1 MUSIC AND SOUND AT WORK Toby Bennett (2015) The below is an edited, expanded and reshuffled version of my framing remarks for the tǁo paŶels of the stƌeaŵ MusiĐ aŶd “ouŶd at Woƌk, ǁhiĐh I ĐoŶǀeŶed at the LoŶdoŶ Conference in Critical Thought, University College London, in June 2015. The two panels, titled The Audiďle EĐoŶoŵy aŶd Foƌŵ, FuŶĐtioŶ, AesthetiĐ, ǁeƌe iŶteŶded to foĐus oŶ the macro (socio-economic) and the micro (psychic-affective) levels of the contemporary organisation of music respectively. Speakers were: Dr Kaarina Kilpiö on the construction of a listening consumer in Finland; Dr Paul Rekret on the ideal of reproductive futurism in hip hop and Annie; Dr Robert Bentall oŶ aesthetiĐ ĐoŶtƌaĐts iŶ eleĐtƌoaĐoustiĐ ŵusiĐ; and Prof JohŶ Moǁitt oŶ faŶtasy aŶd heaƌiŶg iŶ Heƌzog. MusiĐ at Woƌk is aŶ oŶgoiŶg project for me, which I am documenting on my personal blog: https://themoneytrench.wordpress.com/music-at-work/ This conference stream is convened around two objects or problems: music/sound (that is: the auditory); and work (that is: productive labour). I want us to consider the changing social forms of these two objects; to map the changing relationship between them; and to look for new ways of thinking and talking about this relationship. At base, ǁeƌe talkiŶg aďout ŵusiĐ and sound AT work. And I want to do so in a double sense. Imagine two signs. One is a nondescript sheet of laminated A3 pinned up on the wall in an office or factory, filled with lines of small print. At the top of the poster, it says in large print, Health aŶd “afetLJ at Woƌk. The second is a large, triangular piece of metal at the side of some ongoing road construction. In the centre there is a pictogram of someone shovelling, bounded by a bright red frame. Underneath, it might read (or, at least, imply) MeŶ at Woƌk.