Great piece over at The Atlantic on the history of “personal music”:
The purpose of the headphone is to concentrate a quiet and private sound in the ear of the listener. This is a radical departure from music’s social purpose in history.
And also, on music’s educational benefits:
If headphones are so bad for productivity, why do so many people at work have headphones?
The answer is surprising. Give this article a good solid 10 minutes to sink in.
WILL KUHN 