There is one thing I have always found hilarious about visiting Cedar Fair parks, and that is that they always seem to be playing pop music that was popular in the 8-15 years ago range. This has been the case for as long as I can remember and is true for all of their parks. I remember going to Cedar Point in 2000 and hearing MC Hammer, going in 2006 and hearing Brittany Spears, and this year Cascada and Avril Lavinge. I also went to Dorney this year and they were playing 22 by Taylor Swift, Numa Numa, and that big song from One Direction.
Does anyone know why this is? My assumption is they don't want to pay for the rights to play current pop songs so they go for a cheaper alternative? It's just so funny and random to go an entire day at an amusement park hearing music that was popular the decade before. It's like "did I go back in time?" It's such a weird staple of the Cedar Fair experience.
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From what I understand the parks pay a fee to the recording industry lobby that gives them access for ANY music is certified under that union ( as long as it isn’t tied into an attraction, that’s where it gets expensive). For example, Kings Dominion plays The Avengers, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean at the front of the park. I assume they’re picked by the GM since different themed area had different music.
Also the pop music has to be high energy songs that have appeal from 8 to 80.
Lobby?
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It probably has to do with the music subscription that they have purchased. Musak, Sirius/XM, and Spotify/Pandora are the main purveyors of soundtracks, and the relevance of the music provided is typically commensurate with the subscription cost. My guess is that Cedar Fair doesn't want to pay for a "premium" subscription that would give them access to the newest songs, so they have instead purchased a more generic music subscription that is comprised of mostly dated songs.
However, it is possible that Cedar Fair is programming their own soundtrack, and purchases song rights in batches based on price and volume. This would also explain why the parks play slightly older modern must (from 5-10 years ago) since they probably have a budget that allows for a mass purchase every few years. I don't think this is the likely reason that their soundtracks are dated, but it is a possible explanation.