Ever sit at the tables by Café for more than 30 minutes and realize you've heard "The Middle" play 3 times already? Ever wonder who chooses the music played in the Brodhead Center and why they love "Love Lies" so much?
The Chronicle did some research and found out everything you need to know about the music played in the food hall.
The job is bestowed upon the person working at the operations desk of University Center Activities and Events, which is located on the first floor of the Brodhead Center across from Café. Garrett Grimshaw, a member of the Campus Center Operations Team, said staff can play whatever they want as long as it is not vulgar or inappropriate.
Typically, workers choose to play a Sirius XM channel. However, they also take requests.
Some students recently requested classical music to be played in the morning, but the music ends up being played for most of the day.
But, many students are not aware that they can be a part of the music selection process. The Chronicle interviewed students about how they felt about the Brodhead Center music, and most had a similar response: it's repetitive.
Senior Mala Puri noted that she always hears the same 10 songs played over and over again.
Sophomore Andrew Zheng described the music played in the Brodhead Center usually as “trashy teen pop on repeat.”
However, Zheng asserted that it is not as bad as at Marketplace, where they only have five songs on rotation. Without hesitation, he then proceeded to name all five of the said songs.
Similar to how the workers already use a Spotify playlist, Zheng suggested that students make a collaborative Spotify playlist for them to play instead.
Yet, during peak hours, it can be quite noisy, especially on the plaza level. Puri acknowledged how this can make it difficult to discern what music is even playing. Customers can better hear the music in a section that is quieter and closer to the speakers, such as the tables above Skillet and JB's Roasts & Chops.
When asked how she felt about the music in the Brodhead Center, first-year Morgan Patton responded, “There’s music in West Union?”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our editorially curated, weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
