Lately I've been spending a lot of my working-with-a-laptop-at-a-cafe time at places that have outdoor seating. And another chunk of that time has been sitting outside at a very nice park I live nearby.<p>There is no music except for occasional snatches of it from passing cars. Instead there is the wind in the trees, various birds having their conversations, and perhaps kids playing if I'm near the playground. It's really kind of wonderful.<p>I find myself thinking that a cafe whose playlist is nothing but natural ambient sounds - maybe you walk in and the playlist is "jungle fauna", or "rainstorm", or "tranquil beach" - would be really cool, but I also know that running a small cafe is a ton of work and a great way to probably lose a ton of money. Maybe I'll suggest that at one of the cafes I work inside of on a regular basis.
I look forward to the day that society treats combating noise pollution with the same level of seriousness as combating other types of pollution. It appears that day is still far off.
I have tinnitus because I've spent the last two decades playing music through headphones to block out conversations and often music at work and in my commute. I'm still equally distracted/disturbed by other people's noise as day one.
<i>"ambient music for shopping spaces, these days, is meant to soothe you or pump you up, and generally nudge your habits toward consumption"</i><p>Fortunately, we do have some resistance to this in the form of portable music players.<p>I virtually never hear any music at any of the venues or stores I visit, because I'm always listening to my own.
…startup<p>Mutebox<p>The anti-jukebox that lets you mute restaurants' ambient music to bring back the vitality of your surroundings. For when your favorite cafe is playing experimental electronic music and you really came for the sound of espresso machines and light background noise while you crank out that TPS report. Or, the jukebox that exclusively plays John Cage's 4'33". [1]<p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4′33″" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4′33″</a>
Despite this trend, maybe it’s just me but I have never actually experienced elevator music. As in music playing in a literal elevator. Sometimes there’s a TV with weather reports and sports scores and “fun facts” that pop up but no music.
> THE LOGICAL ENDPOINT of the demand for mood-based content might be something that’s not created by a human musician, but by an algorithm. Some players in the music industry are betting on this. Earlier this year, Warner Brothers Music partnered with Endel, a company founded in Berlin that creates customized “soundscapes,” mostly for individual consumers. Endel’s songs aren’t really songs; they’re endless sonic ecosystems of sorts, for activities such as focusing on work or sleeping.<p><a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html</a>
I thought this was going to be about ambient electronic music, which is something totally different. Genre naming is fun. :) Still a worthwhile article to me.
What I can’t stand is the lyric heavy “upbeat” music in grocery stores, even when it’s absolutely dreary out or late at night. I’m sure some folks like it. Maybe I should grocery shop with earbuds.