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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

June 17, 2015 | 2 min read

James Murphy, acclaimed producer of LCD Soundsystem fame, has found a backer in Heineken for his ambitous plans to bring music to the New York Subway.

In a bid to liven up the NYC’s underground transit points, the Dutch drinks brand as part of its global 'Cities' push is campaigning to receive permission to make the subways a more musical place.

Currently ticket gates emit a monotone beep but Murphy plans to compose actual songs with each gate providing a unique note each time a commuter passses through.

On his plans, he said: "I believe that music makes people happy, and it can make them reflective.

"I think people are willing to do what it takes to live and work here – the commutes, the crowds, the cost. They deserve a little sonic gift on their way home, or to work, or wherever. The turnstile has to make a sound, it might as well be beautiful."

The Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) is reportedly pushing back against the campaign, which has now resorted to getting the public to tweet 'I Support #SubwaySymphony’.

The MTA told the Gothamist: “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 six million customers a day for it.”

Click here to visit Heineken’s Subway Symphony hub for a listen to the musical ticket gates.

Subway Heineken New York

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