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In a world where brand is everything and making money is the bottom line, it should come as no surprise that if there's a buck to be made, any deal is possible. But who would have imagined, 30 years ago, that the bad boys and girls of rock'n'roll would be married to the then-much-scorned icon of safe, watered-down elevator music?

Let's have a moment of silence (or should that be a burst from a Les Paul through a Marshall stack?) and absorb the fact that this is now the era in which the terms "Hard Rock" and "Muzak" can happily appear on the same contract.

Last week saw the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando and Muzak celebrate the launch of their new affiliation with a champagne toast in the hotel's main lobby. The companies report that Muzak now provides custom music programming throughout the Hard Rock Hotel entranceway, lobby, pool, and other common guest areas.

The hotel's Lou Carrier explains, "We were looking for a music solution that would maintain the integrity of the Hard Rock Cafe brand image while making it even more effective in capturing the Hard Rock Hotel experience. Muzak understands the power of music on our level and supports their product with amazingly flexible technology."

Muzak says that they will provide a greatly expanded selection of music that is consistent with the current Hard Rock sound and, through satellite connectivity, allow the hotel staff to make adjustments to the program at a moment's notice. Carrier notes that, with all the rock stars coming through the hotel, they wanted to be able to adjust the background programming to increase the frequency of a particular band's music. "Playing a band's own music in the hotel makes them feel more welcome and comfortable while creating a buzz in the hotel."

Carrier adds that, "Naturally, music is the crucial element of the Hard Rock Hotel experience. Our music essentially defines our hotel, just like the architecture, design, colors, and lighting. When you talk to anyone associated with music as a branding element for business, Muzak is far and away the company to work with."

"It's all about rock'n'roll," continues Carrier, "and we want to make sure we are doing our part to make it last here for at least another 40 years."

Rock'n'roll? He probably meant to say "the bottom line."