What do you listen to while you work? It depends on what I am doing. For editing images and researching, I usually listen to a friend’s playlist on Rdio or catch a history podcast (my favourite being the BBC History Magazine). While writing, I opt for music sans words and usually opt for Philip Glass or Wagner, depending on my mood.

How do you listen? Built-in computer speakers. Boring, I know. For the podcasts on my iPhone, I play them on an old clock radio connected via AirPlay. When using headphones, thanks to noisy neighbours and the bars below the apt, I use my Bowers & Wilkins P5. My turntable and records did not make the move years ago (I moved with a small suitcase) and are under the care and keeping of my youngest sister.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? Almost all of my podcasts are downloaded in iTunes (which is also the home of my music collection) and for new music listening/streaming, I usually opt for Rdio because of the great playlists my new music-savvy friends have created. Spotify is also great for scratching an itch to hear something that I don’t own.

Does music influence your work? Music influences my knitwear design and photography; it helps boring tasks like editing the white balance in hundreds of photos be much less tedious. One of the knit hats in my collection (the little burrow on Etsy) was strongly influenced by a Bon Iver album. When it comes to photographing tech, I find my generally very soft, warm, folkish playlists to be helpful in keeping the technology human-focused. It’s not all about specs all of the time, and the music reminds me that it’s important to capture the experience of using the product.

Who influences your musical taste? Friends. I am primarily introduced to new music via my friend Kory Westerhold. He makes fantastic playlists and it’s been awesome to see him adapt them for new mediums and sites as they come along. Right now he’s making playlists on Rdio. I am also influenced by the music curation of NPR and love listening to “All Songs Considered” on long subway rides.

What song or artist best represents the work you create? Goodness, this is a challenging question; any answer I provide will make me look like I have a very large idea of my own greatness! Since I don’t want to be that person that has a non-answer answer, I’d say Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine. When I hear her music I think of a strong lady with robot friends and a deep sense of history and tradition. This works because I do like to think of myself and my work as coming from a place of technology curiosity, robot friendliness, and history love.

JOELLE’S PLAYLIST

Cold Front Blues, Southeast Engine

Blood Bank, Bon Iver

If I Had a Boat, James Vincent McMorrow

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, Bob Dylan

To Be Alone With You, Sufjan Stevens

Metamorphosis No.2, Philip Glass

Peng!, Iron & Wine

You Can Close Your Eyes, James Taylor

Generator (First Floor), Freelance Whales

Shake It Out, Florence + The Machine

Brand New Start, Little Joy

Keep on the Sunny Side, The Whites

Images: Joelle Alcaidinho

What do you listen to while you work? When I write I like to listen to music without words. Something more ambient. But when I’m researching or editing I’ll listen to a whole range of stuff from Sufjan Stevens to Elvis Costello to Vampire Weekend.

How do you listen? Through speakers attached to my Dell monitor. I work from home so there’s no one but the dog to disturb. I don’t have to worry about keeping it down!

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? I’m addicted to Pandora. I hear a song I like, create a playlist and get a whole bunch of other songs I like. It’s perfect. I like what pops up on my Eric Satie station – it works well when I’m writing and I need to concentrate. I got into Spotify for a while and I like being able to look at other people’s music lists but I keep returning to Pandora. I’ll also sometimes jump into iTunes and let that play at random. A lot of that music came from my husband so it’s fun for me to listen to it – like getting a mixed tape from him.

Does music influence your work? It certainly influences my mood but not my work directly. There’s nothing like a good song to pick you up out of those 3pm doldrums. Almost as good as a cup of coffee.

What song or artist best represents the work you create? I dread this question! My mind goes completely blank at the thought of pinning down one song to describe all the different work I do. I heard Kate Bush interviewed on KCRW yesterday and was reminded how much I love “Wuthering Heights“. It’s such a wonderfully overwrought, operatic song and fun to work to. But a better song to represent the work I do would be Hauschka’s “Children” – it’s a rich, layered instrumental piece that’s busy (like me) and beautiful (which is what I aim for with the work I produce).

Cerentha’s Playlist

Ryan Adams, Dirty Rain

Sufjan Stevens, Chicago

Lenka, The Show

Ingrid Michaelson, Be OK

Badly Drawn Boy, Once Around the Block

Aimee Mann, Save Me

Ben Lee, Apple Candy

Bernard Fanning, Hope and Validation

Nick Cave and Various Artists, The Ship Song Project

Billy Bragg and Wilco, California Stars

Fiona Apple, Across the Universe

Erik Satie, Gymnopedie

What do you listen to while you work? I quite like metal. The texture, pulsating rhythms, and general mass of it, all works for me. (While I understand that I’m likely in the minority on this point, I also find that this type of music helps me focus on what I’m doing.) The rest of the time, I listen to a garden variety of acts, ranging from Paul Westerberg and The New Pornographers to Supertramp and Massive Attack. I can’t say that I’m particularly adventurous in my listening, but I remain quite open to anything.

How do you listen? At the office, I plug into those ubiquitous white Apple headphones, attached to a computer. At home, everything runs through a stereo, which has some quite decent speakers. The most enjoyable music listening experience I have these days is with my boys, Oscar and Ari. After my wife, Amea, reads bedtime stories to them, they join me to listen to music on my iPad. The sound quality isn’t very good, but I love introducing them to music. (At the moment, they’re awfully fond of ABBA.)

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? I find Grooveshark quite handy. It’s nice to have access to so much music, and the UI is relatively simple.

Does music influence your work? Not like it used to. When I worked as a painter, I found the connection much closer. Certain music does invigorate me to move faster and feel energetic; nevertheless, the projects I work on are focused more on agreed upon objectives and strategy than my personal voice.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? I run home from work most nights, and do so tuned into a program called Q on CBC. The interviews are very good, and the host, Jian Ghomeshi, often introduces interesting new acts. Recently, I found The Rural Alberta Advantage and Austra as a result of his program. I like that he features a number of emerging musicians, and that so many of them are Canadian.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be? I find the comparison difficult one. While I identify with a lot of different music, I don’t see my work as being analogous to any particular artist or piece of music. In fact, I feel it’s my job to ensure that our agency never feels like it’s coming from any single voice or perspective. In that respect, I suppose we’re a little like a group of session musicians. Our clients bring us in when they need to get the job done, but it’s more about them, than us.

ERIC’S PLAYLIST

I’ll treat this like a mix tape, with the A-Side containing some (lovely) metal, and the B-Side being more reflective of that garden variety of listening habits I mentioned.

A-SIDE

Painkiller, Judas Priest

What Doesn’t Die, Anthrax

That Was Just Your Life, Metallica

Jesus Built My Hotrod, Ministry

Poison Was the Cure, Megadeth

Damage Case, Motörhead

B-SIDE

Tame, Pixies

Hang Down Your Head, Tom Waits

Moves, The New Pornographers

After the Rain, Blue Rodeo

Beast of Burden, The Rolling Stones

The Twilite Kid, The Twilight Singers

Images: Eugene Huh

What do you listen to while you work? When I’m working, I love to listen to upbeat music. My tastes are very eclectic—I could be listening to anything from Elton John and Diana Ross to Linkin Park and Lady Gaga.

How do you listen? I mostly listen to my iPod through my home stereo or sometimes through my computer.

Do you have any favorite music websites? I like Pandora, iTunes, and kcrw.com (especially Eclectic24).

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? My husband, who is very into music, knows my taste and always suggests things. Susan Mazo, a dear friend of mine who works for Warner Music Group, always has great recommendations. And every radio station I listen to—if I hear a song I like, I find out who the artist is and put it on Pandora. I also may hear a good mix in someone’s house and ask, “Who is this??”

Does music influence your work? I love “happy” music—fun, fun! I want my work to put a smile on my clients’ faces, like I would a friend coming for dinner. They walk in the door, they hear fun, happy, upbeat music, you give them a cocktail, and they’re bound to have a great time…

Read on for Lulu’s playlist

LULU’S PLAYLIST

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Diana Ross
Home [Live From Madison Square Garden], Michael Bublé
Tiny Dancer, Elton John
Bleed It Out, Linkin Park
Alejandro, Lady Gaga
The Best Is Yet To Come, Frank Sinatra
Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson
Thank Heaven for Little Girls, Maurice Chevalier
Coming Around Again, Carly Simon
She Thinks My tractor Is Sexy, Kenny Chesney
Drops of Jupiter, Train
I’ve Gotta Be Me, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Lucky Star, Madonna