Music at work: a critical study of individualised listening in labour

Using both critical theoretical and ethnographic techniques, the candidate will investigate the nature and significance of individualised music in labour: what does it mean for the worker, for the employer, for society? What music people listen to, how they listen to it, and in what ways it affects their work and lives will be central to my research. The problem of who stands to benefit from individualised listening exists in tension with the fact that music helps many people get through their working day: to what extent are those who listen at work expressing their identity and agency, or in fact structuring their lives for the profit of others?

There are two main strands to this project research: i) Primary research investigating music at work: what is be listened to, by whom, and where; what effects listening has on workers. ii) Critical interpretation of music at work, utilising primary research and existing theory.