Music in your workplace?

Having been in charge of a few computer based workplaces, I have almost always said that music has to be personal, on headphones.

I have had complaints, but have answered, 'If I have to listen your music, then you will have to listen to mine, and then you will ask that music go on headphones.'

I relented when just two of us on a couple of occasions, were working together and got on fairly well with each others tastes, but that was an exception.

What I listen to changes depending on how pressure I am under, a lot of Tangerine Dream and other instrumental electronic music, Underworld, Kraftwerk. When I get more pressured, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Miles Davis's 70's music. Also a lot of Peter Hammill and VDGG, King Crimson and Yes.

I suspect that the above would drive lovers of George Michael and Whitney Huston out of the room.

I think most people would say that having music in the work place makes the environment better, but I really don't.

I am retired now but when i had my office & warehouse i had to buy some sort of stupid licence to play music(not joking). I trust you have a license !!! I was not going to bother but got a very threatening letter from some bunch of money grabbers up in London.

It may be worthwhile you checking.

Mista H

Mista H is correct. To have radio in the workplace the employer must pay for a Performing Rights Society licence for it to be legal. The same organisation deals with the live performance fees for concerts of music still in copyright, and I have had endless dealings with them when I was an amateur orchestra's librarian. We were called the Twentieth Century Orchestra of Malvern, and we rarely played something that was old enough to be out of copyright. It was an administrative nightmare.

At work we have such a licence, and I have almost zero enjoyment from the selected station, except when the English Cricket Tests are tuned to!

Fortunately we all agree that cricket is great radio entertainment!

We used to have Virgin [later changed to Absolute] Radio, but one of our staff finds this too hard-core! So now we have what used to be Wyevern, which is now called Free Radio. This is the ultimate bubble-gum-girl and boy-band sort of music and it drives me up the wall. They play the same Maroon Five and Trane or Black-eyed-peas songs three times a morning and three times an afternoon! Hells Bells and buckets are bells, it gets irritating, as if there is music, of whatever depth, I cannot help but listen to it.

The worst current song for me is something by a band called Fun, which is possibly called Tonight. Probably Tonite, given how everything is getting more and more dumbed down.

I prefer silence myself.

ATB from George

Large open plan office with all the attendant racket. Part of my job does consist of listening to music, by artists with whom I am not familiar, so I can write about them. As I have 2 colleagues doing the same thing, earphones are essential.

On occasion, I get bored and listen to stuff I actually enjoy on YouTube.

steve

Planet Rock on a small digital radio.They play a very eclactic mix.Love Darren Reddich in the afternoon

Sometimes play c.d's on a ghettoblaster or tapes.

Very lucky as my 2 other workmates have similar musical taste.

Sometimes get home from work and think I've overdosed on rock and put some classical on or radio 3.

Yes, know just what you mean, Bach at home is a very good cure for noisy workplace boomy bass rock'n'rollocks overdose : )

In 1989 I was fortunate to work in a very small computer graphics company where Radio 4 was played all day. Long wave when the cricket was on, and it was there that I got into what is now one of my favourite sports. Johners, Fred, et al. were even better when the game was rained off, talking about cream cakes and old times.

It was such a civilized place that we stopped work for half an hour to listen to 'Just a Minute'.

I would presume that you don't need a music license if you listen to Radio 4 in a public place. I suspect it is not an argument that would sway most people away from pap music stations though.

I also remember that when I was working at Jim Henson's Creature Shop, I had a small office just off the main CGI room which I shared with someone with whom I shared a lot of musical tastes, we were working hard and listening to quite a lot of raucous music and often singing along. Apparently Ben and I were joining in on a rendition of either AC/DC's 'What do you do for money Honey', or possibly Nine Inch Nails 'Closer' (chorus 'I want to f*** you like an animal), when a film producer was being shown around, he looked into out office grinned, and passed on by.

While I was there  friend asked what I listened to most when working, and I answered 'Nine Inch Nails and Beethoven, mostly', they said they could see the connection.

Right now I am at home, in my work room, an old Cambridge amp, and some cheap DVD player (Amuseer?) with Jethro Tull on, and the room to myself (apart from the train set on the other side of the room).

I frequently get to listen to the first 30 seconds of Gabriella Cilmi's "Got No Place To Go" about 1,000 times a day ... does that count?

Phil

...never mind the width feel the quality!

About 8 years ago, in our place of dusty toil and graft, the Firm [at the rip-off expense of £18k] had 'piped' music installed, lots of those done on the cheap n nasty speaker pod things hanging on chains from the roof rafters.

It sounded horrible, an irritating screechy PA system that could cause headaches, tinnitus, bad tempers etc, especially if one was unfortunate to be working directly under a pod.

We never did find out who sabotaged it, but if I ever get to know i'll buy him a pint : )

Debs

Jamie,

Does listening to Jethro Tull help while working on a Quo film?

PS some great train sets down here at the end of the month, or as Mike would say model railways.

Loads under one roof down the road for the bank holiday weekend.

Stu.