarded as a subset of the middle of the road radio format.
History
Beautiful music initially offered soft and unobtrusive instrumental selections on a very structured schedule with limited commercial interruptions. It often functioned as a free background music service for stores, with commercial breaks consisting only of announcements aimed at shoppers already in the stores. This practice was known as "storecasting" and was very common on the FM dial in the 1940s and 1950s.
Many of these FM stations usually simulcast their
Some FM stations made more income from these music subscriptions than from their main programming. WITH-FM, in
Growth as a radio format
One of the first beautiful music radio stations in the US was KIXL in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, area. As early as 1947 it played orchestral music on AM radio (1040), and later on FM (104.5). KIXL changed to KEZL (as in "easy listening") in 1973, but ended with a change to adult contemporary in 1976.
In 1959,
In the early 1960s, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a standard for transmitting and receiving stereo signals on a single channel of the FM band. In addition to delivering stereo sound, FM broadcasting provided clearer sound quality and better resistance to interference than AM, thus being ideal for broadcasting the beautiful music format.
In Baltimore, Maryland, programmer Art Wander developed a beautiful music format for the 50,000-watt NBC affiliate WBAL/1090. The station format launched in the fall of 1960 featured music sweeps of lush instrumentals with subtle comments from their staff announcers. The format changed to sports and talk when competing FM stations broadcast beautiful music and easy listening.
In 1963, Marlin Taylor created a custom-designed beautiful music format at Philadelphia's WDVR. Within four months, WDVR became the #1 rated FM station in the Philadelphia market. This was one of the first big successes in FM broadcasting, and was instrumental in establishing the viability of FM. WDVR was a resource for mature listeners who were driven from AM radio at the time when WFIL and WIBG (and others) switched to rock 'n' roll programming. WDVR's billboards made the adult audience aware of the new station.
Airtime resell practice. Libraries of music for radio stations
Others, such as Jim Schulke, devised a method of buying air time on
Peters Productions in San Diego, California was active throughout the late 1960s through the early 1980s. At one time Peters Productions offered 7 different syndicated radio formats plus radio/television "station image" packages (custom jingle and integrated promotional graphics packages.) The most popular syndicated radio format was a beautiful music format on a library of 100 reel-to-reel tapes, with 6 new reels provided per month. It originated when founder Ed Peters was station manager of San Diego radio station
Many beautiful music programmers constructed their own style of sets, incorporating some vocal songs, usually one to each 15-minute set. Most stations adopted a 70–80% instrumental – 20–30% vocal mix, a few offered 90% instrumentals, and a handful were entirely instrumental. Initially, the vocalists consisted of artists such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Patti Page, Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, Doris Day, and others.
By the 1970s, softer songs by artists like
Also, during weekday morning drive times, most beautiful music stations increased the vocals to as much as 50 percent to accommodate a broader audience. While these stations were mostly playing instrumentals, some had a couple of specialty programs that were vocal-based such as a Big Band program on Saturday nights, a Frank Sinatra show sometime on the weekends, and maybe a program featuring Broadway showtunes.
Generally, the recordings heard on beautiful music stations were newly orchestrated arrangements of the songs of the day. These were available from the major record labels and performed by such artists as
Many beautiful music stations would air a few
The predominantly instrumental-vocal mix is still in use today, mainly by smooth jazz stations.
Declining years
Peters was the first beautiful music syndicator to sell its library in the late 1980s to Broadcast Programming, Inc., which then bought several other syndicators. (BPI, later part of
Some beautiful music stations (especially on AM) successfully transitioned to adult contemporary formats, often with call letter changes to shed the "elevator music" identity. Many of these stations marketed themselves as playing many of the same songs from the original artists; adult contemporary had the benefit of having core acts that could much more easily be marketed and were more familiar to listeners, as opposed to the lesser-known and poorer-selling studio acts that made up the majority of the beautiful music format.
Beautiful music stations declined in the late 1980s and early 1990s as country music became popular and moved to the FM dial (formerly, country was relegated to AM). Many beautiful music stations, especially in rural areas, switched to country around that time.
While the seasonal Christmas music format helped salvage softer vocal selections from the era even as formats such as adult standards withered, radio industry writer Sean Ross noted in 2005 that this did not apply to beautiful music instrumentals, which remained widely unpopular. Ross noted that beautiful music drew as much revulsion from listeners as novelty songs and that the appetite for instrumental Christmas music, even among older listeners, was mostly restricted to newer instrumental cuts such as from Mannheim Steamroller and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.[1]
List of instrumental artists associated with "beautiful music" radio format era
Some instrumental artists associated with beautiful music have included:
- 101 Strings Orchestra
- 12 Girls Band
- André Kostelanetz
- Anne Murray
- Arthur Fiedler
- Arthur Greenslade
- Arthur Lyman
- Bert Kaempfert
- Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra
- Bob James
- Bradley Joseph
- Burt Bacharach
- Caravelli
- Carl Doy
- Charles Williams
- Cyril Ornadel
- David Rose
- Enoch Light
- Eric Coates
- Ernest Tomlinson
- Felix Slatkin
- Ferrante & Teicher
- Floyd Cramer
- Francis Lai
- Franck Pourcel
- Frank Chacksfield
- Frank Cordell
- Frank De Vol
- Frank Perkins
- Geoff Love
- George Melachrino
- George Shearing Quintette
- Geraldo(and his New Concert Orchestra)
- Henry Mancini
- Hollyridge Strings
- Hugo Winterhalter
- Jackie Gleason
- James Galway
- James Last
- Joe Harnell
- John Barry
- John Williams
- Johnny Douglas
- Johnny Pearson
- Lawrence Welk
- Leroy Anderson
- Les Baxter
- Lex de Azevedo
- Liberace
- Living Strings
- Longines Symphonette
- Mantovani
- Morton Gould
- Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra
- Nick Ingman
- Norrie Paramor
- Paul Mauriat
- Paul Weston
- Percy Faith
- Peter Nero
- Ray Martin
- Richard Clayderman
- Richard Hayman
- Robert Farnon
- Robert Maxwell
- Roger Williams
- Ron Goodwin
- Ronald Binge
- Ronnie Aldrich
- Sidney Torch
- Stanley Black
- Syd Dale
- Tony Mottola
- Victor Young
- Wes Montgomery
List of vocal artists associated with "beautiful music" radio format era
Among the vocal artists featured on beautiful music stations may include many of the same ones featured on the adult standards format and others:
- ABBA (softer selections)
- Andy Williams
- Anita Kerr Singers
- Anne Murray
- B.J. Thomas
- Barbra Streisand
- Barry Manilow
- Bing Crosby
- Captain & Tennille
- Carly Simon
- Connie Francis
- Dan Fogelberg
- Dean Martin
- Diana Krall
- Doris Day
- Elvis Presley (softer selections)
- Engelbert Humperdinck
- Frank Sinatra
- Harry Connick, Jr.
- Helen Reddy
- Jack Jones
- Jo Stafford
- John Denver
- John Gary
- Johnny Mann Singers
- Johnny Mathis
- Linda Ronstadt
- Matt Monro
- Melissa Manchester
- Michael Bublé
- Nana Mouskouri
- Nancy Wilson
- Nat King Cole
- Neil Diamond
- Norah Jones
- Olivia Newton-John
- Patti Page
- Perry Como
- Petula Clark
- Ray Charles Singers
- Ray Conniff Singers
- Ronnie Dove
- Rosemary Clooney
- Sérgio Mendes
- Snatam Kaur
- Steve Lawrence
- The Association
- The Beatles (softer selections)
- The Carpenters
- The Lettermen
- Vic Damone
Today
Today's smooth jazz radio stations maintain the structure and style of the beautiful music format. The format continues on a few non-commercial radio stations, including KCEA (89.1 FM) in Atherton, California; KWXY (1340 AM) in Palm Springs, California KLUX (89.5 FM) in Corpus Christi, Texas; KHOY (88.1 FM) in Laredo, Texas; KNCT-FM (91.3 FM) in Killeen, Texas; KGUD (90.7 FM) in Longmont, Colorado.
Some commercial beautiful music stations still exist, often in areas with large retiree populations. These are often popular in their markets. An annual influx of vacationers from colder climates has helped such stations as KAHM (102.1 MHz) in Prescott, Arizona, and, until 2021 KWXY (1340 kHz) in Cathedral City, California. Most of the remaining commercial beautiful music stations are primarily in markets with major resorts. An exception is WGCY in Gibson City, Illinois which serves rural areas in Central Illinois with mostly instrumental beautiful music.
Today most stations that play beautiful music are either characterized as nostalgia, smooth jazz or easy listening. In Canada, Evanov Communications' "Jewel"-branded stations in Ontario and Quebec (including CKDX-FM in metro Toronto, CJWL-FM in Ottawa, and CHSV-FM in metropolitan Montreal, among others), which play soft adult contemporary music during the day and standards in the evening, feature an hour of traditional beautiful music from 11:00 p.m. to midnight, dubbing the program "The Instrumental Concert Series". The Cleveland market features non-profit WKHR 91.5, which plays many classic beautiful and light jazz instrumentals from the 1930s through the 1960s, as well as timeless pop and jazz vocals.
Radio production veteran Jason 'Jake' Longwell, currently produces and hosts a weekly hour long radio program devoted to Beautiful Music called Something Beautiful.[citation needed]
Beautiful music without FM radio
television subscribers.Instrumental beautiful music can also be found on a number of Internet radio feeds. Many radio stations mentioned below have Internet "doubles".
- Some "internet radios" have dedicated smartphone apps; and most apps would play music as a background task, like a typical music app would.
As for looking up for archived tape-like selections from beautiful music era rather than modern music labelled as "beautiful", one can look up for a radio [station] aircheck from 1970s or 1960s.
As mentioned above, many radio stations have Internet doubles and some even have own mobile apps. Therefore, it may be possible to listen to a town-scale or city-scale BM/EZ-like radio station from another state.
- WGPC in Albany, Georgia
- WVTL in Amsterdam, New York
- Atlanta, Georgia
- KGFM in Bakersfield, California
- Baltimore, Maryland
- KICE-FM in Bend, Oregon
- WAPI-FM and WQEZ in Birmingham, Alabama
- KBOI-FM in Boise, Idaho
- Boston, Massachusetts
- WEZN in Bridgeport, Connecticut
- WHBC-FM in Canton, Ohio
- WBES in Charleston, West Virginia
- WEZC, WBT-FM and WRLX in Charlotte, North Carolina
- WDEF-FM in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Chicago, Illinois
- KPAY-FM in Chico, California
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cleveland, Ohio
- WXKG in Cookeville, Tennessee
- KRDO-FM in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- WBUK (later WTVN-FM) and WBNS-FM in Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- WDAQ in Danbury, Connecticut
- WHIO in Dayton, Ohio
- KDEM in Deming, New Mexico
- Denver, Colorado
- Detroit, Michigan
- KPNW-FM in Eugene, Oregon
- WAVV in Fort Myers, Florida
- WFRE in Frederick, Maryland
- KLTA and KKNU in Fresno, California
- WOOD-FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan
- WGLD in Greensboro, North Carolina
- WBAQ in Greenville, Mississippi
- WMUU-FM in Greenville, South Carolina
- WWMD in Hagerstown, Maryland
- WRCH and WKSS in Hartford, Connecticut
- Houston, Texas
- WRSA-FM in Huntsville, Alabama
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- WKTZ in Jacksonville
- KCMU (later KCEZ) and KMBR in Kansas City, Missouri
- KONA-FM in Tri-Cities
- Key West, Florida
- WKPT-FM in Kingsport, Tennessee
- WEZK in Knoxville, Tennessee
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Los Angeles, California
- WVEZ in Louisville, Kentucky
- KTMT-FM and KCMX-FM in Medford, Oregon
- WDBN in Medina, Ohio (served Akron, Canton, and Cleveland markets)
- WEZI in Memphis, Tennessee
- Miami, Florida
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Minneapolis-Saint Paul
- WREZ in Montgomery, Alabama
- WZEZ in Nashville, Tennessee
- WVNJ in Newark, New Jersey
- WKCI-FM in New Haven, Connecticut
- New York City
- KNPT-FM in Newport, Oregon
- WDBO-FM and WSSP in Orlando, Florida
- KWXY in Palm Springs, California
- WPAT-AM-FM in Paterson, New Jersey
- WMEZ in Pensacola, Florida
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- KXL-FM, KUPL-FM, KJIB and KQFM in Portland, Oregon
- WHJY and WLKW-AM-FM in Providence, Rhode Island
- WTVR in Richmond, Virginia
- WPVR in Roanoke, Virginia
- WEZO in Rochester
- KAER, KCTC and KEWT in Sacramento, California
- WGER in Saginaw, Michigan
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- San Antonio, Texas
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco
- Seattle-Tacoma
- WJYW in Southport, North Carolina
- KXLY-FM in Spokane, Washington
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Tampa/St. Petersburg
- WLQR in Toledo, Ohio
- WGAY-FM in Washington, D.C.
- WWYZ in Western Connecticut
- WEAT in West Palm Beach, Florida
- KUEZ in Yakima, Washington
- Havana, Cuba
See also
- Easy listening
- Light music
- Sentimental ballad
- Lounge music
- Adult standards
- Middle of the road (music)
- Soft rock
- Adult contemporary
- Contemporary Hit Radio
- Adult Top 40
- Smooth jazz
- Elevator music
- Muzak
- Background music
References
- ^ Ross, Sean (2005-01-13). "What We Learned From Testing Christmas Music In 2004". Edison Research. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
- ^ "EMF Buys In Jacksonville". allaccess.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
External links
- "Beautiful Music Syndicators". easylisteninghq.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013.