Here comes today's surprise breaking news of the day: People listen to music at work. Streaming services such as Spotify are making this ever easier, and the service took the time to conduct a survey and figure out just what we office dwellers are listening to, and when.
The survey demonstrated that 61 percent of workers took in some music during the day and that it "made them happier and more productive." Twenty percent of those quizzed acknowledged that music helped reduce boredom on the job, and 16 percent used it to drown out "annoying" coworkers. The surveyors, just getting snoopy now, found that 10 percent judged their coworker's tastes, and an additional 9 percent worried about being judged themselves.
People at the company across the way on our floor: We're part of that 10 percent. Mariah Carey and "All I Want For Christmas" do not belong in our office circa April.
The company probably got more useful information for its own purposes when it asked about when people listened to music. They noted that "specifically," people preferred tuning in between 9 and 11 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. So, "specifically," 45 percent of all office people are tuned into some sort of music listening device within that six hour range.
The acts that these bored office workers tuned in to suggests something far darker and scarier about the workforce. Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Rihanna, Mumford & Sons, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars were near the top of the list. In short, the young workforce engaging in Spotify is slowly turning into its parents. But, to be fair, Music Times presents the last albums listened to by its writers while in the office:
Ryan Book, sections editor - Unholy Congregation of Hypocritical Ambivalence by Impetuous Ritual: "I got kind of lucky that I was listening to the most metal sounding album name ever when you asked. Had you come by 20 minutes ago, the answer would have been much more bubblegum pop."
Caitlin Carter, sections editor - Honest by Future: "I saw that it was streaming a week ahead of its release, so I decided to check it out while I was writing another article. We probably won't write about it until next week."
Joseph Degroot, writer - New Adventures in Hi-Fi by R.E.M.: "Not nearly one of their best."
