The Philips BMS2600 BGM system.
A proper video this week featuring a device from one of my favourite categories - background music systems.
You might be aware how much I like exploring these systems. Since there are only a few interesting BGM devices left to show, I like to take my time to document them for future generations (whether they want me to or not).
As a result of my enthusiasm these videos end up being way too long for anyone with a compromised attention span. So in an attempt to pre-empt any such concerns, I've made an abridged version as well, link in the YouTube description ;-)
I'll also mention that due to the considerable amount of music in this video, there is a high probability that I'll be forced to re-upload it with alternative audio. If at any point you find that this video is unavailable - don’t be concerned, I’ll be working on a revised version behind the scenes.
Anyway I hope you enjoy it, take care.
Comments (101)
Late indeed- just want to say keep on going with the background music systems! Honestly I miss hearing Muzak in stores...
Late to the party as always, lol.. Seems to me that 1/4" tape could easily have supported 8 mono tracks, maybe even 12 - a full day's trading without repeat for many businesses. I'm sure the quality would've been adequate given the use-case...
The music reminds me of watching the non-interactive Ceefax pages when waiting for the kids tv programmes to start. I then got all nostalgic and remembered the Granada TV morning startup theme.
“Named after Britain’s best car”. You jest, sir :)
When I was a child with a single digit age in the 1970s I told my mother that my most hated car was the Austin Allegro - there was just something about it that I really disliked. My mum mentioned it to me again later in life - I had a particular phobia about the Allegro. It turned out that I was a very perceptive child as it is often mentioned as the worst British car ever. Whether that reputation is deserved is down to individual opinion..but both 7 year old me and Jeremy Clarkson were not fans.
I really love and appreciate the way you investigate things like the IPS. Thank you for doing that! Now, I work frequently with data cartridges like SAIT and LTO. They, too have large barcodes on the bottoms. That is for use in tape libraries, so that a robotic arm with a barcode scanner can identify the tape and automatically swap tapes when needed. Any chance there were similar robotic tape libraries for this BMS?
Watching this again now that it's public (as one does). *I* like them, too! Not enough to collect them and do videos on them, but enough to watch your shows. The music ... meh ... but the tech is fascinating. In North American they seemed to be known as "Muzak" systems since that seems to be the only company anyone had ever heard of ... assuming they even knew "Muzak" was a trademark and not just a style of music. I would expect that they didn't have a monopoly, but don't really know. Apparently, at least here in the US and Canada, there were systems where the programming was transmitted via radio, either over obscure bands like 72 MHz or as "Subsidiary Communications Authorization" ("SCA") subcarrier channel. If you had those over there, I'd be interested in you covering them ... except that the transmitting services are probably long gone ... and there is no media to speak of.
What's the name of that funky piece over the end credits?
Hey Mat, is it possible to somehow get a hold of Track 1 of the Allegro Tape? I tried Shazam-ing it but to no avail. I would really like to add the song to my playlist. Thanks!
When I get the opportunity I'll try to put something together for Patrons.
Fantastic, I also love these old background music machines. They give me nostalgia for a now defunct local chain of department stores called Brett's I went to as a kid. I would be horribly tempted to set something like this up around my home so I could activate background music mode whenever I wanted.
Wonderful video Mat and some of those tunes were killer. I wish we could get a 4 hour video of the machine playing a tape that I could put on my tv during parties like those fireplace videos but we live in an insane copyrighted world.
There is a Muzak channel, though! https://youtube.com/c/The4MusketeersYT No copyright strikes yet, it would seem? Presumably, the Philips tapes are safe as well.
Love these weird corporate players and so glad you mentioned the Seeburg 1000 video. Somehow I had missed that one. Would including links to relevant past episodes generate more traffic for them? Or is this another case of more effort on your part and no one bothering to read the video description info. Apologies if this has been covered. My memory is not what it once was!
It’s not a bad idea for me to link them onscreen. Clicks will probably be in single digits, but every view helps.
Thank you, haven't watched this one yet, but I will soon! :) I guess you already have seen this one? First time for me: https://i.postimg.cc/RCp1ZvmF/bild.png (Probably a design idea)
Those are neat, but I would guess they are prototypes - how would they get in the mechanisms? Unless the concealed rear side is fully rectangular. But...if Sony could create a PS-F9, surely they could create these?
I have to say I'd never heard of Dieter Rams before this video, so it's been an educational as well as a musical journey for me!
The things you find astonish and delight me.
Interesting. I just discovered the Rowe Customusic, another Fidelipac-based BGM system..
wow, the quality on the output surprised me. it's crazy for me to imagine how many musicians and others were involved in the coordination and performance of all this music and how limited (in time and market) the audience is. I'll say the BGM videos are among my favorites for their weirdness!
Great video as usual Mat. Wonder why they hid those buttons behind a door?
To thwart employees
What's track 9?
Don’t get me wrong - The Pretenders
Another Day in Paradise. When Mat said "I've heard this before" he probably did while out shopping in the 1990s. On the subject of non consumer devices, when a new supermarket opened near us in the early 1970s they had change machines with all the coins in perspex tubes hooked up to the cash registers so the cashier could dispense change at the touch of a button. They were only there for a few years. I reckon they probably got rid of them when they switched to electronic tills. Does anyone else remember anything similar? Google searches haven't shown anything like them.
Sound a great idea. And protects the owner from till dipping! Love to see one of those..Get searching Mat!
It is interesting how desperate youtube/RIAA is to make sure that music is not part of shared culture anymore.
Especially since everything is derivative. There's only 12 notes, and they only sound good in certain orders
So, Mat... when can we expect the Patreon Exclusive download of 136 hours of Philips Background System music in mono FLAC?! :-P
🥴 20hrs ago: Techmoan: "I can’t get into the business of distributing music made by others - any more than I could send everyone a rip of the Beatles back catalogue. Therein lies ruin."
The design reminds me of the Philips NMS 9100 MS DOS computer my father had in the late eighties. DOS beige indeed.
Nobody could say you didn't do the subject justice, Mat! :-) Fascinating. I noticed how the wow and flutter disappeared after cleaning. I'm quite impressed with the reproduction quality. Great video, thanks.
That capstan was really rough - I didn’t show it in the video as it might have lead to consternation but I had to scrape off multiple layers of black residue with a knife before I finally got down to the surface.
I was struck by the system of employment this device and those like it supported. There would have been composers, directors, musicians, studio technicians, warehouse workers, sales, and billing people all behind this product. Jobs now all lost.
There are still BMS - just not tape-based systems. I would suspect those BMS would employ some of the same but probably fewer. I wonder if music copyright issues are still a concern, though.
Love your BGM reviews, you clearly really enjoy them!
Audio is pretty good.
Great video... Great machine... A keeper!
Always good, some obscure format!
What’s the different voltage outputs about? That’s intriguing.
This... Line audio speakers... https://audiovolt.co.uk/blogs/av-insight-background-audio-advise/guide-to-100v-line-audio-systems
A classic Techmoan. Love it. I can't share your enthusiasm for music that you can't quite remember the name of though. It leaves me frustrated for the rest of teh day.
As I get older I’m starting to enjoy the confusion…or at least embrace it.
The very first track that was playing when you first inserted the tape was “The last farewell” by Roger Whittaker. Hilarious that I recognized it! It only randomly came up on YouTube Music several weeks ago… first time I had ever heard it. Whenever I hear these awesome arrangements, I wonder if the entire tapes can be uploaded to archive.org for preservation? Sorry if this is frequently asked, but I have to admit I’d love to listen to these in them in their entirety.
I recognized that song too, ONLY because I looked up Whittaker before, because MST3K referenced him!
Thanks for the video Mat. I am happy you saw makings on the circuit board to back up your theory when it was built. (Typed after watching all the video). Best wishes, Tez.
I’m never confident in any numbers I see - until I’ve seen some other evidence to back it up. It’s so easy to say the wrong thing then the mistake is immortalised. I err on the side of caution.
Number 4 seems like an amalgam of "Having My Baby" and something written by Mac Davis! If I was on "Name that Tune" I'd need more notes.
The player must have a rather low level of flutter as the pianos sounded really good with not flutter that I could hear.
It’s really pretty solid all round…a bit muffled in places, but that’s likely down to the tapes.
I've always had a special liking for your BGM videos too. In my case it was interesting to learn the history of something that was so ubiquitous, but something I'd never really given much thought to--it was something that was just THERE. I'd never really thought that there must be a tape player or some other machine actually playing the music, since it was something you heard in every store, large or small that you went into. Also enjoy the name that tune game, I may have to try doing that the next time I go shopping.
Is it time for (dare I even suggest it)...a BACKGROUND MUSIC SYSTEM BATTLE OF THE BANDS?!
Oh I got 5 now, one hint: I'd do it all again...
I was curious to know whether Shazam can recognise any of these cover versions, it turns out it can! Means you might be able to identify tracks that are driving you nuts. As to how well it works... Shazam skipped over the first few before it could identify Another Day in Paradise, this is the ID it made: I used Shazam to discover Another Day In Paradise by Orquesta Musica Maravillosa. https://www.shazam.com/track/58559739/another-day-in-paradise Could it have identified the ones before that? Maybe, it might just need a segment that's a bit more identifiable, or more time with the tracks than you provided. Still, it's something to bear in mind for the future.
I got 3, 6 and 8. Five is also vaguely familiar to me as well, but can't quite place it. Reminds me of some sort of TV show theme song.
In the late 70’s I worked in an office that had a BMS. One of the repeating songs was a version of Little Green Apples. It had vocals by a choral group, and when they sang the line about Indianapolis, the vocalists pronounced it “Indiana POLis.” Several of us in the office would scream out in agony. One of us who I won’t mention stayed late one night, climbed up on the desk with a screwdriver and disconnected the speaker, restoring peace to the department.
I use to hate background music as a kid but as I grew up, I recognised the value of it and came to enjoy it. So much so, I now play a lot of my own purchased compilations “in the background “. I like this unit, it’s one of the best I’ve seen/heard. Thanks Matt
They put a lot of high end parts in it...not a cheap electronics unit.
Is Track 3 Phil Collins' Another Day in Paradise? Wouldn't have expected that on a BGM cartridge.
Yep.
If this video gets flagged for copyrighted music, that would be the epiphany of irony. The whole point of Philips using cover versions of all the music on BGM productions was to AVOID paying royalties to the original artists. So all the artists that were involved in all of the music in your videos, have already been paid off and the rights to the versions of the songs in your video were likely owned by Philips BMS. Of course Philips hasn't had a BMS department since the mid 1990s (they lost the race against Muzak) and probably no-one knows what happened to the rights of the BGM music library. I hope you'll do another video about those other tapes when you get them, but there's probably not much to do a video about, except that the Soft Pop probably has original artists on them instead of cover versions (that's how it was in the CD-i time anyway) and YouTube will probably flag those. Those probably belong to record company BMG now (that's not a typo). Thanks for posting!
I used to know this…but I’ve since forgotten. Will the CDi BGM discs play just fine in a consumer CDi unit?
Got 3, 6, 8, 9, 10… What’s 5? Seems VERY familiar but one of those songs I haven’t heard in decades and probably never paid much attention to on the radio.
I feel like I should know that one too - but I don’t.
What was Track 7?
Ma Baker - Boney M (originally)
Great video. Guess this is much more reliable then 8 track they were always breaking. Must go visit ma baker now in the navy, just another day in paradise. Thanks for your hard work use to edit video for a work website know how tedious it can be
The audio on this took the longest time - trying to pick a good ‘recognisable’ section for ten songs out of four hours of recordings.
I womder who played thr guitar solo on "love machine?" In your closing credits?
I want the full version of Track 7.
Track 10 is Sacrifice by Elton John from 1989.
The second half of the songs are the easiest, I started to pick the ones I knew to round out the ten…it’s some of the first few I really struggle with. But don’t get me wrong, it’s just another day in paradise.
Good old Phillips without them we would have not had Cassette decks & CD players When a customer in my shop asked if they were made in Japan he said Yes. Frillips is a well know brand in Japan. The pun being that people if Japan have problems with the letter P
I think I'm going to really enjoy this one! Before I start watching, one thing that stands out is how much of the mid-'80s Philips consumer product design language comes through on the BGM2600. It wouldn't look out of place in a 1985 lounge room.
I'm ashamed to say I didn't get any of the 10 mystery songs. My musical education is clearly lacking. Great video though.
Neither did I; I make the inexcusable excuse that these are European favorites. The one at 18:14 started out sounding like the theme tune for the TV show Quantum Leap, but it's not. Some sound familiar, but out of reach.
Loved this video! More quizzes pls when you get the other carts! :)
Perhaps as a Patreon thing…
So.. where would this fit on the elevator car? 🤔
For what it's worth, I really enjoyed a CD from many years ago called "Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd" which was preformed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. ... I found a link at https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/london-philharmonic-orchestra/us-and-them-symphonic-pink-floyd/ for some more info.
I’ve got a few things along these lines - there’s an Abba one that was also on DCC. It probably won’t be a surprise to learn that I pre-ordered the orchestral Bob Marley album a while back too.
Another Excellent Video, good sir. Never saw anything with 4 mono tracks before!
Halfway through (still at work) but just your luck that the speaker would have something rattling inside. I 💙 BGM machines - but will wait to watch rest of vid on my TV. This machine has what I call an institutional look.
It’s in DOS beige.
Definitely an interesting system. I only got track 6 from the 'name that tune' game, but I did really like track 7 and the part you captured through the Spotmaster and slowed down sounded like Swan Lake in the style of the theme tune from The Bill. Well, it did to someone born in 1990 anyway...
In that case you might want to listen to Ma Baker by Boney M
What I find fascinating about BMS is that; because it's an esoteric device that wasn't created to look appealing as much as it was made to serve a function. You get music players that are more about the function than the form. For instance, the walkman is a beautiful device; it has to be for someone to want to own one. It also was a fantastic range of players. But the end market was always the customer who wanted a balance of function and form. But companies don't give a toss, they just want something that works. So instead of thinking of a design and then working forwards to get it to work and look good, BMS worked backwards. They thought of the media it was going to play and then thought about how to play it. It's like the polaroid SX-70. It's a perfect marriage of function and form. A beautiful object that is still top of it's class when it comes to polaroid photography. Then you have the Polaroid Macro 5, one of; if not the ugliest polaroid camera ever made (Google it). But it wasn't meant to look good, it was used by dentists and doctors to take macro photos and used a laser system to focus. It takes incredible photos but if it was on a shelf, no one would buy it because it's all function. (Of course this all falls apart when you talk about a lot of Sony stuff like the Sony PVM's which were (and are) top of the range CRT monitors that were used for medical and broadcast purposes. But because Sony made them, they also look cool as hell and aged wonderfully.
I think a good balance of form and function in the BMS scene can be found in the 3M Cantata 700 - especially the first model. Incredibly simple interface but what a well crafted machine! I was inspired by Mat and bought two actually - one good machine and one a parts donor. They are built as solidly as a tank. Beautiful mechanical machinery housed in a clean, simple, yet elegant solid walnut case that, with just a bit of polish, still looks wonderful. It helps that the music on the cartridges (at least the ones I have) is charming and delightful and a joy to listen to.
Love some of the interpretations of songs (at least the ones I recognize). Fun video. PS When do we get the answers to the Name That Tune? :P
You’re doing the answers - I’m just the DJ. I know six of them - but feel I really should know a couple more.
You need to rip all of these carts and upload them to a burner channel so that all of us can have background music streaming unrepeated for days on end
Great Video! Looks really like a Rams design
That was amazing. And I envy you the hours of listening you have ahead. (genuinely would listen to all those carts, at least once, just to see/hear what was there)
Wow, that last tune is ROCKIN'!
Yes you get little gems like that every now and again - there are some flashes of brilliance with these musicians when they’re allowed to riff, but most of it is lost to time.
All your videos are proper videos, even the “cheese sandwich” ones!
I sure hope it doesn't get flagged. I know you're aware of how many of us have bugged you to release that 4 hour ProPac "Mixed Tempo" tape!
And we're still waiting, he hasn't done so yet, despite how many of us will ask for the full cassette rip of the ProPac. It's very unique music that only owners of the background music system will have, and not the general public, not fair.
I got excited when I read the first half of the title.. BGM also stands for Blood Glucose Monitoring, and I'm diabetic! 😂
Yes, this is one of the early analogue models. The cartridge takes a pint of blood, which is then inserted into the machine for analysis. 🧛🏻♂️