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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/20/musical_preference_survey/

By Lester Haines

Published Tuesday 20th July 2004 11:34 GMT

The latest research by “accelerated learning” outfit The Training Company may be very silly, but at least it doesn’t accuse piratical punters from downloading movies illegally from the Internet.

Nope, the Training Company has uncovered some much more exciting facts regarding the musical preferences of those working in the wonderful world of computing. The company “took advantage of a captive audience of IT professionals to poll them on the contents of their portable music players”.

Shockingly, the results of its poll among 200 students at the Training Company’s UK residential courses reveal that developers are malodorous headbangers playing air guitar to Megadeth, Microsoft Certified professionals get their rocks off to Britney while IT directors can be found sipping the finest wines while Mozart tinkles away in the background. No stereotype-fulfilling findings there, then.

Training Camp co-founder Robert Chapman said of this “iPod anatomy” research: “I’ve always suspected that there is a strong link between professional and musical orientation, which is certainly confirmed by this research.”

Hmmm. There is argument which says that your musical tastes adapt to your job, rather than dictate your choice of career. We know of at least one Reg hack who came to Vulture Central with a fine ear and an profound appreciation of Baroque choral works, but was one month later found in a London pub, drunk, and dancing on a table to the Sex Pistols while police officers moved in with dogs and nets.

Sadly, the Training Camp survey does not note what IT journalists prefer on their playlist. Neither, scandalously, does it recognise what is taken as absolute fact among the IT community: that adsales boys, marketing directors and Strategy Boutiques in general prefer to brainstorm to the sound of whalesong. ®

Those results in full

Job: Microsoft-certified professionals
Favoured genre: Mainstream pop

Top three bands:

1. Britney Spears
2. Dido
3. Beyonce

Job: Security
Favoured genre: 60s “Alt” Rock

Top three bands:

1. Grateful Dead
2. The Doors
3. Hendrix

Job: Linux
Favoured genre: Electro

Top three bands:

1. The Orb
2. Underworld
3. Kraftwerk

Job: Developers
Favoured genre: Heavy Metal

1. Megadeth
2. Iron Maiden
3. Slipknot

Job: Database administrators
Favoured genre: Indie

1. The Smiths
2. Haven
3. Suede

Job: Project manager
Favoured genre: Rock

1. Pink Floyd
2. Queen
3. Rolling Stones

Job: CIO/IT director
Favoured genre: Classical

1. Mozart
2. Handel
3. Vivaldi