Both of my jobs now (I work retail) have company-chosen soundtracks that play on a constant loop while the store is open. If you work a long shift you are liable to hear just about every song at least eight times, which gets really old when it happens day after day after day.
We had a tape deck which had It's Alive by the Ramones stuck in it,
Retail places generally play obnoxious soft-rock and easy listening because there are a ton of marketing studies that show that a) most shoppers are women, generally, and b) Michael Bolton songs make women spend money.
Seriously, no jury in the civilised world would convict you.
Every time I hear that song I want to put on a yarmulke and a fake beard and sing it right.
Townspeople: Schindler, get off that roof!
SCHINDLER, on the roof, opens his coat and unfurls the LIST,
which unrolls all the way down to the ground
I worked retail just after 'By The Way' by RHCP came out. It was every second song. For 9 months. 9 months.
Fuck ASDA and fuck the red hot chili peppers.
I'm lucky in that I have my own office and can choose what to listen to - my mp3 player is on non-stop.
I work at a call centre for tech support. We are not allowed to listen to music but i've spent many a day listening to one earbud. What is sometimes great and sometimes awful is the hold music. Normally we are not subject to it like the poor bastads who call in, but if during a transfer there is hold time we get it just the same. It is actually interesting to listen to, some departments have a markedly better taste than others. Maintenance always has the same crappy easy listening loop that is actually very unnerving for me. Billing has soothing music and so on, but Second Tier is special, under normal circumstances, the customer will never hear STS hold music, and for this reason it has sometimes really odd selections. Things i remember hearing have been Ryan Adams, the Ted Leo cover of Since u Been Gone and today Planet Rock by Afrikaa Bambaataa.
We're not allowed to listen to music.
Every once in a while, we get a new secretary that asks if she can bring a stereo in to add a little "life" to the place and everyone chuckles.
Then we cry.
ASDA FM has branched out a bit, they play a fair selection of shit nowadays. Whenever Modest Mouse's last album came out they played Dashboard about once a day which was ok. Our store mostly turns the radio off as soon as customers come in for some reason though. I'll agree with your closing statement.
We're not allowed to listen to music.
Every once in a while, we get a new secretary that asks if she can bring a stereo in to add a little "life" to the place and everyone chuckles.
Then we cry.
I would kill a man for the right to not have people listen to music around me at work, but I find I'm in the minority there, unfortunately.
The Billboard Top 5 songs (week of 19Jan08):
Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain - Low
Alicia Keys - No One
Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic - Apologize
Chris Brown Featuring T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
Fergie - Clumsy
I think it is safe to say Rap/Hip Hop is mainstream
I have a raging hard-on
My manager at McDonald's this summer would play TexMex-style Mexican music all day. It was AWESOME for me, I love that shit (Flaco Jimenez is my hero). Some of the customers? Not so much. They would complain about it and I would be like "Dude, it's worth it to see Olive (the manager) dance."