Warehouse Rhapsody
Gravelly shouts from James Hetfield transition to the mellow tonality of Regina Spektor. Jimmy Page weaves a tale of love and loss in Middle Earth. The beat picks up and Reel Big Fish rocks an 80’s pop hit, which gives way to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. This- almost perfectly- leads into the Penguins singing Earth Angel. The King makes an appearance, as is his wont. He is shortly followed by Usher, The Clash, The Stones, and Tool.
Amidst these seemingly discordant sounds I am breaking down boxes, retrieving stock, and occasionally succumbing to a relentless urge to dance. We’re insanely busy, and I’m physically exhausted, but then Iron Maiden plays and I am immediately energized.
Are we using Pandora to do this? Well, yes; we utilize the music genome. We utilize the hell out of it. The warehouse Pandora shuffles through a multitude of personalized stations. Each Blue Q employee is asked what band/musician they would like to add, and we create a channel for them. The effect is the weirdest (but coolest) music festival every day.
Every song has a specific, personal effect on each employee. Many of us (but mostly Rocky) are singing. Many more are dancing. Sergio (to no one’s surprise) is skipping mirthfully. Some are discovering the song for the first time. Others are remembering the first time they ever heard it. We find that many of us have similar tastes. We share tidbits of live shows we saw, and deep cut trivia from a musician’s sordid past. Sometimes we’re hearing something that we just don’t like, and even that is cool. Even that promotes discussion and camaraderie.
And, yeah sure, it makes us work all the harder. Good music will have that effect on people.
But more importantly, we work harder because we have an emotional investment in this music. Any good beat will keep you working, but when I get to hear Short Change Hero by The Heavy, I know that I want to keep working.
