I guess the moral to take here is "people have different working styles, and should seek out the conditions they need to do the best work they can in their environment."
I do some of my better work with symphonic metal[1] blasting in my ears, but I wouldn't impose that on anyone else. For one thing, it's an acquired taste.
after experimenting with many different pandora stations, i've found that trance music is awesome for programming. anything with lyrics or irregular beats (like dubstep) is particularly distracting, even though outside of work i like listening to pretty much anything.
this is often why when people ask me, "what music do you listen to?" my answer is always, "for what?"
I do some of my better work with symphonic metal[1] blasting in my ears, but I wouldn't impose that on anyone else. For one thing, it's an acquired taste.
[1] - See e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYjIlHWBAVo