LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy is trying to make the New York City subway system sound better. The Wall Street Journal reports that Murphy is currently spearheading a campaign, Subway Symphony, to introduce location-specific turnstile noises to each of the city’s 468 subway stations. According to the Journal, Murphy has already worked out the tones, “one of which would sound each time a passenger swipes his or her MetroCard to catch a train. The busier a station becomes, the richer the harmonies would be.” Those same notes would also play over speakers each time a train arrives.
While Murphy’s plan probably seems like a pipe dream to some, it is, apparently, totally possible. New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority is currently investing about $900,000 a year toward introducing passenger flow and comfort in some stations, and some of that money could go toward the installation of more harmonious swiping noises. That being said, MTA spokesperson Adam Lisberg says that, while Murphy’s plan is “a very cool idea,” putting it into action would mean temporarily taking each of the city’s 3,289 subway turnstiles out of use, something he says the organization isn’t interested in doing just “for an art project.”
