Developers Who Code to EDM Earn More Pay Raises and Promotions, Study Suggests

A new survey of 1,000 programmers found that those who listen to electronic dance music while coding report higher rates of promotions and salary increases than their peers who prefer other genres.

The research was conducted by Liquid Web, a web hosting and cloud services company with over 500,000 sites under management. It examines the relationship between musical preferences and professional advancement among software developers, and suggests that EDM may provide unique benefits for workers in the tech industry.

According to the study, 56% of developers who listen to EDM while working received a pay increase in the recent period surveyed, a rate that exceeded those who preferred pop and other mainstream genres during their coding sessions. Additionally, 23% of EDM enthusiasts reported receiving a promotion within the past year, outpacing colleagues who favored classical music or country.

Respondents said they most often listen to rock (42%), hip-hop (37%) and pop (37%), with 21% choosing EDM as their favorite genre to code to. The survey identified Skrillex, David Guetta and the late Avicii as the most popular electronic artists among developers.

It's important to note that while the study establishes a connection between EDM listening habits and professional success metrics, it does not prove causation. It remains unclear whether the music itself contributes to improved performance, or whether developers who gravitate toward the genre share other characteristics that make them more likely to advance in their careers.

You can read Liquid Web's full study here.