Question Regarding Main Street Music Loop Change

[PhotoMatt]

On Friday, April 30th, the normal Main Street music loop was playing. I know it well, and had there been any changes I would have noticed right away. On Saturday afternoon near closing time, an entirely new loop was playing. The songs were not in the era, and they were Disney melodies. Here is a partial listing:

Mickey Mouse Club March
It's a Small World
When You Wish Upon A Star
Casey Jr.
Under the Sea
Saludos Amigos
Mary Poppins Medley
Heigh-Ho

I used Shazam to see if I could find the artist, and the ones that I could get a result for said "The Neverland Orchestra."

To be clear, this was on Main Street. This was not in the Esplanade. Once I left the park I could hear the normal Esplanade music loop.

So, my question is, when did they start doing this? In the morning and early afternoon the usual Main Street loop is playing. That has not changed.

[Captain Andy]

I searched up one of the songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVvktGBemME

The week before closure, I frequented Disneyland and DCA until the evening. I was in Main Street as things began to get dark and the lights flickered on. I would recall hearing a tune like this.

Rating for Main Street standards: 👎︎

[WaltDisney'sAlec]

This is really interesting. The last time I truly closed out the park (1am departure) was in November 2019. After that I continued using my AP through February 2020 and would stay usually until an hour or two before closing. I also have the Main Street, U.S.A. music loop downloaded and know it by heart, and I never heard a single instrumental version of a Disney song played other than "Married Life" on Main Street. That tells me these are likely some new additions to the loop at night that were added sometime after that. Of course, I have no precise date information, but hopefully my personal perspective along with Captain Andy's sheds some light.

I tried digging up some background information on the Neverland Orchestra and can find next to nothing. I have found some playlists on Spotify that feature them, but they appear region locked and I don't have a VPN. However, starting a radio station for the Neverland Orchestra leads to a mix of soundtracks and Japanese songs and artists from the Tokyo Disney Resort, so maybe a VPN based in Japan would yield some results. From the looks of things, a channel on YouTube has been uploading Neverland Orchestra songs since 2018 along with many other re-recorded Disney songs by everyone from Japanese musicians to Dave Brubeck (who died in 2012). I've tried to find versions of the songs you listed, so maybe you can figure out if they match up.

My guess is these are tracks that were recorded for the Asia parks. Whoever oversees the music loops in Disneyland has probably moved on from removing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from every playlist and is now trying to add a more "Disney" energy for Main Street at night as you exit the park. And now that I know it exists, I keep thinking how hilarious it would be to hear Disney's version of Ave Maria play on Main Street. I think these songs actually sound great for the Esplanade, and I wouldn't mind them replacing "Hooray for Hollywood" or "First Day" from Finding Nemo, but I'm not sure how they'll fit for me. I might even prefer a more relaxing nighttime music loop for Main Street, U.S.A, as long as the recordings match the time period.

Neverland Orchestra Songs
Mickey Mouse Club March
It's a Small World
When You Wish Upon A Star
Casey Jr.
Under the Sea
Saludos Amigos
Mary Poppins Medley - Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Chim Chim Cher-ee, Let's Go Fly a Kite (Columbia Orchestra?), Stay Awake/Feed the Birds mashup (Fred Mollin),
Heigh-Ho

[TFN5459]

On Friday, April 30th, the normal Main Street music loop was playing. I know it well, and had there been any changes I would have noticed right away. On Saturday afternoon near closing time, an entirely new loop was playing. The songs were not in the era, and they were Disney melodies. Here is a partial listing:

Mickey Mouse Club March
It's a Small World
When You Wish Upon A Star
Casey Jr.
Under the Sea
Saludos Amigos
Mary Poppins Medley
Heigh-Ho

I used Shazam to see if I could find the artist, and the ones that I could get a result for said "The Neverland Orchestra."

To be clear, this was on Main Street. This was not in the Esplanade. Once I left the park I could hear the normal Esplanade music loop.

So, my question is, when did they start doing this? In the morning and early afternoon the usual Main Street loop is playing. That has not changed.

I have not been back to the park so I'm not sure what the loop sounds like, but there were several covers of Disney songs by the The Neverland Orchestra in a set called "Disney's Instrumental Collection" that is on YouTube but that I haven't been able to find elsewhere. I would imagine that album has the other covers in the loop that were not done by the Neverland Orchestra.

The Neverland Orchestra versions of Mickey Mouse Club March, Heigh-Ho, It's a Small World, and (probably now removed) Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah were also in the Goofy's Kitchen Loop as recently as a year or two ago if anyone is familiar with that.

Main Street USA has only had one area music loop through out the day at least since the last time I went right at the end of 2019, I would guess this is a new addition since the parks have reopened. I know the Morning AM/Evening PM loops are found in a number of other places like Aulani and in Paris on their Main Street but I've never heard of it being used in Anaheim.

[Spongeocto4]

And now that I know it exists, I keep thinking how hilarious it would be to hear Disney's version of Ave Maria play on Main Street.

It could still happen with the Candlelight Procession

[Mr Wiggins]

Sadly, it's another reminder that the management making the decisions at Disneyland see the Park as a marketing platform. Disney gets no marketing synergy advantage with turn-of-the-century music. From their viewpoint, thousands of customers leaving the park down Main Street is a marketing opportunity to make a final IP impression -- one that their CEO (a marketing guru who was formerly head of Disney Consumer Products) would disapprove of if they let it go to waste.

Bottom line: "When IP-marketing talks, theme walks."

[Eagleman]

Bottom line: "When IP-marketing talks, theme walks."

Good line.......It all about "ADVERTISMENT"

[Brian PieGuy]

Sadly, it's another reminder that the management making the decisions at Disneyland see the Park as a marketing platform. Disney gets no marketing synergy advantage with turn-of-the-century music. From their viewpoint, thousands of customers leaving the park down Main Street is a marketing opportunity to make a final IP impression -- one that their CEO (a marketing guru who was formerly head of Disney Consumer Products) would disapprove of if they let it go to waste.

Bottom line: "When IP-marketing talks, theme walks."

Exactly. Apparently some charming old-fashioned music to get you in the mood for Main Street isn't worth it under the current Disney regime. It seems like this decision could have been made by the same people that greenlit the store in the Main Street Cinema. I'll be enjoying the unique Disneyland background music now more then ever since this trend might very well continue.

[Eagleman]

"AMAZING"
Turning music loop, into a true "LOOP"
At the same getting away from Theming............

[J. Thaddeus Toad]

Very very lame, if permanent.

[Spongeocto4]

Was it coincidence that the loop changed after the CEO visited Main Street USA the previous day?

[Brian PieGuy]

Was it coincidence that the loop changed after the CEO visited Main Street USA the previous day?

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this was actually true. Especially since it seems they just ripped a soundtrack from another park.

[md6379a]

Needless to say, this is awful news. Talk about a bad last-impression of the day.

Has anyone figured out what time the loop changes?

[Mr Wiggins]

Was it coincidence that the loop changed after the CEO visited Main Street USA the previous day?

Could be, but it's equally likely that Chapek didn't directly order it done. He wouldn't have to. Like many hierarchically structured corporations, Disney's management culture is intensely hive-minded. You move up the ladder by talking the management talk and walking the management walk. Anticipating what the boss wants. In this case, whoever came up with the idea gets gold stars.

To Disney's marketing-dominated management, DLR is not a brand in itself, but a place that customers visit to experience Disney brands. In that mindset, playing Disney songs for them as they leave the park "enhances the Guest experience."

[CAspace]

Someone please tell
me this was a fluke, a joke, a audio programming mistake? Please for the love of the universe tell
me that they aren’t replacing the century Main Street loop in the afternoon with disney melodies.

[Captain Andy]

They might as well play this at closing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phQw3xZS_Cs

[Mr Wiggins]

Someone please tell
me this was a fluke, a joke, a audio programming mistake? Please for the love of the universe tell
me that they aren’t replacing the century Main Street loop in the afternoon with disney melodies.

Sadly, it comes from the same place as replacing turn-of-the-century Penny Arcade machines with Disney plush.

[CAspace]

I wish the park was privately owned by a billionaire true Disneyland fan. Is Ms. Gates a Disneyland fan?

[Eagleman]

To Disney's marketing-dominated management, DLR is not a brand in itself, but a place that customers visit to experience Disney brands. In that mindset, playing Disney songs for them as they leave the park "enhances the Guest experience."

Also there " $HOPPING " experience !

As you point out it a mindset ,marketing game ........IMO

Disney love hearing the casher,$$$ as the money roll in $$$

[junglecskipper]

I'm not a fan of this change at all however, the new music only plays from the speakers in Town Square. Main Street and the Hub still play the standard Main Street Music throughout the evening. The new music loop is a temporary change for the re-opening so the characters can give a kiss goodnight to guests from the train station.