Another one - oops, make that two - bite the dust.

So in short order, we learn that Sirius XM satellite radio is going to file for bankruptcy, and that Muzak, the company whose very name has become a generic word for insipid background music, has already filed for bankruptcy.

I won't miss either one. I just don't spend enough time in a car to justify getting satellite radio, so how can I miss what I never had. And Muzak? Well that's such an easy target, it almost feels wrong to shout "hooray! Muzak is going belly up!" - even though that's what many people are doing. The real question is, what was wrong with Muzak in the first place? Was it the whole idea of music as ambience, as background? Or was it just the particular, sanded-smooth types of music that Muzak generally worked with?

I believe in the idea that music, as composer/producer Brian Eno wrote as far back as 1979, can "tint" the atmosphere of a place, and be "as ignorable as it is interesting." But put that idea into practice, and I find that I just can't help listening to what's on in the background. And that's my problem with Muzak. It's there; I can't help paying attention to it; I didn't choose it; and I can't make it stop. It becomes the audio equivalent of itching powder.

Of course, filing for bankruptcy doesn't mean either of these musical providers will be dead and buried anytime soon. There's already a potential buyer on the market for satellite radio, and the idea of using sound to change the atmosphere and possibly even the behavior of people in stores, airports and the like is too intriguing to just drop completely.

Tell us: what's your reaction to the crash of satellite radio or Muzak?
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