New Music

Whitney's version is playing at CP this year.

Magnum's queue still plays the same 80's playlist it has been for a while. Sounds just like the main midway's have been updated. About time too.

They really need to replace the speakers on the gemini midway, as most of them are crackling and distorted.

Aaronosmer said:
I'm just glad that on Sunday the frontier trail had its music, because on Saturday it was playing the same soundtrack as the rest of the park. Something about that area plus a hip hop remix just doesn't fit. :)

The trail starts the day in country and as the day progresses gets closer and closer to the style of music that will be there for Luminosity.

So it starts country, around 4PM you start to notice more POP music, and around dusk it's supposed to change to Luminosity soundtrack.

The change seems pretty seamless if you are on the trail all day (as I was on Sat) but I can see where if you leave for awhile and walk back that direction later it could be jarring.

Are the crickets still piped in after closing?

TimChat2 said:
Currently the Ghost Town area of Knott's, probably the most immersive and "authentic" of any Cedar Fair frontier area, is featuring a heavy rotation of decidedly non-frontier pop music.

I heard about that. Seems to be upsetting Knott's fans - who haven't been really happy with the way Cedar Point has been handling the park (i.e. jamming nothing but coasters and thrill rides into what is supposed to be a theme park). At least their new GM has hinted at new dark rides to come, which should gain points with their disgruntled fan base.

I would love to hear some custom instrumental music for each section of the park, fitting the theme of course (like THIS on Frontier Trail / Shoot the Rapids or THIS in Frontier Town / Cedar Creek Mine Ride / CP&LE R.R.). Instrumental music just doesn't wear on you like regular music (trust me, the music they play drives you insane when you're working 14 hour shifts and hear it over a dozen times a day) and if it were custom, you wouldn't be hearing it anywhere else outside the park. As someone who listens Disney and Universal (well, IOA) music loops, I can say with certainty, instrumental just doesn't get under your skin like Cedar Point's current music lineup, especially if it all fits a theme or has a coherent sound. Come to think of it, it doesn't even need to be custom, as most of Epcot is made of instrumental music off obscure albums I'm sure most people have never even heard of and it works beautifully. Some street performers playing music themed to the area would be stellar too.

I know Maverick kind of does this. Last time I was there, they were playing a bunch of movie and television themes (off the top of my head, I noticed the theme from The Big Valley, the theme from The Good The Bad The Ugly, the theme from The Big Country, the theme from How the West Was Won, the theme from The Magnificent Seven, the theme from Rawhide - Blues Brothers version, and even that custom theme they made for The Maverick). I think that's the right direction, just it would be cool if it were all custom and not just movie / television themes.

I don't care what they use for Starlight, provided the lighting "dances" with the music. If it's just random blinky lights on trees, that's kind of a waste.

I remember hearing I think "We Are Young" by Fun, and Diana was like, "Wow, I can't believe I actually recognize something not ancient on the midway."

My issues are less about the selection and more about the poor quality of speakers around the park. The main midway is of course a fixed problem, but I remember hearing some awful, ear pain inducing stuff near Dragster and also near Mine Ride. It sounds like awful AM radio on over-driven speakers, all high end.

Didn't the park say that all of the park's sound systems would be upgraded over time? This year starting with the Main Midway to Celebration Plaza and eventually all other midways. Or am I making that up?

Ugh, yes...those speakers around Mine Ride are horrible. They were twice as loud as they should have been when I visited during Halloweekends. Either replace those things or turn them down.

That's one good thing about the Ex-Paramount parks...good sound systems throughout.

Skippy said:
I know Maverick kind of does this. Last time I was there, they were playing a bunch of movie and television themes (off the top of my head, I noticed the theme from The Big Valley, the theme from The Good The Bad The Ugly, the theme from The Big Country, the theme from How the West Was Won, the theme from The Magnificent Seven, the theme from Rawhide - Blues Brothers version, and even that custom theme they made for The Maverick).

I also noticed the Pirates of the Caribbean theme while in line on Saturday. Which is fine by me. :)

When Starlight went in the Frontier Trail got all new speakers, and now Celebration Plaza and the main midway (at least up to the fountain).
So they are making progress, I expect to see them slowly roll out new speaker systems throughout the park over the next few years.

^^ I never really understood what is western about it, but Pirates of the Caribbean has been part of the maverick playlist since it opened. Although I'm not going to complain, because I like the song.

I am 13 years old but I kind of would like 70s/80s/90s music in the park. I don't know why I just like it.

I agree with you, that music mix would work really well. One thing about CP's new mix, they do seem to have the pulse of what is trendy. I was at the new Cleveland Horseshoe and the music on the gaming floor seemed to be just like what CP is doing this year.

I'm curious if they're using some sort of music service (a la internet or satellite radio) or if they actually have the music on a set loop. My hunch is that it's the former.

^Did you forget you have a friend who knows that answer? :)

The park music has been played from a setlist on an SD card. Hopefully at some point they upgrade to just having everything on a computer to help save space. I don't see them paying for a service like Muszak since they already pay for the rights to play music in the park and to use various songs in Live Shows.

I was thinking something like this, where the royalties are included with the service.
http://www.siriusxm.com/siriusxmforbusiness

But that doesn't sound like you can actually pick exactly what songs you want to hear rather just the genre. I think the park still wants to be able to hear exactly what they want when they want it. That way they can play current songs with a few Peanuts songs mixed in there. Plus I wonder if they were to use something like Sirius, if the fee you pay them would cover what is needed to perform songs in the shows at the park.

Where I work, we have a similar service (although web based instead of satellite). I know we're able to be pretty particular about what gets played. We wouldn't have any need to choose song by song, so I'm not sure if that's an option. We can get very exact about the genres and such, even specifying which hour blocks we want a particular genre to play, or if we want a percentage mix of multiple genres.

For example, during December we slowly ramp up Christmas music. In the first week, we specify that 25% of the music is Christmas stuff, then progress to 50% then to 75%. Everything else just happens automatically.

Things DO change 99er. :)