Universal Studios Florida desperately needs new BGM

[Tom Morrow]

My problem with the Christmas BGM is that a lot of the tracks Universal plays on its loop list for the Holiday Season are the exact same tracks that Disney has on theirs! I get that there are probably only a dozen or two Christmas songs in existence but you can at least give me a different artist signing it.

On a stranger note, on my last visit to Universal for Madri Gras (April 30th)... Universal was blasting Christmas tunes in the parking garage! It was an all day affair too as I heard it entering into CityWalk and exiting many hours later. I wonder what the reasoning behind that was.

Anyone else ever experienced something like this in the past?

I've never heard this happen before.

 

[JT3000]

I've heard Christmas songs being played in the park when it wasn't the holiday season, but never more than one.

 

[OG Runner]

The reaction to the BGM is really dependent on how often you are in the parks. Someone hear noted one of the loops is about 20 minutes. How many times do you need to be in the parks to realize that? Personally I am usually moving from section to section, ride to ride, not counting how long the BGM loop is. If you are in the parks even once a year, the BGM can be nostalgic, even the Odd Couple theme previously mentioned. Think about it, when was the last time you heard the Odd Couple theme outside of the parks. BGM is exactly that, something in the background. Stop overthinking it. I don't always listen to Disney music either, but enjoy it being in the background at the parks.

 

[champdisney]

The reaction to the BGM is really dependent on how often you are in the parks. Someone hear noted one of the loops is about 20 minutes. How many times do you need to be in the parks to realize that? Personally I am usually moving from section to section, ride to ride, not counting how long the BGM loop is. If you are in the parks even once a year, the BGM can be nostalgic, even the Odd Couple theme previously mentioned. Think about it, when was the last time you heard the Odd Couple theme outside of the parks. BGM is exactly that, something in the background. Stop overthinking it. I don't always listen to Disney music either, but enjoy it being in the background at the parks.

People who frequent the parks throughout the years tend to remember BGM that has been playing for decades. I understand your point about those who don't go often and are on the move from one place to another but its simply not like that for everyone.

Wanting something new is not overthinking. It's wanting something new.

 

[Tom Morrow]

People who frequent the parks throughout the years tend to remember BGM that has been playing for decades. I understand your point about those who don't go often and are on the move from one place to another but its simply not like that for everyone.

Wanting something new is not overthinking. It's wanting something new.

Yeah, for instance, the Epcot Innoventions loop. It's been playing since 1994. Everyone knows it and recognize it and expects it. But after almost 30 years it's time for something new.

So in the 1990's I'd hear the Odd Couple theme, for example, and think "Oh that's cool." It was still somewhat relevant. 30 years later to still be hearing it, it now seems lazy.

Also a 20 minute loop is easy to notice being only 20 minutes if you stop to eat or rest.

 

[matt9112]

Universal Studios Florida has terrible background music loops, aside from the main entrance and Diagon Alley. Most of them are the exact same loops from 1990, and they weren't great to begin with. For instance, New York has a collection of pop songs, TV themes, and movie themes that vaguely fit the theme, but so much of it is cliche' or outdated. The Godfather theme. That's Amore'. Some 1960's pop hits. The freakin' ODD COUPLE theme, a show no one born after 2000 has ever heard of.

Then you have San Francisco, where it's a collection of 1970's rock formerly used for Jaws, but then for some reason U2 and Santana and a few other random selections are in there. Random classic songs with no theme just screams "regional theme park".

Or the Men in Black area, where the loop is late 90's/2000's hits for no reason. They weren't even in the film! Fun fact - Men in Black was intended to have 1960's World's Fair appropriate music as the BGM.

Rip Ride Rockit - well, all of it and not just the BGM - hits that they never updated from the 00's. Who doesn't cringe at Limp Bizkit - Rollin'?

The Simpsons area is just whatever ending credit themes they could scrounge together. It feels very low effort.

And to be honest, I don't even like the Potter BGM. It's also low effort - they just used the scores from the movies, but it means you hear the main themes playing over and over. It's too in your face and commands you to remember the films rather than actually feel like you're in the actual world of Potter.

It all needs an overhaul. Proper BGM should be carefully selected to enhance the mood of the area by being thematically appropriate - not a reference to something thematically appropriate.. "Hey, that TV show/movie took place in New York" is not atmospheric, it's just a reference. A BGM refresh can also make a park feel fresh and new again. For instance, the recent overhaul of DHS's area music loops helps give the park a new, modern, classy feel while still being thematically appropriate.

IOA's BGM is fine!

I disagree on your potter assessment. I like the familiar music. Lets me know im not in some random dessert backwater with no music at all listening to the ambient noise of....fans.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I disagree on your potter assessment. I like the familiar music. Lets me know im not in some random dessert backwater with no music at all listening to the ambient noise of....fans.

I wasn't making comparisons to Galaxy's Edge so there was no reason to make this comment. For what it's worth though, the "fans" complaint was from opening and they have since reduced the fan noise and increased the ambient soundscape noise significantly. It was one of my initial complaints as well. I agree that the land needs music, but I also don't want to hear the main Star Wars themes over and over as I feel that detracts from the atmosphere by being too obvious and calling too much attention to itself.

I would have rather had original arrangements and music that wasn't so obnoxiously in your face about it, like "REMEMBER THE MOVIES?! THIS IS FROM THE MOVIES!" If you spend two hours in Hogsmeade, you will hear the main Potter theme about 30 times perhaps.

A better example would be Cars Land at DCA. The BGM isn't original arrangements, but it is a collection of old timey folk and early rock n roll songs about cars and traveling. It sets the mood better than just playing the movie soundtrack, ie Sheryl Crow - Real Gone, every 15 minutes.

 

[matt9112]

I wasn't making comparisons to Galaxy's Edge so there was no reason to make this comment. For what it's worth though, the "fans" complaint was from opening and they have since reduced the fan noise and increased the ambient soundscape noise significantly. It was one of my initial complaints as well. I agree that the land needs music, but I also don't want to hear the main Star Wars themes over and over as I feel that detracts from the atmosphere by being too obvious and calling too much attention to itself.

I would have rather had original arrangements and music that wasn't so obnoxiously in your face about it, like "REMEMBER THE MOVIES?! THIS IS FROM THE MOVIES!" If you spend two hours in Hogsmeade, you will hear the main Potter theme about 30 times perhaps.

A better example would be Cars Land at DCA. The BGM isn't original arrangements, but it is a collection of old timey folk and early rock n roll songs about cars and traveling. It sets the mood better than just playing the movie soundtrack, ie Sheryl Crow - Real Gone, every 15 minutes.

I agree that it could be mixed up a fair bit but potter music...mostly is very whimsical for lack of a better term so to me it dosen't stale as easy as say the star wars intro music would. I actually have a few HP songs on my spotifiy. Im sinply stating i like the familiarity. Sure it could be mixed up and some new stuff created that would be great too.

Well i only got to go more or less during opening. So my only remembrance is those fans. I remember being struck by the pure lack of any fake noise. A good example of sound done roght is pandora. I really like that ambience.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I agree that it could be mixed up a fair bit but potter music...mostly is very whimsical for lack of a better term so to me it dosen't stale as easy as say the star wars intro music would. I actually have a few HP songs on my spotifiy. Im sinply stating i like the familiarity. Sure it could be mixed up and some new stuff created that would be great too.

Well i only got to go more or less during opening. So my only remembrance is those fans. I remember being struck by the pure lack of any fake noise. A good example of sound done roght is pandora. I really like that ambience.

Yeah there is a much more significant soundscape in Galaxy’s Edge now than opening. For the first month or so they had a ton of extra loud fans for the anticipated shoulder to shoulder crowds. However they quickly realized they weren’t really necessary and removed the extra ones. They may have also replaced the remaining fans with quieter ones too.

 

[Bairstow]

I would have rather had original arrangements

This. There should be recognizable tunes and themes but it rerecorded for use in the parks. The loops Disney uses near the Rapunzel bathrooms and around Splash Mountain are prime examples- it's largely music from the films but not just straight from the soundtracks- the instruments used fit the time and place of the themed areas, so the music can be interpreted as both diagetic and non-diagetic.

Camp Jurassic has a pretty good example of this- it's the John Williams movie music but played uptempo on steel drums.

Disney's usual rule of thumb is that attractions can have non-diagetic music when you're actually on them but everywhere else should be at least partially diagetic.

 

[matt9112]

This. There should be recognizable tunes and themes but it rerecorded for use in the parks. The loops Disney uses near the Rapunzel bathrooms and around Splash Mountain are prime examples- it's largely music from the films but not just straight from the soundtracks- the instruments used fit the time and place of the themed areas, so the music can be interpreted as both diagetic and non-diagetic.

Camp Jurassic has a pretty good example of this- it's the John Williams movie music but played uptempo on steel drums.

Disney's usual rule of thumb is that attractions can have non-diagetic music when you're actually on them but everywhere else should be at least partially diagetic.

I agree! Another example is the resott tv loop...its all movie music but in a classical theme and i love it. I secretly put it on in my house.