TTC swapped its subway chime for a Pride choir's melody for a month

Celebrate Pride month while amplifying Singing Out's message of inclusivity — using a sound so deeply ingrained in Torontonians' daily lives that tweaking it breaks the routine.

'Prime Chime': the transit system's own departure alert, re-performed by a Pride choir, so every train announcement for a month carries their message of acceptance.

For the entire month of June, TTC replaced its subway platform alert tones with a melodious chime performed by Singing Out members — the first time TTC ever modified the tone. Posters featuring real choir members ran on platforms and in trains, each with a QR code to hear the Pride Chime, supported by Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The chime played to nearly three-quarters of a million daily riders on the subway system, giving Singing Out a month-long citywide platform; the write-up reported no other performance figures.

In June 2023, for Pride month, the Toronto Transit Commission replaced its subway platform alert tone with 'Prime Chime', a melodious version performed by members of Singing Out, a non-profit 2SLGBTQQIA+ choir, in a campaign created with Publicis Toronto. It was the first time TTC had ever modified its original alert tone.

Publicis Toronto's chief officer Joanna Monteiro explained the leverage: the original alert tone is deeply ingrained in every Torontonian's daily life, so tweaking it breaks the routine and lets riders hear the choir's message of acceptance in a joyful melody. TTC's Deborah Brown called changing the tone for the first time a powerful demonstration of the agency's commitment to inclusion.

With nearly three-quarters of a million people riding the subway on a given business day, the choir's sound reached the whole city for a month. Platform and in-train posters featuring real Singing Out members carried QR codes so commuters could experience the Pride Chime directly, and the campaign extended across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Infrastructure itself became the medium: a functional alert tone turned into a month-long broadcast for the choir.

First-ever status mattered — TTC had never changed the tone, so the act itself was news, not just the sound.

QR-coded posters of real choir members converted a fleeting chime into a nameable, shareable cause.

The most powerful media slot in a city may be a sound nobody chose and everybody knows: change it once and the whole commute becomes your message.

As of the June 2023 write-up the chime was playing across the TTC network for the month of June, with the campaign running on platforms, in trains and on social media.