Former LCD Soundsystem leader James Murphy has spent years talking about his plans to overhaul the soundscape of New York's subway system, and in 2014 he launched a petition for the city to change the beeping sounds made by its turnstiles. Now, he has got a big-name sponsor on board for his Subway Symphony project, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already shot down the proposal.
The new promo video for the Subway Symphony comes sponsored by beer giant Heineken. In the 71-second clip, Murphy reiterates his plan to turn the beeping turnstile sounds into plinky tones that differ depending on the station. It's a nice, idealistic plan to turn the chaos of the daily commute into a beautiful soundscape. Watch the promo video below.
Unfortunately, Gothamist reached out to the MTA's Adam Lisberg, who said this about Murphy's proposal: "We have heard from him, and as we've told him many times, we cannot do it. The tones are an ADA element for the visually impaired, and we won't mess with them — much less take turnstiles out of service and risk disabling them for an art project. (It would be a very cool project, don't get me wrong, but we can't mess with turnstiles that handle 6 million customers a day for it.)"
Furthermore, Murphy and Heineken are fully aware that the project isn't feasible, since Lisberg said, "As a condition of filming in the subway, we made them acknowledge that we can't and won't do it."
It's not clear exactly why Murphy continues to beat a dead horse when he has been told that the project isn't going to happen. Surely his new wine bar is keeping him busy enough?
The new promo video for the Subway Symphony comes sponsored by beer giant Heineken. In the 71-second clip, Murphy reiterates his plan to turn the beeping turnstile sounds into plinky tones that differ depending on the station. It's a nice, idealistic plan to turn the chaos of the daily commute into a beautiful soundscape. Watch the promo video below.
Unfortunately, Gothamist reached out to the MTA's Adam Lisberg, who said this about Murphy's proposal: "We have heard from him, and as we've told him many times, we cannot do it. The tones are an ADA element for the visually impaired, and we won't mess with them — much less take turnstiles out of service and risk disabling them for an art project. (It would be a very cool project, don't get me wrong, but we can't mess with turnstiles that handle 6 million customers a day for it.)"
Furthermore, Murphy and Heineken are fully aware that the project isn't feasible, since Lisberg said, "As a condition of filming in the subway, we made them acknowledge that we can't and won't do it."
It's not clear exactly why Murphy continues to beat a dead horse when he has been told that the project isn't going to happen. Surely his new wine bar is keeping him busy enough?
