21st Century BGM - UPDATED

Background music in general seems to be disappearing from a lot of places. They consider it an unnecessary expense if customers seem just as happy to shop or dine in silence, or are listening to their own choice of music through their smartphone and earbuds.

I posted this on your 2022 wrap up video, copied to here. Doubt you will see this since the video is old. I just wanted to say that I recently discovered your channel and it has given me many hours of entertainment during what has been some hard times otherwise. Don't change a thing, there will always be trolls. F the haters and thank you. PS: some of us watch your videos for all the filla, we don't need the thrilla

When I worked in retail food ( A&P ) whilst going to school and living at home, the store I worked at used to get weekly cassettes from the granddaddy of all BGMs, Muzak. It was an odd setup with a satellite receiver for getting the tunes and the cassettes that had these doofus’s from Better Home and Gardens and Good Housekeeping doing battle over the best tips to working women. Like how to use those empty toilet rolls for crafts and tips for being a better wife. I can hear John McCarter of GHK’s voice as I’m typing. I used to run night crew so to disable the elevator versions of Stairway etc, I’d just turn the Muzak volume down to 0 as if it was turned off somebody on Montvale NJ would call the store. We’d jam a nickel in between the PA button to keep it on and place it next to a boombox.

not entirely related, but shows appreciation of your efforts on youtube - https://youtu.be/KSPLrewSQVw?t=4224 - shoutout for Techmoan from Starkiller (Sam Witwer). Granted, as a more wholesome counter to tentacle porn on youtube but still ! :)

I wonder what was the last BGM that was actually interesting? I'd nominate the Sony Megastorage CD players. That were sold for the home market, but I first saw in a restaurant. The last mix of mechanical ingenuity, physical media and BGM?

Interesting to see the insides and specs of that little PC! The machines I work with on my work also use such small PCs, but usually without case (as the machine has a case itself). Computing power is usually not that important indeed, but the most important: it should be available for a long time! Normal PC models get replaced a lot, often even multiple times a year, we need to have an "industrial PC" that is available for like 10 years, or even longer since replacing it takes a huge verification effort. When then a new model is introduced, it's not uncommon to be more than 10 times as fast as the old one, but still running the same software with the same functionality. Only now to be installed over the network or using USB 3 instead of floppy disks :-P. Sometimes I take such a PC home, but indeed, they're basically useless, except for some very specific tasks...

Love the extra bit, it satisfies my curiosity. Thanks adding that!

"Enter CURRENT password"? Could be a hint!

That's fine, Mat. I liked the previous version but this is better still. My goodness, reading those specs demonstrated you sure can talk fast! :-)

Enjoyed the updated version, and it kind of has a happier ending. Great save! I’m with you on this one, totally agree with your end comments. Cheers Matt.

Wow, Mat, you've really turned that sow's ear into a silk purse with this one - it has become really interesting now you've got into the computer and added more commentary. It was great to see the Seeburg again - that is one of my all-time favourite devices you've ever shown; it has everything, vinyl records, visible automation and quirkiness!

Definitely release-worthy. Nice additions.

I saw the original and this update is a definite improvement. Sneaking into the OS and having a poke around was like scratching an itch. Very satisfying. I also liked how earlier you were protesting you aren't a computer guy and you then proceed to use a network scanner, hack into the filesystem, and boot an alternate operating system. That's a level of skill higher than 99% of people out there.

Missed the original of this entirely, as I was saving it for tonight with my midweek glass of wine. 😁 We weren't allowed the satellite radio at Superdrug in the late 90s, due to the area being residential, so had to make do with one 4-hour tape... for a year. The machine certainly ran at normal speed too as I made my own tape in the end. I put "Out Of Time" by Chris Farlowe as the last track, and made sure the tape ran out before the song ended. No-one got the joke. So it's not just me that thinks every new iteration of an old concept just looks more faceless and dull as the years go on... unless it's for kids like your Yoto player or Tonies?

Uninspiring warning issued, uninspiring checking circuits engaged and viewing commenced, uninspiring content not detected, uninspiring checking circuits tested and found to be operating within normal parameters, uninspiring checking circuits disengaged. Satisfaction level - optimal.

Second edit works much better. Thanks

Thanks for the juicy extra info in the update! That definitely makes it much more worth watching, I would say.

• 😁 6% Death Metal • 4250% what the hell? • Nice to see that you still have Al Green in a pot. • Your update is very well-done - this video is a completely different animal to the original version. I like it. I'm not into the computer aspect of it, but I am sure this should curb many of the pedantic commenters who are. I most enjoyed how you rushed reading through the tedious specs. Your added humor really brightened this version as well. Nicely done. Take care 🤍

Much better than the first edit!I really liked this version. I am glad you revisited it.

Glad you persisted with this one and made an update; it feels a far more rounded video now and it was good to see the file system.

Ooh! I have one of these! I think it came from a Costa. Stuffed full of music. It started playing Fleetwood Mac when I turned it on. Nothing much special about it really. It booted and started mplayer if I recall. I was mildly underwhelmed by the thing. Unfortunately the so and sos have set a bios password and there's no reset that I can find. The manuals I found gave no clue. So it was put back in it's box and relegated to the loft.

Fantastic, I’ll re-watch tomorrow morning some time. Looking forward to it, too 😁

BGM is always one of my favorite subjects but yeah, this one just leaves me going "Meh". The computer is probably just running Linux without a graphical user interface (because why would you need one anyway), and the SD card is probably formatted in a Linux file system and possibly encrypted because copyright. Everything is completely locked into the provider's network and if you want to use it for your own purposes, you probably could, but then you might as well use a Raspberry Pi or something and run a script to play random tracks from a network drive or NAS. So while this is somewhat interesting to show that it exists and works and gets used, it's not really that exciting. Oh well... Good for January I suppose :-)

Interesting question Mat, did you connect the monitor before or after applying power? Impenetrable black boxes are a constant source of entertainment..

Did you try pointing a browser at the IP of the "box"?

Cut out the parts about the PC, leave in the rest, especially the part about how this is not even 1% as interesting as a Seeburg.

I'm a bit late to the party, Mat, but I thought that was interesting! As you say, it's interesting to catch up with the way technology changes. I'd release it. It is January after all. Go for it! :-)

I have a Muzak Encompass and the only thing interesting about it is that it has two outputs that play two different songs simultaneously, and they used a proprietary format on the SD card that is not easily readable in Windows, Mac, or Linux. Most of these digital background music players use MP2 (not MP3) at around 80 kbps. They also made BGM players that used DVD-Rs. On those the music library has a cutoff date, but the disc is in standard format so you can copy it, edit the cutoff date, and re-burn a new disc, and it will play again.

Nothing, absolutely nothing you do is uninteresting. This was a great little video which sort of shows how we the consumer are being constantly abstracted away from the kit we buy.

I would still release it, maybe add a little disclaimer that you don't know anything about the operating system?

It’s how electronics works now - your phone, your watch and many bits of your car are Linux computers customised by software to do a job.

I've just read the rest of your Patreon description. Aww, I hope you find a way to feel good about releasing this one. I did enjoy it. It illustrates an interesting inflection point: whereas BGM used to be interesting due to the need to develop totally bespoke media and hardware, now companies can just source an anonymous box from anywhere. It's also an interesting peek into what drives you. Techmoan is unique among the many vintage tech channels, in that its value comes from your POV. This isn't the "this BGM device is broken; watch me fix it" channel or the "here's how to turn this $35 eBay music streaming device into a vintage games emulation console" channel. You're the only one who can talk about it from the perspective of someone who's been intrigued by this category of devices for years. Your disappointment is part of what makes this video interesting. (But of course, you have your own instinct for what works and what doesn't.)

The video did leave me curious about what's inside. Even if it was one of those Techmoan moments where you expose the circuit board to light and air, comment "Exactly as I suspected: it's made out of electronics," and then close it back up again.

I was truly surprised that the device didn't lock up as soon as you connected it to the Internet. I'm sure you're correct in guessing that its designers would have wanted it to function reliably even when the store's Internet connection isn't. But I assumed that the first thing the device would do on cold startup with active Internet would have been to phone home and either verify that the device is associated with an active subscriber, or await a signal that the user had completed the account setup process. (Though of course I shouldn't assume that this thing is even capable of connecting to the Internet; we've already seen that it's a box made for whatever purpose the bulk-buyers sets it to, and that in its current configuration, some of its ports don't do anything...)

I imagine that someone could make a BGM that represents the best of both worlds: a library of thousands of high-definition digital tracks, running on non-boring hardware. Perhaps a jukebox-style machine loaded with 16 iPod Nanos, mounted on a carousel that rotates the desired iPod into position and lowers it into the machine's single 30-pin dock connector as required. Obviously, a system of mirrors, lenses, and prisms would allow the operator to view the display of the active iPod, projected upon a pane of frosted glass on the front of the case. It's so obvious that I truly can't understand why such a product doesn't exist already.

This device looks perfect for a hacking contest! First goal of course : does it run Doom?

I’ve enjoyed this video and found it interesting actually. Maybe sleep on it for a year or so, until you find another you can compare it to. As I say, I found it interesting 😊

Hi Matt, I’d be interested in digging into the software of this a bit more. I had a look on eBay for similar devices but as you observed there seem to be quite a few with the SD card wiped. If you’re up for it, you could either mail me the SD card or I could send you directions for making an image. Otherwise I might set up an eBay saved search myself. -Richard

Totally agree, this thing will probably "just work", boring, something with cool mechanics is of course much more interesting to make a video about... But well, time goes on...

Isn't it funny, this BGM makes me feel so old, while most of your other videos make me feel young... I suppose this system is clever, especially after Chris explained the features. Actually, I should thank you for showing how special this older tech is. Excellent video, as usual.

It’s interesting that the service resold a thin client like that without “hiding” any of the branding. Just a step above sending a Raspberry Pi. Makes sense though.

I think it’s interesting to see how BGM systems have changed. But yeah, the old Seeburg machines are much more interesting and charming

Hi Mat, i have several of these sort of devices in use at work (although a different provider) and can offer a bit more info. Ours are managed via a web interface hosted by the provider. We type in the MAC address of the device which is on the label and then a password. This then displays a management portal for that device. Ours hold 2000 tracks of genres which we have specified eg, 70s 80s crooners modern easy listening etc and we select a weighted percentage of which genres for example 10% 70s, 30% 80s etc etc. Each week about 20% of each category is rotated ensuing a gradual refresh of the music. From the management portal we can choose to play just a specific category for a periodnof time say just 80s until we switxh it back to normal play. They cost about £30 per month subscription each. They are very reliable like you suggest in your video. If you want any addition info please let me know.

• 'This ain't no disco.' Easy peasy little device - set it and forget it, basically. It really is boring (I cannot lie), but somehow you make it interesting to learn about. Hey, it's all about what's out there and it's better than nothing. The older items are absolutely more fascinating. I love the ideas that people came up with to play lengthy tracts of unrepetitive music. • Just imagine how many hours of music you could play if you ran all of your BGM machines back-to-back. • I agree with you, 'that guy' is a genius. 😉 Take care 🤍

Have to say - not a music player comment, but a background music comment - 30 years ago working at an insurance company ( General Accident - a UK owned company ) here in the US. They installed a MUZAK system - and were asked to comment on MUZAK versus a local radio station being played. Being young and clueless, I mercilessly demeaned the MUZAK as being dull and boring in my comments. Come to find out it was the branch manager who had made the buy and picked the music.....wonder why I never got a promotion .....hmmm.....

Since you couldn't get to it through the app, I imagine you could try browsing to the device (e.g. http://192.168.1.xxx). Old devices had a primitive web server to change settings. As if you'd want to drag this thing out again and poke around at it! :)

Hi Mat. I just came on to say that the show's much better than you thought it was gonna be, only to see you're binning it. I also lost any desire I once had to tinker with operating systems and, while I can understand some people wanting to know more about it, my opinion (not worth much, I'll admit) is that it's a keeper.

If you are short of a video you could incorporate this in a BGM timeline tacking this on the end. p.s. It might be amusing to see if the whole thing would fit in one of those old BGM cartridges.

Interesting video but slightly sad to see how BGM players have become like everything else; a plain rectangle box that does... The equipment of the past is much more interesting and fun.

Could use it as a 2-port USB charging hub.

I worked at a major high street coffee shop quite a while ago and this was the system we used. Head office used to send us a new SD card every few months. I remember my colleagues thinking I was a genius when I told them that we could stick the 3.5mm jack into an iPod and listen to our own tunes out on the shop floor.

I had one of those of n the peacocks I ran, it was terrible and would not update at all. I had to take it home and try 4 times to get it to update, where I work now we have a Bose system

Try connecting a VGA monitor to the lil computer, and seeing if it runs that way. If not, can I buy the device off you?

Hopefully there’s a Kirk in the YT algorithm to fix that for you.

You've done it now Mat--you've finally found and demonstrated the very last type of BGM player. Every possible method for playing background music has been found and you've showed them all--it's done and dusted. But maybeeeee???

I do think those music machines aren't really solving anything, when most already just use radio or other streaming services. And the "automatic licensing and playlist updates" doesn't even allow you to escape radio taxes, as for the case of France, they've already forcefully forced companies who used Creative Commons, background streaming licensed music from Jamendo to pay a radio tax. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40319-020-00948-5 (In French) https://next.ink/7892/106470-la-musique-creative-commons-diffusee-dans-magasins-est-bien-soumise-a-remuneration-equitable/ (PS : I also thought of recommending to try to boot to a Linux live image with a random formatted USB or disc to check the content of the SD card, since that mini-computer could very likely be using a Linux specific format as advertised. But other thought of pointing it out before me)

I'd be surprised if you said that my following idea is one you would do, but I have to ask... It looks like there is a phone number on the box, ostensibly for customer support. Would you consider giving a call to them, state how and why you got the box, and perhaps they would give you more information? Who knows, they might be happy to share info to someone who has documented a bit of history on background music players.

Any chance of a dump of the SDCard? I’d love to see what it was doing behind the scenes.

Maybe attach a USB keyboard to it, and smash F-keys to see if you can get some bios/boot menu.

I bet this SD card is running a form of Linux, boot off a live CD and you may be able to get something useful off it. I can help you with the commands to run if needed.

I have known these existed but I have never actually seen one. Might have been interesting to see if there is any video output over the VGA or maybe what happens if you pop in your own SD card with MP3 files in the root folder. Likely nothing but still I would be curious to find out.

Colin from This Does Not Compute looked at a similar Vortex86 device used as a point-of-sale. I think he ended up getting Doom to run on it. 😂

Interesting thing that might be able to be modded in some way. Did you try to hook a mouse or keyboard in? Sucks that a display doesn't come up. Maybe a flash drive in the USB port to see if it will play other content.

There's a good chance that the SDcard has Linux file systems which cannot be read in MacOS or Windows. Disk Utility in MacOS or fdisk in windows will probably show the partitions as being Linux type.

It's remarkable how the industries kind of die in January. When I was running grocery stores, low revenue month. Flying aeroplanes, low revenue month. Running an observatory and planetarium, low revenue month. Doing photography, low revenue. The only people who make EXTRA money in January are American Tax Preparers.

Nobles are an amusement arcade (of the adult kind). Used to be a branch on Piccadilly in Manchester when I lived there that my colleagues used to frequent.