[colmvp]

I was co-working / part-time studying in the co-working area.

I can deal with background chitchat since I can tune that out but hearing music I can't stand to listen to is really hard to ignore, especially when they jack up the volume! I don't know why the insist on having music always playing, people have left the co-working space because of it. At times it felt more like a frat party than a serious place for people to get work done.

[ghaff]

I’m pretty much the same way. Ambient people sounds—unless really loud/intrusive—are fine. And I sometimes even probably prefer to silence/isolation. But lose the music unless maybe it’s maybe quiet background instrumentals. I tend not to listen to music when working even when I’m in total control of the playlist and volume.

[antod]

> I’m pretty much the same way. Ambient people sounds—unless really loud/intrusive—are fine. And I sometimes even probably prefer to silence/isolation.

Interestingly that relates to one of the few acoustic design points I remember from an architecture paper I failed decades ago.

The point was about Libraries, and how you shouldn't design their acoustics to be as quiet as possible. When something is really quiet, small noises like someone getting up can be very disturbing. While if you design them to have an audible but muffled background murmour where details/sources can't be picked out subconsciously, people will be disturbed less when sounds do happen.

[PeterStuer]

This is also why I abandoned my quest for 100% silent computers in favor of going for a still very quiet but pleasant timbre.

[puranjay]

I can't understand what genius decided that all workspaces have to feel like a shitty club. Who plays music in a place literally called WeWork?

[nashashmi]

WeWork pivoted from startup idea WeChillAtWork.

I know...I know.

[Aperocky]

"idea"

Some idea really should be described as "brainfart".

[ItypeRandom]

Isn't the point of WeWork exactly that chatter? It allows for a space where people from different worlds can work in the same space giving a great opportunity for connections. This is all from second-hand hearsay, never actually worked in one.

[colmvp]

Don’t get me wrong I’m okay with hearing background chatter for as you said its part of the reason why one joins a coworking space: socializing. I’m was mostly just complaining about the music and loud talking on phones (when they have phone booths)

[mumblemumble]

My coworking space (not WeWork) has also been turning the music up lately. I'm finding that it causes the background chatter to become intolerable, too, since people naturally respond to loud music by talking even louder.

I think that WeWork has really set a bad precedent here. It was the first coworking space I toured that seemed to be pushing itself as more of a social space than a place to hunker down and get some work done. Since then, though, pretty much everyone seems to be headed in that direction.

[goatinaboat]

I bet IWG is still music-free.

[ben509]

Did work at one for a few years, a better name would be WeTalkAboutWork.