Have you heard about audio branding?

It's the strategic use of sound and music for business goals whether it's about making the brand more recognizable or influencing some psychological factor that affects in some way the interaction with their brand.

The use of music in retail settings has certain goals, like encouraging people to move slower or faster through their store depending on the influx of people at the store. However, I think that the majority of these businesses don't have an active use of music and they just put anything to avoid silence.

Anyway, I understand your frustration. I've found myself despising people that carry a speaker with them and putting loud music without any consideration for anyone else, or having no quiet place to just relax for a while.

I hope we can be more aware of the auditory contamination we're exposed to daily.