In which situation do you most commonly listen to music?

Music was invented to mask the sound of farts

I think maybe the unspoken reason that shops always have music is to mask the sounds of farts. Because most of the times I can remember shops not having their usual radio playing, I also remember hearing farts.

i will never be able to shop the grocery store the same ever again. thanks, man.

I vaguely recall hearing about shops having this as one of there reasons but I've mostly heard that shoppers stay longer and buy more with music on.

I thought search engine would yield something about hearing farts in shops but nope.

i was in the dentist's chair waiting for the dentist yesterday and they had "pearl jam radio" streaming quietly over the speakers.

they played the titular pearl jam, a new song i think, pretty mellow and acoustic, i was thinking about how much i enjoyed the song and it's weird but still rock-derived key changes and eddie vedder's manic warble. what could they possibly play next, i wondered, probably something i'll hate.

but then came "the weight" by the band and be still my heart, i found myself on the verge of tears as that little resolution of the chorus appeared with all the voices coming in on different pitches in staggered fashion. here i am contemplating the profound loneliness one bears through life as i'm waiting for a dental checkup.

next up is ... "it's my life" by talk talk. one of the most euphoric pop songs imaginable. sheer transcendence.

such a beautiful journey in the 10 minutes before an old man started fidgeting around in my mouth.

Muzak is in trouble. Since 1934, the popular company has been providing retailers with musical strategies to boost worker productivity, encourage consumerism, and manipulate mood in a brick-and-mortar experience. Muzak was purchased in 2011 by Austin-based Mood Media, which also specializes in the manipulative power of carefully curated scents, decor, and social media, in the hopes of the parent company cornering the in-store music market.

But Mood Media — which also owns Trusonic, Somerset, DMX, BIS Group, Technomedia, and South Central A\V in addition to Muzak — is now filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy [...]

The company owes much of its financial struggles to the COVID-19 lockdown, as many citizens continue to shelter in place and a wide variety of businesses remain either closed or partially open. Mood Music — which acknowledged the virus’s “widespread devastation” on consumer habits and a reorganization of priorities at its retail clients — has told investors that it will continue operate throughout “the contemplated court-supervised process with a primary focus on the health and safety of its employees, independent affiliates and clients.” Mood provides in-store music marketing (a.k.a. “elevator music”) for clients like malls, restaurants, and dental offices, in addition to other products like digital signage and scents.

https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/retail-music-mood-media-muzak-bankruptcy-1027015/

spotify should get in on the remains of the carcass

i've noticed myself responding more strongly to piped-in music as i get older. either it's completely unbearable to the point where i have to leave (sprouts grocery store) or it transports me / turns me into an emotional mess.

I completely fell apart in Daiso once because “something just like this” played on the store pa

(By Coldplay)